For the past thirty years, Leadership Champlain has been connecting emerging local leaders to their community and activating local engagement. Graduates are equipped with the education, resources and network to give back to our region in a way that is meaningful to them and to the community. While anyone may apply for the program, the selection process is competitive and LCRCC members are given preference and a discounted tuition. Leadership Champlain is a business and community resource that is tailor-made for our LCRCC business network. LCRCC provides this program as a workforce retention tool for our member businesses and an accelerated networking opportunity for their staff as part of our mission to support a thriving private sector economy.
The program is continuously being refined to meet the needs of Vermont’s changing workforce. Leadership Champlain receives over 50 applications from across Northwestern Vermont each year. The top 36 applicants spend one full day per month together exploring eight different pillars of our community through discussions with local leaders and experiential programming. The cohort also completes six intensive service projects with six different community non-profit organizations, contributing over 2,100 service hours each year. Leadership Champlain has organized, guided and overseen the successful completion of over 200 of these service projects, making an in-kind impact of $1.5 million to the community over the past three decades.
Leadership Champlain boasts an active alumni network of over 1,200 individuals who credit the program with accelerating their career by expanding their network and deepening their understanding of the community in which they’ve chosen to work and live. Graduates of the program represent a wide spectrum of businesses and expertise. Leadership Champlain bridges gaps between industries in the Lake Champlain region and fosters a community interconnectivity that forges a clear path forward for Burlington and beyond.
Leadership Champlain Snapshot:
WHAT: A community engagement and professional development program of the LCRCC with a mission to foster growth and leadership in professionals who will serve our community now and in the future
WHY: Strengthen community interconnectivity, build and retain a more dynamic workforce
WHO: Leadership Champlain serves Chamber member businesses and their employees, the surrounding communities, the Vermont economy
WHEN: Annually from September to June
LEARN MORE: Contact Tori Colarusso at [email protected] or visit leadershipchamplain.org
Leadership Champlain Impact:
› $1.5 million in-kind impact to the community since the program’s inception
› 2,100+ yearly volunteer hours served through the program
› 200+ service projects to local non-profit organizations since 1988
› 1,200+ accelerated careers over the last thirty years
› 50+ applications received annually
› 500+ employers served over the lifespan of the program