Leadership Douglas County
Leadership Douglas County was established in 1999 by the Castle Rock Chamber.
In its 25th year, LDC’s goals are to inspire participants in the work they do; strengthen them and the organizations they serve; and facilitate a heightened sense of community connection to encourage individuals to take positions of civic and organizational leadership in the community.
Applications are closed and will open in February 2024 for the 2024-2025 cohort.
EDUCATING EMERGING LEADERS AND VOLUNTEERS IN DOUGLAS COUNTY
Leadership Douglas County (LDC), a program of the Castle Rock Chamber of Commerce, is committed to ensuring the continuity of knowledgeable and effective leadership in Douglas County. Today, Douglas County is the geographic center of Colorado and provides a blend of quality lifestyle and business environment.
LDC was created to ensure our community would continue to identify, educate, and motivate current and emerging leaders to improve Douglas County through personal and collective commitment. LDC seeks motivated, capable men and women from diverse professional backgrounds and supports best practices in setting standards of excellence.
LDC EXPECTATIONS
The program creates an expectation of servant leadership and builds in real opportunities to teach knowledge and skills through a monthly, day-long program, held on the first Wednesday of each month, October through June in various locations throughout the county.
Each month explores a different regional topic and also includes a leadership development segment. Upon graduation, participants become the planning committee for the upcoming year’s class, applying their own program experience, as they complete their second year of participation as alumni in the LDC program.
SESSION TOPICS
Session topics throughout the year include:
- Education
- Public Safety
- Open Space and History
- Fire and Emergency Services
- Economic Development
- Healthcare
- Social Services
- Government
- Community Resources
- Arts and Culture
- Team-building elements and skills training throughout.
PARTICIPATION REWARDS
For the Participant, LDC will:
- Offer rigorous and relevant learning, with the opportunity to apply new knowledge and skills
- Broaden participants’ knowledge of the community
- Challenge participants to examine their leadership style, values, and impact
- Increase the strength and effectiveness of our community leaders
- Equip participants to respond to the challenges of the community today and into the future
- Provide opportunities for direct contact with influential people, businesses, and service organizations
2023/24 Class Participants
Janine Beans
Matt Benak
Joseph Bessenbacher
Sunnie Bottin
Bart Chambers
Terri Dankelman
Karen Deal
Brie Dilley
Rebecca Dunn
Stacy Garmon
JJ Haley
Kurt Huffman
Kisha Johnson
Thomas Kammer
Jordan Kaupp
Nadine Kirk
Don MacBrayne
Sean Pooley
Jason Rauch
Stephanie Stanley
Deborah Takahara
Brandon Traver
Marcus Turner
Programming Committee
Mercy Ahles
Mary Anderson
Derek Castellano
Luke Dechant
Stacey Fahrenbruch
Becky Fischer
Galia Heidemann
Arielle Hodgson
Gregory Homer
Chuwen Huang
Karen Jefferson
Ryan Lammers
Ali Marshall
Hannah Paille
Amy Pfister
Kristin Randlett
Jerry Van Leuven
Joel White
In 2023, the Leadership Douglas County Alumni was established to provide opportunities for participants who have successfully completed the Leadership Douglas County Program. With over 400 graduates, the Alumni Program provides the opportunity to:
- Establish a professional networking.
- Reconnect with classmates.
- Give back to the community by continuing to provide quality leaders.
- Continue to grow in leadership through educational programming.
- Provide scholarships for future Leadership Douglas County participants.
Benefits of the LDC Alumni Program:
- Quarterly LDC Alumni Newsletter – updates on current class and news about Alumni.
- Link to LDC Alumni online directory
- Access to quarterly events and socials.
- Kick Off Social Event (November 8, 2023)
- Service Project (April 2024)
- Invitation to Graduation Ceremonies (June 5, 2024)
- Meet the New Class at the Retreat (September 20, 2024)
- Holiday Event (November 2024)
One year membership – $120/year
Special Thanks to our Sponsors!
