By Jim Mikula, President/CEO
Last week we held the Leadership Gillespie County (LGC) Class of 2025 Retreat at MO Ranch. The LGC Coordinators this year are Julie Herbort of Heath Family Brands and Teri Hoyt of Mustard Architects. There are 22 members of the Class of 2025 representing all aspects of our community from small businesses to non-profits to city government—the group is diverse and representative of our community.
The class worked together through several activities and exercises to help them understand their thinking, communication and leadership styles. Effective communication is certainly a hallmark of leadership. Individuals in the class were able to work on several team configurations which helped them to stretch their communication and collaboration “muscles” and get to know each other.
In addition to workshop-style sessions, there was social time intended to encourage the group to bond and form a true cohort ready to elect class officers and prepare for the year ahead. The class was given several coolers of food and beverages to prepare a BBQ dinner together. And, as the class stated, the team building and the BBQ was “Epic!”
A highlight of the retreat was the presentation on leadership by retired Army Lieutenant General Mike Oates, who now lives in Kerrville and is on the board of the Admiral Nimitz Foundation. Oates used an interesting comparison of leadership decision-making styles by contrasting the decisions made by three types of doctors: emergency doctors, surgeons and pathologists. The contrasts, applied to non-medical decisions and leadership, were readily understandable. He also spoke of his leadership experiences in the US Army from his time at West Point to his rise through the ranks. The class (and the rest of us in attendance) appreciated new distinctions about leadership that we learned from Oates, and everyone took copious notes.
The class coordinators and 2024 officers who also attended the retreat were quite pleased about the number of individuals seeking to be a class officer. The 2025 officers are:
· President - Todd Weiss, Coordinated Digital Mapping Services
· Vice President - Leslie Kneese, Texas Hills Realty
· Secretary - Chelsea Scott, Heath Family Brands
· Treasurer - Ryan Benitez, First United Bank
· Sergeant at Arms - Amber Alex, Weaver Technologies
The role of class historian/photographer will be shared by Jules Felder of Augusta Vin, Diane Schofield of Phyllis Browning Company, and Aaron Stegler of Security Sate Bank & Trust.
A BIG Thank You to the LGC Class of 2024 officers for their key roles in organizing the Alumni Mixer and setting up the retreat. Their leadership played a significant role in preparing the class of 2025 for the year ahead. These outgoing officers will also support the incoming class:
· President - Kelby Berry, Weaver Technologies
· Vice President - Ashley Selig, Fischer & Weiser
· Secretary - Shelby Collier, City of Fredericksburg
· Treasurer - Heather McCarver, Pioneer Museum
· Sergeant at Arms - Shane Harvey, Waymaker Designs
To all the LGC Alumni, which number over 600 now, please keep in contact with the Chamber so that we can have accurate emails. Next year, we will add specific programs and social events for LGC Alumni. As a Chamber and community, we need to take advantage of the incredible talent pool of LGC Alumni.
LGC Class of 2025 set a record for the Touch ‘n Turn game. It could stand for decades! But, class…don’t reveal all your secrets if you want to keep that record!
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