This year’s Leadership Fayette Class of 2022 brings together a diverse group of Fayette County citizens. Participants include Deandrea Granderson, manager for physician network development of UnitedHealthcare; Dr. Versie Hamlett, Superintendent of Fayette County Public Schools; Wanda Keath, social worker and trauma social worker for Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital; Brad Kessler, owner and financial planner of the Kessler Financial Group; Brint Lindsey, loan officer of Bank of Fayette County; Melanie McGuire, school board member for Fayette County Public Schools; Kirsten Mings, branch manager and bank officer of BancorpSouth in Oakland, Sergeant Gustavo “Gus” Salto of the Somerville Police Department; Ryan Thomas, loan officer trainee with Bank of Fayette County; and Clint Underwood, chief recruitment officer with VDV Group, LLC.
Leadership Fayette kicked off January 22, 2022 with an Orientation Course led by Leadership Fayette Board Members Dr. Edward Champagne, Molly McCarley, Dr. Cheryl Browne, and Sidney Hooton. This course focused on the value of “cooperation,” and laid the foundation for leadership training. Participants also bonded through a series of group exercises.
The ten class members congregate monthly, where they attend a session focusing on a specific leadership value and topic of Fayette County life, such as the January 25, 2022 session that focused on the value of “competence” coupled with Education and Creating Academic Partnerships. Class member Dr. Versie Hamlett helped lead this discussion, along with Leadership Fayette board member Wendell Wainwright, Fayette County Schools Board Chairman.
In addition to attending monthly sessions, participants are assigned a group project. This year, the project titled “New to Fayette County?” tasks participants to employ their leadership skills as they develop a product useful to Fayette County. Class of 2022 decided to create a pamphlet for future newcomers of Fayette County. Class member Sergeant Gus Salto explains, “Our project is, let’s say someone moves to the county that’s from somewhere else, we have to come up with things to put on a pamphlet to give them resources of what they need in order to make their transition easy.”
So far, Leadership Fayette Class of 2022 members have had a positive experience. Ryan Thomas comments, “Joining Leadership Fayette has been a great experience. I have learned a lot about my community’s history and how we can impact and better the future of Fayette County.”
“I have the opportunity to get with a bunch of leaders throughout Fayette County to see what we can do, so that Fayette County can grow and to also ensure that every person has the resources that we have to offer in order for them to strive in our county,” Sergeant Salto reflects. “We’re going to spend days, weeks, and months overanalyzing what we can do to make it better. But until all the leaders can actually all get together and be honest with each other and actually discuss the issues, the county and its issues will stay the same. I truly believe with Leadership Fayette that we’re the building block for that to happen, and to make our county on of the best in Tennessee.”
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