2023-2024 Cohort: Leadership Bedford

Congratulations to our 2024 graduates of Leadership Bedford!
Participants in the 2023-2024 cohort included: 
- Foster Garrett, Bedford Area Chamber of Commerce
- Kristen Borak, Bedford County Public Schools
- Cody Ward, Bedford Regional Water Authority
- Lance Rowsey, Bedford County Waste Management
- Sam St. John, Virginia Furniture Market
- Heather Knight, Bedford County
- Susan Leary

Please keep a look out for the next Leadership Bedford cohort, or email Kayla (ceo@baccva.org) with any questions.

What is Leadership Bedford?
The Bedford Area Chamber of Commerce is pleased to have been able to offer Leadership Bedford to our community for 26 years! 

Leadership Bedford is a six month class that provides classic training in leadership styles and techniques while also incorporating community knowledge. It is also a certified John Maxwell leadership course!

Students will participate in activities focused on developing strong working relationships between participants, identifying and evaluating the characteristics of leadership, and distinguishing each person's leadership style. Team building is a big part of the training, and graduates of Leadership Bedford all agree that the connections that they made during their class continue to be invaluable to their work. 

Not only will students become more connected with each other, they'll also meet and learn from many guests representing businesses and organizations from all across our region. The community focus sessions will consist of panel discussions, lectures, and community tours which include face-to-face discussions with top-level business, civic and governmental leaders.

Who benefits from Leadership Bedford?
Leadership Bedford is rewarding for professionals of all manner of industry and experience. Past participants have ranged in experience from entry level to upper management, and have worked in fields such as sales, governance, real estate, banking, HVAC, funeral service, nonprofit management, utilities, economic development, and more. We've also had unaffiliated community members take the course just to receive quality professional development and community insight!