FIND YOUR PASSION

from Naples on the Gulf 2022

COMMUNITY CAREER CONNECTOR

THE LEADERSHIP COLLIER FOUNDATION INSPIRES LOCAL BUSINESSPEOPLE, RISING YOUNG PROFESSIONALS, AND STUDENTS TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE COMMUNITY

Whether you are a young professional, entrepreneur, or top executive, the Leadership Collier Foundation (LCF) programs help residents understand the community in ways they could not anticipate. Participants get an insider’s perspective of health care, law enforcement, the environment, education, local government, agriculture, and social services, walking away empowered with a deeper understanding of how the community functions and inspired to make a difference.

LCF is a 501(c)(3) subsidiary of the Greater Naples Chamber, founded in 1989 to expose local business leaders to the community’s societal and economic challenges. Since then, LCF has expanded its umbrella to foster engagement in young professionals and high school students. Each year, about 100 new class members participate in its three programsLeadership Collier, Associate Leadership Collier, and Youth Leadership Collier.

Leadership Collier participants go behind the scenes to learn about successes and challenges Leadership Collier participants go behind the scenes to learn about successes and challenges at various places, from the operating room to the landfill, from a swamp to a school campus. Each year’s curriculum is modified to create a variety of experiences. “No one can understand everything that’s going on in their community,” says LCF Senior Director Amanda Beights. “There’s a vast difference between reading about education in our school system and hearing directly from our superintendent or the university president. So we provide exclusive experiences and in-depth conversations you wouldn’t have otherwise.”

Each year, the 40 selected applicants who participate in Leadership Collier often choose a cause or issue to address as a class. Some topics they’ve tackled: building affordable housing with Habitat Collier, volunteering as poll workers, and spearheading a project to ensure underprivileged third graders had an educational outing at the beachthe first visit for the majority of them.

A robust network of more than 2,000 LCF alumni feel more connected and engaged in Collier County. The vast majority serve on nonprofit boards and public advisory committees, elected officials, or mentors to underserved youth. “A light bulb goes off for every individual,” says Beights. “Now they understand how their business is a link in our community and how to plug themselves into roles they’re passionate about, and the work of the Greater Naples Chamber, to cultivate economic opportunity for all.”