Leaders from boardrooms, city hall, small businesses and St. Clair College gathered under one roof over the past year, turning regional leadership circles into a powerful crossroads of ideas, influence, and inspiration.
The first cohort of the Leadership-Chatham-Kent Program graduated in June after a nine-month leadership development initiative designed to empower emerging leaders looking to make a lasting impact in the community.
Members of the graduating class of the Leadership-Chatham-Kent Program on June 4, 2025. (Source: Municipality of Chatham-Kent)
During the training, local leaders met once monthly, focusing on a full day of learning and development each month, concluding with a graduation ceremony on June 4, 2025.
Developed by the Chatham-Kent Leaders' Cabinet in collaboration with the Municipality of Chatham-Kent and generously supported by the Chatham-Kent Community Foundation, the program focused on unlocking leadership potential and fostering the skills needed to drive meaningful change across the municipality.
"This program is about more than leadership it's about building a stronger, more connected community," said Michael Duben, CAO of Chatham-Kent. "We are incredibly proud of our graduates and the legacy they are already creating."
Participants represented a cross-section of sectors, including education, healthcare, nonprofit, construction, post-secondary institutions, and municipal services.
Among attendees from St. Clair College were Art Barron, the Institutional Lead and head of Campus Operations and Student Services in Chatham, and Dr. Andrea Pepper, a professor in the School of Nursing and Program Coordinator for the Pre-Health Sciences Pathway to Advanced Diplomas and Degrees at St. Clair's Chatham Campus.
"It was a really great way for me to make these amazing connections. "Even though I've been born, raised and lived in Chatham my entire life, I got to meet people who I didn't know," Prof. Pepper said, noting the program opened her eyes to opportunities for community and self-improvement.
"I was able to learn even more about myself and what I have to give back," Prof. Pepper said. "Because of this program, I want to do more. There's so much that our community needs, and so what can I do to help give back?"
One of the key features of the leadership program was the creation of legacy projects community-focused initiatives designed and led by participants to create lasting, positive change.
As a new manager at the Chatham Campus, Art Barron called the Leadership CK program an invaluable experience.
"This nine-month course brought together managers from across Chatham-Kent to discuss both strategic and everyday issues in leading organizations and people," Barron said. "The connections formed during the program with those managers has opened doors to new ideas and programming throughout the municipality and for the College."
The Municipality looks forward to continuing this initiative in the years ahead to help foster a new generation of leaders committed to shaping a vibrant, inclusive and resilient future for all.
Prof. Pepper said the program is already driving her to make positive change both on campus and within the community, recently joining the board of directors for the Chatham-Kent Hospice.
"I have a lot to give - and I am empowered by all of this, and this is how we make a difference is stepping up to these challenges," she said.
"There's so much that we can do and so much I can give back to the community, and this just put a fire under me."
