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Walton Area Chamber graduates eight from 2016 Class of Leadership Walton

THE 2016 LEADERSHIP WALTON CLASS, from left to right: Gary Towery, CHELCO; Dave Jefferson, Simple HR and Chairman of the Walton Area Chamber of Commerce; Senator Don Gaetz, Jim Bagby; Interim CEO of the Walton Area Chamber of Commerce; Tyler Head, Walton Area Chamber of Commerce; Rebecca Nall, Walton County Tax Collector; Alexis Miller, Alys Beach; Mary Head, CHELCO; Christina Tilton, Visit South Walton; Ronnie Reeves, Southland Utilities; John Cross, Destin Realty Inc.; David Balmer, Dale Carnegie Training of the Emerald Coast.
THE 2016 LEADERSHIP WALTON CLASS, from left to right: Gary Towery, CHELCO; Dave Jefferson, Simple HR and Chairman of the Walton Area Chamber of Commerce; Senator Don Gaetz, Jim Bagby; Interim CEO of the Walton Area Chamber of Commerce; Tyler Head, Walton Area Chamber of Commerce; Rebecca Nall, Walton County Tax Collector; Alexis Miller, Alys Beach; Mary Head, CHELCO; Christina Tilton, Visit South Walton; Ronnie Reeves, Southland Utilities; John Cross, Destin Realty Inc.; David Balmer, Dale Carnegie Training of the Emerald Coast.

The 2016 Class of Leadership Walton graduated from the program Thursday, May 26, 2016, after a nine-month curriculum consisting of various professional and leadership development programs. Former President of the Senate, Florida Senator Don Gaetz, served as the speaker for this year’s graduating class providing an insightful and enthusiastic look at the future of leadership in Walton County as the area continues to experience exponential economic growth and development. The goal of Leadership Walton is to provide a small group of select individuals a more in-depth understanding of how the Walton Area functions in order to expand their knowledge of local issues and the skills needed to address them. With an overnight trip to Tallahassee for this year’s legislative session, along with tours of the Walton County Sheriff’s Office, County Jail, and DeFuniak Springs County Courthouse, the graduates were able to understand how state and local governments are organized, regulated and how they can drive communities forward under exemplary leadership.
“The people sitting in this room are the future leaders in our community, our economy and our local government,” said Senator Don Gaetz.
Additional course curriculum included both the Birkman and Leadergrade Assessments, “Dale Carnegie: Skills for Success” training course, as well as an additional overnight retreat to begin the program with respected leadership coach Anne Margaret Kelly. In addition, each student was assigned a mentor for the duration of the program to serve as a resource for both personal and professional development.
Each Leadership Walton class is tasked with a project to better some aspect of the local community and the class project of the 2016 Leadership Walton Class will be a benefit concert on Saturday, June 11, with proceeds going to the Arc of Walton County’s ongoing facility renovation. Details and tickets for the event are available on the Walton Area Chamber website – www.waltonareachamber.com.
Leadership Walton is a program of the Walton Area Chamber of Commerce. Each course consists of multiple leadership and professional development seminars and courses. Recruitment for the 2017 Class of Leadership Walton is open. If you would like more information about this topic, or are interested in participating in Leadership Walton as a student or mentor contact Tyler Head at (850) 267-0683 or email at tyler@waltonareachamber.com.
The Walton Area Chamber of Commerce was established in 1925 and provides leadership for a healthy business community. As the area’s leading voice of business, the more than 800-member organization represents the interests of business with government, promotes the local community and provides business education and networking opportunities toward building a strong Walton County economy. For more information, visit www.waltonareachamber.com or call  (850) 267-0683.