Submitted Photos
Members of the 2023 Leadership St. Mary class are, from left: Gabrielle LeMaire, Angela Reynaud, Reginald Weary, Cindy Nobles, Kirstine Campbell and Catherine Roy.
Chamber President Beth Chiasson, left, presents the Donna Meyer Leadership Award to Kirstine Campbell.
Bart Folse, chief operating officer at Bayou Bend Health Center, accepts a posthumous certificate of graduation on behalf of 2023 graduate Mary Rios. Pictured from left are Chamber President Beth Chiasson, Parish President David Hanagriff, Folse, 2023 Chamber Chairwoman Laura Meadows,and Program Chair Sheila Hue.
Parish President David Hanagriff presents keys to the parish to the graduates.
Chamber's Leadership St. Mary class graduates
The St,. Mary Chamber recently conducted a commencement ceremony for the Leadership St. Mary Class of 2023 at the Clarion Inn/Quality Inn in Morgan City.
The participant went through a year-long program that focuses on both the individual leadership styles and strengths as well as working collaboratively as a team to bring on impactful change within the community.
Each month, through hands on and on-site visits, the class examined specific aspects of the community such as: education, government, local business and economic development, health and environmental services, history and nonprofit organizations. The goal at the end of the year is to produce a class project that would benefit an area the community needs improvement.
This year’s class project is an annual scholarship program in the name of Mary Rios, this year’s participant and CNO at Bayou Bend Health System, who passed away before graduation. Her passion was leadership, the community and nursing. Plans for the Mary Rios Scholarship are underway.
Speaker and state Sen.-elect Robert Allain III., Leadership St. Mary Alumni Class of 2015, committed to donate towards the fund annually and sponsor a participant in Rios' name.
Honoring the late Chamber president, Donna Meyer, whose heart was deeply invested in the leadership program, Kirstine Campbell was presented with the Donna Meyer Leadership Award. This award goes to a participant who not only takes a lead role in the class and project, but also one who exemplifies leadership with unrelenting patience, passion and a positive attitude. Campbell is the general manager at the Fitness Center at Bayou Bend.
Immediately following the ceremony, the Chamber held a recruitment social for the Class of 2024. Interested participants can reach out to the Chamber of Commerce for additional information.