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Building Community Leaders Since 1997, Leadership Beaverton has prepared hundreds of citizens to improve our community through service and participation.
Leadership Beaverton's mission statement:
"To develop a diverse network of visionary civic and business leaders who act in accordance with the principles of community-centered stewardship."
What is Leadership Beaverton?
Leadership Beaverton grew from a desire for more knowledgeable volunteers, board members and elected officials in the city.
The purpose of Leadership Beaverton is to provide training so that better decisions are in our community. Each summer 25 students are accepted for the program, which runs from September through May.
Students dedicate one full day a month to an interactive community learning experience. They experience presentations and discussions on topics that include Beaverton history, government, human services and quality of life. When the program concludes, participants have a better understanding of how our community has developed and what needs exist. Each graduating class also completes a service project fulfilling a community need.
Goals of the Program
- Develop awareness of the community by examining the major systems that contribute to patterns of life in the city.
- Enhance leadership skills and qualities in participants that lead to creative and insightful community solutions.
- Ensure broad community future leadership by recruiting emerging leaders with diverse social, economic and professional backgrounds.
- Motivate and encourage participants to assume leadership roles in community affairs.
Costs
Tuition for the program is $725 (Preferred Chamber Members) and $825 (Non - Members) and includes lunchtime meals on each program day. $50 dollars of the tuition is put into a donation fund which may be used for the class project or donated to a worthy non-profit selected by the "Perfect Attendance Club" at the end of the program year. Scholarships are available to participants who cannot afford the full tuition and whose companies do not provide funding for professional development. Scholarships are usually partial and average $200. Nodd's Review Nodd's Neighborhood was honored to be part of the 2008 Leadership Beaverton graduating class. It was an immense learning and eye opening experience that I can't recommend highly enough for those wishing to take an active leadership role in the future of our wonderful city. The 9 month long program begins in September and graduates in May of the following year. Each month we dedicate an entire day to learning about the various facets that make up our city, from history, to education, government, economy and more.
The all day classes were held on the second Thursday of each month from around 730am and for the most part, met at the chamber of commerce building, first floor.
Monthly Schedule
September: Orientation and Society Day
Orientation was held in the evening a week before the official start date. We met at the Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District Nature Park & Interpretive Center and were greeted by a whole crowd of people including the entire leadership class from the previous year, guest speakers, the mayor and chamber staff. A week later, for the official class start, we met at the Jenkin's Estate up Farmington Rd. This was Society Day and for reasons you'd have to experience for yourself, it was for me the single most eye-opening day of the entire program. It was a powerful experience that changed the way I view both our community as a whole and the role that Nodd's could play within that community.
October: History Day
If Society Day was the most powerful day, History Day was for me the most interesting... and not the casual use of the word but rather this day truly sparked in me a deep ‘interest' in Beaverton's past.
History day highlights:
- We learned about some the founding families
- Went on tours of both the Jenkin's Estate and the Fanno House
- Met with the president of the Washington County Historical Society
And as a testimonial demonstrating the kind of community impact Leadership Beaverton can have on an individual, this writer is now happily the director of the Beaverton Historical Society!
November: Human Needs Day
I came into this day knowing it was going to be emotional if not depressing but what I did not expect was that it was also inspiring. Sure there are many who need a helping hand and we cannot as a community ignore their plight, but the hands that are out there doing the actual help are success stories that need to be told. These selfless individuals are role models for us all and have inspired me to launch the Nodd's Foundation sooner rather than later.
Human Needs Day Highlights:
- Tour of the St Mary's School for Boys.
- Speakers from various organizations.
- Visits to the Sunshine Pantry, Good Neighbor House and Head Start.
December: Business and Economy Day
Although important, this day did not have the same mental impact that the previous days had and for many in our group, this was a welcome emotional break. It was however, a physically tiring day as we were carted around the city.
Business and Economy Day Highlights:
- Learned the difficult history behind the successful establishment of Ava Roasteria
- Economic speakers from City and State levels
- Tour of the Nike campus.
And like a Christmas bonus, the day ended with a free pass to the Nike employee store.
January: Government Day
This perhaps was the most enjoyable of all the days for me. We learned a lot about the city and had hands on fun as we traveled around town.
Government Day Highlights:
- Heard from the mayor about how the city runs and the current visioning project.
- Tours of the police training facility and fire station #67.
- Speakers from Clean Water Services and Tri-Met.
February: Education Day
As luck would have it, this day fell on Valentine's Days so the morning started out with heart shaped treats. Then after a couple speakers, we piled into the vans for visits to various schools around Beaverton. Being around so many kids was both fun and a little overwhelming... I don't know how teachers manage it all on a daily basis. I have a new found respect for them that's for sure.
Education Day Highlights:
- Visited the Five Oaks Middle School and the Health and Science High School
- Went on a tour of the PCC Rock Creek campus
- Did a fun computer project with the kids from Oak Hills Elementary School
March: Communications Day
As a community website, Nodd's pretty much falls under the communications category. And although we're not your big media outlet, but we do get the word out about what's around town so it was nice to learn about how the big guys do things.
Communications Day Highlights:
- Q&A with Portland Business Journal and Community Newspaper
- Learned about CCTV and the Arts and Communications Middle School
- Public relations speakers from the Intel, Police and City Hall
April: Culture and Diversity Day
I was a bit confused on this day since I expected culture to be only the ethnic culture type that goes hand and hand with diversity. But what I soon learned was of course that culture also means something a bit more artistic and takes the form of music, art, song and dance.
Culture and Diversity Day Highlights:
- Q&A with business persons from different cultures and backgrounds
- Received a group dance lesson from Authur Murray Dance Studio on Watson Blvd.
- Learned about the Beaverton Arts Commission
May: Sustainability Day
I'm not sure why I was so excited about this day but I was... really looking forward to it. There was talk about canceling this day due to the possibility of a poor turnout but it wasn't and almost the full class showed up. It was fantastic to see and hear about how not only businesses but also how the city is taking steps towards going "green" and becoming more sustainable.
Sustainability Day Highlights:
- Tour of LEED bldg; sustainable food supply; carbon footprint; Q&A w/ county commissioner
- Panel discussion on transportation and land use
- Tour of Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District Nature Park & Interpretive Center
Graduation Day
Graduation was held on May 20, 2008 at the PCC Rock Creek campus. Here is a short speech I gave describing my experience and what Leadership Beaverton meant to me:
Hello, my name is Michael Wong and I run a community website for Beaverton called Nodds Neighborhood.
Leadership Beaverton has had a profound impact on me both personally and professionally. We had some great days: Economy Day, Government Day, Culture and Diversity Day, Human Needs Day... but the one day that meant the most to me, the day that touch me to my very core was History Day. I was so surprised at how much I did not know about where we came from. The Denney family, the Stotts family, the Watsons family, the Hall family, the Jenkins family... we know them as street names but it is upon the backs of these founding families that our city was built.
As a community website, I knew that Nodds Neighborhood needed to be more than just list businesses, we needed to give back to the community so after History Day, I started a historic Beaverton project. Now, a mere eight months later and thanks to Leadership Beaverton, I am happy to announce that I am formally organizing and will head up the Beaverton Historical Society. Mayor Drake, this should be particularly welcoming news for you as we start our city's visioning program; for how can we know where we're going if we don't know where we've been. We need to understand our roots and so I look forward to having the Historical Society play an important advisory role to the city.
I would like to thank personally Loraine Clarno and the Beaverton Area Chamber of Commerce for putting together such an important program. Leadership Beaverton does more than just teach about the various aspects of the city. Leadership Beaverton challenges the individual to stand up and say "I'm going to make a difference, how can I be of service."
Thank you all for coming... I am at your service. |
Leadership Beaverton
