Saying Goodbye, and Saying Hello Leadership Washington County Starts Its New Program Year

Written by Tara Bockstanz

On June 2, the Leadership Washington County class traveled to Rocky Gap Resort for their highly anticipated Closing Retreat! The class engaged in reflection activities in which they were able to debrief their Program days and commit to giving back to our community. They then celebrated with a luau-themed dinner at Rocky Gap State Park, right next door to the resort. Congratulations, Class #36

Saying goodbye to Class #36 means we are also welcoming Class #37. For the second year in a row, Leadership Washington County received a record-breaking number of applications for the Class of 2024, the 37th class. We are excited to begin the new program year in September with 35 class members who will convene at Rocky Gap Resort for their two-day Opening Retreat. To see a list of the LWC Class of 2024, please visit leadershipwashingtoncounty.org/class-37.

This year LWC’s programming will return to topical days as compared to the regional format that we followed for the last two years. Programs days will explore topics such as Human Services, Education, Local Government, State Government, Health, Board Governance, Economic and Workforce Development, Art and Culture. These topical days will be planned with consideration of the five regions of Washington County and will highlight organizations within those areas as appropriate.

We encourage all of our graduates to stay engaged and connected with Leadership Washington County through our Graduate Events. Each month LWC will plan an event that will highlight an organization within the county. These events range from Behind the Scenes tours to educational lunches and Happy Hours at locally owned establishments. To participate in most of our Graduate events we offer a graduate membership that is renewed each year. The membership allows participants to continue their LWC journey by elevating their access to events, expanding their network and amplifying their connection to the community.

Graduate programming for the upcoming year will kick off in September with our first Behind the Scenes tour of Horizon Goodwill.

The women of Leadership Washington County’s outgoing Class #36.

There are also plans to bring back a fan-favorite, a Farm to Table Dinner in October featuring District Supply & Provision Co. in Downtown Hagerstown. The dinner will promote Agriculture in Washington County by using fresh ingredients grown and raised right here in our own backyard. The dinner will be a multicourse meal each paired thoughtfully with a complimentary beer or wine from one of the many fabulous local breweries and wineries.

In addition, we are also planning to bring back a few of our most popular events including the Best Lunch Ever, LWC Presents Series and our Holiday Party. We will continue our monthly Brew Crew Coffee Talk at Free Range Café and we will add a new networking group called the Lunch Bunch that will kick off in September as well.

The LWC Staff and Board of Directors happily welcomes two new board members this year, Mary-Jane Bowyer-Class of 2019-#32 of CNB Bank and Kelli Cobb-Class of 2020-#33 of SEK CPA’s and Advisors as well as several new committee members. From our most recent group of Graduates, Class #36, we welcome Matthew Andrews, Annaston Cree, David Brooks, Samantha Mellott and Nicole Myers to serve on our Program and Alumni Committees. We are looking forward to working alongside these wonderful individuals as they share their time, talents and treasures with LWC.

So many exciting things are on the horizon for Leadership Washington County! To stay up-to-date with all things LWC, you can follow on social media at https://www.facebook.com/leadershipwc or https://www.instagram.com/leadershipwc/