Local Government Program Day

Thursday, February 16, 2023

by Jenny Wentz, Executive Director

We had an amazing and informative day in downtown Lewisburg at the Open Discourse Coalition, which was the perfect venue for this particular program day. LSV was privileged to welcome outstanding local officials who faithfully serve our communities. The class members had the opportunity to engage with Liz Kishbaugh, Central PA Regional Manager for U.S. Senator Bob Casey; Lynda Schlegel Culver, PA State Representative & Senator-elect; Kendy Alvarez, Mayor for the Borough of Lewisburg; and Ben Reichley, Snyder County Republican Committee to gain perspective, understanding, and work to provide solutions for the community.

As the first woman of color to be elected in any of the Valley communities as well as the youngest to lead an area town, Kendy Alvarez had the opportunity to share her unique story with the LSV class members along with her goals for Lewisburg.

Thanks to a Powering Equity grant from the PPL Foundation, LSV was able to partner with The Inclusion Firm to provide diversity, equity, and inclusion training to the LSV Class of 2023. Barrett Marshall, Esq., Senior Consultant at The Inclusion Firm, explored The Impacts of Implicit Bias + Microaggressions with the class and LSV board members through a mix of presentation and open discussion to better understand how our brains naturally associate and categorize the world. One class member shared, “I really valued the open conversation during the DEI component. I felt safe and able to speak. I also loved seeing how some people’s perspectives of the topics changed as we continued to discuss. DEI training I have been through previously has never been as productive or enjoyable.”

Caz Russell, Certified Coach, Trainer & Speaker, presented his fourth leadership session entitled, “Leadership is an inside job,” which focused on emotional intelligence. Caz taught the class how to recognize and understand emotions in themselves and others, and how to use their awareness to manage their behavior and relationships.

As a graduate from the very first class of LSV (Class of 1995), Jeff Reber, Union County Commissioner, shared how his leadership journey led him to where he is today and how he is leading change in his current role.

To finish out the program day, Nathan Savidge, Chief Clerk for Northumberland County, opened up to the class about his own personal leadership journey and how it led him to where he is today. He also provided firsthand information on elections in our local area.

It was certainly an impactful and informative day for the LSV Class of 2023, and with only three more program days remaining before graduation, I am hoping to finish strong with Community & Human Services, Agriculture, and Tourism themed program days.

Thank you to our program day sponsors, Mike Piecuch, Snyder County District Attorney; Phil DeRose, LSV Board Member; and SEDA-COG.