Ben Hackenwerth: Class 28 involvement inspired the Principals of Leadership program.
With nearly 1,000 graduates through its signature development program, Leadership Springfield is gearing up for Class 32 having connected local business and civic leaders with community service and awareness for over three decades. Participants in the nine-month leadership-training initiative say they’ve found camaraderie and been inspired to positively impact Springfield’s future through a set of similar experiences.
“In all of my years in education, it is probably the best professional learning I’ve been engaged in. And I’ve been engaged in a lot,” said Ben Hackenwerth, executive director of innovation and information for Springfield Public Schools, and a Leadership Springfield Class 28 graduate.
Since 1984, Leadership Springfield has woven a network of resources to create a legacy of influential leaders who can make a difference locally through awareness and action.
The program is a partnership between the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, Junior League of Springfield and United Way of the Ozarks. Participants receive a behind-the-scenes look at many of the people and places that actively shape the Queen City.
The training comprises fall and spring retreats, monthly daylong sessions on topics such as civic awareness, education and health care, participation in a community-service project and group trips to notable institutions. The program’s $1,800 tuition covers all associated costs.
“Every day I would think, ‘that’s my favorite day.’ And then the next day, I would say, ‘no, that’s my favorite.’ Every single one was so good,” said Andrea Brady, the group’s 2016-17 board president.
Brady, a retail regional manager for Great Southern Bank, said her Class 25 went behind the scenes at Springfield Art Museum, Springfield Underground and the Greene County Jail.
This month, Leadership Springfield named its Class 32, bucking tradition by selecting 33 local professionals to participate. The group routinely has 32 people.
Jamie Fields, Leadership Springfield program coordinator, said the strong field of applicants inspired a larger group. She said Class 31, which concluded with its final retreat on May 12-13, has grown to be tight-knit.
“It’s always interesting to see the fall retreat and how people will start out kind of quiet,” she said.
Fields pointed to Class 31’s recent efforts to help classmate Jonathan Garard’s brother Jeremy, who was critically injured in a February skiing accident.
Jonathan Garard, CEO and owner of Grooms Office Environments, walked into a Leadership Springfield meeting after the accident to see his classmates wearing “Garard Strong” T-shirts. The group contributed to a GoFundMe.com page called “Jeremy’s Journey” that has raised nearly $50,000 toward a goal of $200,000.
Known as Leadership Springfield signature classes, Fields said the usual group of 32 classmates still meet monthly or quarterly with people from their year to stay connected. The program has expanded to include high school students through the Leadership Academy.
Hackenwerth of SPS said his class experience served as a catalyst for change not only at the district, but also within Leadership Springfield.
At the time, he was in charge of all the elementary schools in Springfield and over 30 principals reported to him. Hackenwerth said he felt so strongly about the community awareness he gained that he worked to establish a similar training program for local principals.
Hackenwerth met with former Leadership Springfield board President Alina Lehnert to form a new annual class under the Leadership Springfield banner. The main group is called the signature class, and a separate academy is designed for high school students.
“We’ve started Principals of Leadership, which is a condensed program for principals within the Springfield city limits – not just from public schools, but private schools and parochial, as well,” Hackenwerth said.
The new class, launched in 2014, accepts 10-12 principals a year, he said.
Fields said the Class of 31 will graduate on June 14 at The Old Glass Place on St. Louis Street. Following last year’s anniversary party, organizers are inviting alumni to celebrate the new class of graduates and enhance the experience.
“After the 30-year reunion, we decided we needed to do something like this more often,” she said.
