LEAD Legacy Continues with Class of 2021

Marilyn “Bunny” Finney was part of LEAD Brevard’s signature program Leadership Brevard’s first graduating class in 1986 and has remained active in the county ever since. She credits her experience with helping shape her as a community leader.

“I think as a leader, you have to have a toolbox and my toolbox is full of people who are involved with LEAD,” community volunteer Finney said. “I have access to relationships that have developed over time.”

Finny and all the program’s graduates who have followed in the 34 years since, have made Brevard County a stronger community. Leadership Brevard was founded with the specific goal of enhancing the civic participation of the county’s community leaders. 

Each fall, a class of 60 high-performing individuals from all three sectors — private, public and nonprofit — commit to come together monthly to grow both personally and professionally and enact change. Participants come from all walks of life, but most are thriving senior professionals at the midpoint of their careers. They range in age from 20s to 60s. The differing backgrounds and perspectives are part of what makes the LEAD Brevard experience so unique.

“Through Leadership Brevard, I met people who are as passionate about the community as I am,” said class of 2014 graduate and Founder and CEO of Media-Over-Matter Productions  Vinnie Taranto. “I met lifelong friends. And it is always easy to connect and be inspired.”

The busy professionals who participate in the program commit to attending full-day sessions once a month for eight months at various locations throughout the county. They also agree to complete a “Leadership Action Project,” which requires additional hours. Monthly sessions focus on topics important to the growing community. 

The time and energy applied to the program is an investment — in oneself and the community. Graduates such as Suzanne Sparling, class of 1997, say it is all worth it.

“It is worth every penny. It is worth every minute. You won’t regret it,” said Sparling, now serving as Executive Director of College-wide Communications at Eastern Florida State College. “I was lucky to be a part of the program early on in my profession. The experience was very rewarding and I developed a network that benefited me throughout my career.”

LEAD Brevard intentionally moves the sessions up and down the county. Locations are geographically varied to “take participants out of their sector and geographic area and let them get to know the whole county,” said LEAD Brevard President and CEO Kristin Bakke. “We meet IN the community, not in conference rooms.”

Past sessions have been titled Innovation, held at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, and Law and Order, where participants heard from leaders like the state attorney and Brevard County Sheriff. 

“We believe in experiential learning,” Bakke said. “Our program combines behind-the-scenes knowledge with open dialogue with Brevard’s current leaders.”

The curriculum is reevaluated each year, responding to community changes and leadership needs. Sessions, locations, and presenters are always changing and evolving. 

Taranto, who serves as chairman of the curriculum committee, said, “We meet to brainstorm every summer. We don’t repeat exactly what we did last year. We throw out the previous session and rebuild.”

According to Bakke, Leadership Brevard participants contribute the equivalent of over 2,600 hours and $66,000 worth of volunteer time each year. Over three decades, those economic benefits total over $1.8 million. Much of that value comes in the form of Leadership Action Projects (LAPs), which participants complete in teams during the course of the program. Those projects are designed to be both a leadership opportunity for the participants and a meaningful benefit to the partnering community organization.

Every summer, Brevard County nonprofits and municipalities are invited to submit proposals for projects they would like to complete. A review committee chooses seven or eight projects each year. Leadership Brevard participants learn about the different opportunities at the opening session and rank which projects most pique their interest. 

Past Leadership Action Projects have partnered participants with agencies as varied as Brevard County Emergency Management, Brevard Indian River Lagoon Coalition, Habitat for Humanity, and Brevard Achievement Center.

Since its inception in 1985, 1,318 participants have graduated from the Leadership Brevard program. Many of them still live in Brevard and are active alumni. 

Each year, Leadership Brevard accepts new participants on a first-come, first-served basis, but space is limited to 60 participants. Tuition is $3,500, with an early bird rate of $3,300, and a $500 deposit due at time of enrollment. Limited financial assistance is available in the form of partial scholarships, with priority given to entrepreneurs, owners of small businesses (less than five employees), public sector employees, and staff of nonprofit organizations.

“I really feel a community is a puzzle, and everybody is a piece. If you want to help the community as a whole, you need to understand the pieces — the people and places,” Taranto said. “The more you know the people and places, the better the community will be. And now, more than ever, we need to be able to help each other.”

“The world is bigger than each of us. None of us is in this alone,” added Finney.  “We all need to be connected for the greater good. If you are willing to give, we are all the better for it.”

Enrollment for Leadership Brevard’s class of 2021 is open now. 

For more information or to apply, visit LEADBrevard.org  

Facebook: /leadbrevard/

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