Leadership Asheville 19 Convenes September 22

Every fall since 1982, community members who want to play a role in making Asheville a better place to live enroll in Leadership Asheville, a nine-month course of study, discussion, and planning sponsored by UNCA.  The members of Leadership Asheville 19 will meet for an opening retreat September 22 at Mars Hill College.

Leadership Asheville 19 will focus on the theme “Vision to Reality” and explore issues tied to the Asheville-Buncombe Vision Statement, as well as help polish leadership skills such as consensus-building and listening.

“The Leadership Asheville program has graduated 660 men and women who live, work, and volunteer with a better understanding of the city, its history, and its potential,” said Carol Schramm, UNCA Community Leadership Programs director.  Previous graduates are invited to sit in on Leadership Asheville 19 sessions, Schramm said.

Leadership Asheville 19 participants are: Mike Armour, Asheville Regional Airport Authority; Scott Barber, New Context Video Productions; Linda Biggers, Life Works Program/The Opportunity Corp.; Mike Bohan, BB&T; Leslie Burnside, Asheville-Buncombe Vision; John Campbell, Beverly-Hanks and Associates; Jim Coman, Buncombe County Planning Department; Patty Couch, MANNA Food Bank; Greg Dillingham, UNCA Distance Learning Services; Betty Doll, Long-Term Care Insurance Brokers; Ted Durham, Centura Bank; Richard Fort, PBC+L Architecture; Tom Frederick, City of Ashville Water Resources; Jim Geter, Buncombe County Department of Social Services; Dennis Giles, Thoms Rehabilitation Hospital; Deborah Harmon, A-B Technical Community College; Julie Heinitsh, UNC-Asheville; Carol Hubbard, ACCESS Independent Living; Liz Huesemann, Children First of Buncombe County; Betty Huff, American Red Cross; Jeff Imes, W.P. Hickman Company; Paul Jeremias, Paul Jeremias Photography; David Kemper, CII Technologies, Inc.; Tom Knoebber, Mission St. Joseph’s Hospital; Rhett Langston, Buncombe County Recreation Services; Victora Lyall, Mountain Microenterprise Fund; High McCollum, McCollum Investment Services; Cindy McMahon, YWCA; Stephanie Mohr, The Mediation Center; Elizabeth Morosani, George Morosani & Associates; Chip Neal, IKON; John Richard, Buncombe County IT Department; Jeff Richardson, City of Ashville Human Resources; Nancy Righi, Mission St. Joseph’s Hospital; Ross Robinson, Asheville Police Department; Dan Scannell, Salomon Smith Barney; Terry Scholl, Sonopress LLC; Ed Seel, retired; Simone Seitz, Head Start/The Opportunity Corp.; Kerry Shannon, Henderson County Public Schools; Mandy Stone, Buncombe County Department of Social Services; Ronald Storto, Biltmore Farms, Inc.; Robyn Tomlin, Asheville Citizen-Times; Mark Tooley, IT consultant; Jon Yarbrough, Edwards, Ballard, Clark, Barrett & Carlson, P.A.

For further information on the Leadership Asheville program, call Carol Schramm at 251-6125.

Media Contacts:

• Dr. Carol Schramm, UNCA Leadership Programs director, 828/251-6125
• UNCA Public Information, 828/251-6526