(Corvallis, Ore. – June. 15, 2010) – Leadership Corvallis, a 10-month training program which equips citizens to provide leadership within the community, elected a new Board of Directors for the 2010-2011 year.

The members of the Leadership Corvallis Board of Directors include: Deb Rose, president; Todd Washington, president-elect, nominations committee chair; Cindy Hallett, secretary; Kristen Gose, treasurer, finance committee chair; Stacy Mellem, past president; Helen Higgins, curriculum committee chair; Kavinda Arthenayake, vision committee chair; Jaimee Colbert, recruitment committee chair; Marilyn Lesmeister, alumni committee chair; Curtis Wright, public relations committee chair; Nick Filker, graduation committee chair; Scott Jackson, community service project chair; Patrice O’Brien, board member at-large; Biff Traber, board member at-large; and Hans Neukomm, president emeritus/advisory board liaison.

“We are excited to welcome such a diverse and experienced team to guide our future growth,” said Deb Rose, board of director’s president of Leadership Corvallis. “We rely solely on volunteers to help promote and execute our program, from serving on a committee of the board to facilitating a class day or even acting as one of our 100+ speakers throughout the course of the 10-month program.”

Leadership Corvallis was created in 1992 to identify Corvallis’ and Benton County’s “best and brightest” citizens and offer a 10-month program that equips them to provide leadership within their own community. An advisory board comprising community leaders helps develop topics and interacts with participants as guest speakers and session facilitators. For more information about the organization or to apply to be a part of the 2011 class, see our Application page.

Leadership Corvallis seventh annual leadership award given to OSU’s Kavinda Arthenayake

Corvallis, Ore., (June 10, 2010) – Kavinda Arthenayake, a 2004 graduate of Leadership Corvallis who will go on to serve the organization as the vision committee chair, was honored Thursday evening as the seventh Hans Neukomm Award winner.

“We are thrilled to recognize Kavinda with this award and celebrate his sense of volunteerism,” said Leadership Corvallis past president Stacy Mellem. “Kavinda is a driving force for leadership and influences successful change in the many organizations he is involved in.”

Arthenayake, who works as director of Community and Conference Services at Oregon State University, is an active community volunteer, dedicating his time and talent to many organizations. A partial list of his volunteerism includes: the United Way of Benton and Lincoln Counties, where he’s served as the organization’s two-term president; the da Vinci Days Festival, where he currently serves as president; the Association of Collegiate Conference and Event Directors International, where he serves as current board member; Corvallis Tourism, where he served as a past board member; Corvallis Economic Vitality Partnership, where he served as a member of the strategic planning group; and Pop Warner Football, where he served as a parent volunteer.

Established in 2004, the Hans Neukomm Award is named for the founder of Leadership Corvallis and is given to a past class member who has made a significant impact in the community. The six prior recipients are: Julie Manning, the late Scott Zimbrick, Pete Bober, Susan Poole, Biff Traber and Penny York.

Leadership Corvallis was created in 1992 to identify Corvallis’ and Benton County’s “best and brightest” citizens and offer a 10-month program that equips them to provide leadership within their own community. An advisory board comprising community leaders helps develop topics and interacts with participants as guest speakers and session facilitators.

The 2009 Hans Neukomm Leadership Award was presented to Penny York during the Leadership Corvallis graduation ceremony June 11.

York, a community volunteer and past president and curriculum chair for Leadership Corvallis, was honored for her work with the program as well as with several nonprofit organizations in Benton County.

The award, which is named for program founder Hans Neukomm, has been awarded to five other recipients: Julie Manning, the late Scott Zimbrick, Pete Bober, Susan Poole and Biff Traber.

Congratulations, Penny!

Participants finish 10-month program that introduces community leadership opportunities

CORVALLIS, Ore. (June 12, 2008) – Twenty-two Leadership Corvallis class members completed a 10-month program of learning about the Corvallis area. Their introduction to people and places that impact Benton County was designed to encourage participation on committees, boards, task forces, and other areas where they can make a difference. An additional component of the class was networking opportunities with community leaders.

Graduates of the Leadership Corvallis class of 2007-08 are:

Mark Clements – Business Solutions Group, OSU
Betty Coulman – Hewlett-Packard
Suzanne Dalton – Corvallis School District
Jamie Fitzpatrick – Heartland Humane Society
Joyce Fred – OSU, Risk Officer
Dawn Granger – 509J Principal
Helen Higgins – CEO, Boys & Girls Club of Corvallis
Tricia Julian – Corvallis Clinic, Director of Operations
Patricia Ketcham – Student Health Services
Michael Laport – Peak Internet
Marilyn Lesmeister – OSU Extension, Volunteer Development
Jennifer Moore – United Way
Courtney Rader – Corvallis-Benton County Public Library Volunteer Coordinator
Shannon Reich – Barker-Uerlings Insurance
Daniel Schofield – Samaritan Health Services
Lisa Schubert – OSU, Residential Conferences& Catering Assistant Director
Anne Schuster – Corvallis School Board
Bernie Sebastien – Artcentric, Marketing
LouAnn Spevacek – Corvallis Community Childern’s Center
Shawn Spevacek – Benton County Sheriff’s Office
Lee Tinker – Community Outreach
Brenda VanDevelder – DaVinci Days

Applications are currently being accepted for the class of 2008-09. Interested participants can learn more about the program and download an application from www.leadershipcorvallis.com or contact the Corvallis Chamber of Commerce at 757-1505. Completed applications must be returned by July 15.

Leadership Corvallis was created in 1992 to identify Corvallis’ and Benton County’s “best and brightest” citizens and offer a 10-month program that equips them to provide leadership within their own community. An advisory board comprising community leaders helps develop topics and interacts with participants as guest speakers and session facilitators.

Financial award honors graduate of first leadership class

CORVALLIS, Ore. (June 12, 2008) – A new scholarship that allows a small business owner or independent consultant to participate in Leadership Corvallis has been named for Scott M. Zimbrick, a program alumnus who passed away in 2007.

Zimbrick graduated from the first Leadership Corvallis class in 1993. He continued to participate in the program by speaking to class members about volunteering and service in the community. The Hans Neukomm Leadership Award, named for Leadership Corvallis’ founder, was given to Zimbrick in 2005 for his participation in the program and the community.

As well as his service as Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of Citizens Bank and a City Councilor from Ward 7, Zimbrick was a businessman who actively volunteered in Corvallis and felt everyone should give back to the community.

The Scott Zimbrick Small Business Scholarship is a $250 scholarship and will pay for approximately half of the program’s cost.

For more information on Leadership Corvallis scholarships and to download an application for the Scott Zimbrick Small Business Scholarship, see our application page.