Roughly 200 community members attended the inaugural Greater Owensboro Leadership Summit, where seven speakers from across the nation offered knowledge and insight on how to make an impact and help lead the community to a bright future.
Keynote speakers included CEO of Robinson Hill Dee M. Robinson, Co-Founder of the Kentucky Rural-Urban Exchange Savannah Barrett, and President and Chief Executive Officer of Logitech International S.A. Bracken Darrell.
The all-day event, held at the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum, opened with a presentation from Racquel Thiesen, Director of Community Partnerships for the Kansas Leadership Center.
“If anyone can lead, everyone can lead,” Theisen read from a 10-point manifesto compiled by her and colleagues at KLC.
Thiesen challenged the audience to find things they disliked about Owensboro and visualize where they wished to see Owensboro go, and ultimately what is stopping residents from finding solutions to problems and areas of disdain.
Theisen said she has found that communities completing that exercise often say there were competing values, the same people were making decisions, and there was a lack of engagement in the community. She then charged the audience to look beyond those three issues and find solutions to overcome any obstacles.
“The Kansas Leadership Center defines leadership as mobilizing yourself and others to make progress you care most about,” Thiesen said.
The event was organized by the Greater Owensboro Leadership Insitute Executive Director Dr. Stacy Edds-Ellis. Numerous sponsors came together for the event including Owensboro Health, Owensboro Community and Technical College, RiverValley Behavioral Health, and others.
Owensboro Times and Tanner+West were co-sponsors for the day’s lunch, which Moonlite Bar-B-Q Inn catered.
