Third class of Leadership Hoover begins

The third class of Leadership Hoover was scheduled to start meeting in late September, and the organization plans to start a Junior Leadership Hoover group in 2020.

The third class includes 36 people from all walks of life, including a Hoover councilman, police officer and firefighter and people from a variety of industries, including banking, law, education, construction, health care, advertising, insurance and real estate.

The group was planning to have an opening retreat with team-building exercises in late September at Camp McDowell in the Bankhead National Forest, said Lori Leonard, the executive director for Leadership Hoover.

Between October and April, the class will meet for a full day once a month and learn about various things that impact the city, including government, education, health care, community groups, economic development, tourism, diversity, public safety, small businesses, entrepreneurship, regional cooperation, events and other city amenities. A graduation ceremony is planned for May 2020.

Participants are asked to come up with ideas for projects to improve the city.

One of the projects from the second class of Leadership Hoover was to develop an “Eat, Shop, Play, Stay Hoover” marketing campaign to encourage people to support businesses, dining, lodging and entertainment offerings within the city, Leonard said. People should hear more about that effort in the coming months, she said.

Other projects in the works by the second class include planning a big citywide event, developing a pilot program to provide appropriate school snacks for needy students, starting an Employee of the Month program at the Riverchase Career Connection Center and recognition program for graduates of the school, and setting up a program to meet needs on school campuses, such as small construction or renovation projects.

Sometime in the coming year, Leadership Hoover will work with school officials to select about 30 high school sophomores to be part of a Junior Leadership Hoover program on certain Saturdays during their junior year, Leonard said. That effort will include public, private and homeschool students, she said.

Here are the 36 people selected to be part of the third class of Leadership Hoover:

• Brooke Adams, senior auditor and project leader, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
• Reginald Arnold, account executive, ESG
• Ryan Blackenburg, vice president for corporate banking, Bryant Bank
• Kathy Boswell, consultant, Healthcare Experience Foundation
• Karen Bruce, Birmingham campus director, Faulkner University
• Jennifer Campbell, owner and president, Jennifer Campbell consulting
• Laysea Chasteen, executive director, Hoover YMCA
• Jason Cobb, business services offi cer and head of business lending, America’s First Federal Credit Union
• Kenneth Cox Jr., head cross country and track and field coach, Birmingham-Southern College
• Kechia Davis, Municipal Court judge, City of Birmingham
• Shannon Driver, owner and publisher, N2 Publishing Neighborhood Magazines
• Brian David Edwards, vice president and controller, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama
• Bernadette Forrest, contractor and freelance instructional designer
• Donna Francavilla, president, Frankly Speaking Communications
• Brian Hale, police officer, Hoover Police Department
• Jason Henderson, co-founder and executive vice president, Birmingham Insurance Group
• Angela Jarrett, vice president for claims and benefit administration, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama
• Jessica Johnson, attorney, Bruns, Brashier & Johnson
• Tyler Lipe, vice president, Regions Bank
• Guy Locker, operations manager, Southwest Water Co.
• Rusty Lowe, regional accounts manager, Stop Heart Attack/Trio Safety
• Jonathan Millican, director of planning, Bridgeworth
• Leslie Schiffman Moore, attorney
• Jarrod Morgan, founder and chief strategy officer, ProctorU
• Kerry Pate, human resources specialist, Hoover City Schools
• Rohen Porbanderwala, Lakecrest Chevron
• Curt Posey, Bradley Lecture Center supervisor, Children’s of Alabama
• Melanie Posey, public information officer, city of Hoover
• Kela Pryor, finance director and treasurer, city of Bessemer
• Cherinita Reese, senior director of care/connections, Faith Chapel
• Ben Reynolds, fire lieutenant, Hoover Fire Department
• Tim Self, compliance director, Southern Co.
• Blake Shultz, Realtor, ARC Realty
• Alison Howell Steineker, manager of government and community relations, Alabama Power Co.
• Reggie Torbor, personal development manager, Brasfield & Gorrie
• Brandon Wilson, president and CEO, Wilborn Inc. Advertising Agency