Comments from recent participants in Leadership Montgomery's Legacy Program

Leadership Montgomery has been one of the most valuable experiences that I have ever had in the area. It has been so important for me to connect with leaders in the Montgomery area and to recognize the issues that our community faces. I desperately hope that this program will continue to help build and connect leaders in our area. I have been extremely impressed with the quality of the programming, and I implore our community to find ways to keep this program alive and thriving in the years to come.   John McWilliams

The Leadership Montgomery program is invaluable. The opportunity to expand beyond our existing subject matter expertise broadens the base of leaders in this region. I fully support Leadership Montgomery.

Leadership Montgomery has afforded me the opportunity to form relationships and bonds with leaders across the city. It has also given me insight to some of the issues our leaders face. I believe Leadership Montgomery will assist in moving the city to a budding future.

Leadership Montgomery is a vital tool for members of the community to gain insight to internal workings of the city as a whole. As well, the opportunity to network with the members of the class is the best opportunity to build strong relationships that lead to a more cohesive community.

I feel that this class is very important to the Montgomery community because it exposes you to so many things that you may not ever see otherwise. After only two classes I have met many wonderful people who will be able to help me in my job and I hope that I can do the same for them. I have been inspired to do more volunteer work and things to help my community.

This program experience has been a powerful and eye opening one for me. I am grasping a better understanding of how our city works, the possibilities for having an effect on major change for good together, and gaining more and more appreciation for the City Fathers and Mothers that have done so much for our community. This program, its leadership and vision, and its origins have forever made its mark on me. I hope to carry on the legacy in Montgomery through inspiring others to be a part and to continue to develop our city. Thank you!    Bryan Kelly

This programs trains future leaders for success. For the cost per student, there is not a better leadership development program.

LM has been a wonderful experience because of the topics covered (so far) and the exchanging of ideas and concepts that usually aren't even covered in business schools. It has definitely forced me to think about things differently.

This was a very interesting class, but for someone who is not in the non-profit world for a profession, this did not help with teaching leadership or management. Would like to see a focus on that more as it applies to management positions as a whole, regardless of non-profit etc... This is not meant to be a negative comment; the presenter and class have been well worth the time spent in the class.

I didn't know what to expect when I signed up for Leadership Montgomery at the urging of my Advisory Board. Without a doubt it has been the most helpful thing I have been involved with. I am new to the city and didn't know much about Montgomery except the part I work with. I am learning a great deal so far about this great city and will forever be an ambassador for Montgomery where ever I go. This is an invaluable program for building future leaders. Cheryl and Ann have put on a first class program to date; please don't handicap them by removing funding on the future. This program should remain one of your priority programs for the Chamber of Commerce and the City Government.    Major Walter E. Strong Jr.

I wanted to take a moment to reach out to you after yesterday’s class and share some of my thoughts with you. When I started Leadership Montgomery, I was concerned with the time commitment along with the things we call life. I recently uprooted my family from our lifelong home of St. Louis, Missouri and relocated to Montgomery, AL for a Dream and a Vision. I had never heard of Leadership (insert City) anything, but Rosemary Blackmon asked if I would be interested. I started to research the program and I was intrigued to say the least. So, coming into this “cold,” I did not know what to expect. However, what I have found in my short time with the organization, is that this program is phenomenal.

I have already put dollars into my 2016 budget to send one of my experienced superstars into Leadership and one of my upcoming superstars to Emerge. I have learned so much since beginning the program about myself, but more importantly about the community that I now call home. The class yesterday was very inspirational and thought provoking. Allison is a remarkable woman who has a fantastic story to share. I feel fortunate that I could have experienced that in a Leadership class in Montgomery, Alabama.   Margaret Nekic

Being a member of Leadership Montgomery Class XXXII has been an invaluable experience so far. This program will give me a much deeper understanding of the problems that face Montgomery and ways I can be part of a solution. It will also give me much deeper appreciation for community leaders across all different sectors. The training provided has been first class and I haven't felt like one minute of my time in the program has gone wasted. I know without a doubt I will become a better leader and more active participant in the community as a result of this program. I'm about 99% certain the rest of my classmates that I now call friends would agree. It would truly be a shame for this program to end.    Brantley Leverette

Leadership Montgomery is viable and valuable to our community. The information obtained on the various sectors of community to date has been invaluable, engaging, educational and encouraging. Our community must develop and retain leaders to remain progressive and competitive. Through this leadership, all citizens should be led and encouraged to find their passion and pay their "civic rent" to make our community the very best.    Cathy Duncan

To date, Leadership Montgomery has far exceeded my expectations that I had when I first began. The retreat, Law Enforcement Day, and Board Training day have all been very valuable and I have thoroughly enjoyed each of the classes. I have learned so much in a very short period of time and I look forward to the remainder of the classes. The Community Service Project has forced me to call upon and further develop skills such as planning, organizing, negotiating, building consensus, and rallying a group of people around an idea. I am thankful for this opportunity. It is a valuable tool for building future leaders in our community and it would be a disservice to Montgomery if Leadership Montgomery ceased to function. Duane Johnson Class XXXII.

This is an excellent program and worthy investment.   Karen Laneaux

Leadership Montgomery has been to date, a life changing experience. I had no idea how many weaknesses I had, as a leader, until becoming a part of Leadership Montgomery Class XXXII. I believe that the life of this city, is dependent on the survival of this program. Every leader, from all over this city, should be a part of this unique, community-based, leadership program.

I'm an attorney and currently work for the City of Montgomery after working over 10 years in private practice. While I've worked for the City for 6 years and routinely interact with citizens and city council members, my experience through Leadership Montgomery has taught me valuable lessons I could've only learned through the program. I have created a great network of friends who I've already been able to utilize in resolving citizen complaints which, although the citizen didn't realize it, were not complaints the city had the authority to resolve. Reaching out to my LM network enabled me to provide the citizen with contacts and tools to assist them in resolving their conflicts. I've also learned a great deal about myself and about those who look to me for leadership; and this is only after a retreat and two training sessions. I was hesitant about participating in the program and lacked a proper understanding of what I would actually gain through my participation. Now, I'm excited to attend training sessions, to learn more about myself and learn how I can affect positive change in my community. The graduates of this program are assets needed by our community if we wish to grow and prosper.     Stacy Reed

Fantastic information. I could have spent two days soaking up her wisdom. This whole experience is really great so far.     Barbara Wells