Tyler Heffron covers the Leadership Wichita selection process

Nominations for the Chamber’s 2016 Leadership Wichita class are underway. This is the third post in a three-part series with answers to questions about the program. See Monday's blog post for answers to questions 1-3 by 1999 Leadership Wichita graduate Tammy Allen. Questions 4-6 were answered in yesterday’s post by 2003 Leadership Wichita graduate Denise Sherman. Leadership Wichita graduate Tyler Heffron answers questions 7-10 below. Tyler E. Heffron is an
Attorney with
Triplett, Woolf & Garretson, LLC. He is a 2008
Leadership Wichita graduate and the 2016 Chairman of the Board of Trustees.

7. How much time does the program require and what topics will be covered? The class meets nine times and the program runs between September 8 and November 17. Eight of those sessions are day-long events. The program is so engaging and fun that it’s over before you know it, and you’ll leave invigorated about the Wichita area. There are three additional outside class activities related to media, government, and caring community. The program topics include:

• The Strategic Wichita Vision
• Working Partnerships with Media
• An Education Responsibility
• The Business of Government
• Making Development Happen
• Simulated Society
• Shaping a Caring Community

8. Who selects the Leadership Wichita class and when will the 2016 class be announced? Members of the 2016 Board of Trustees are responsible for the class selection process, and they each dedicate a significant amount of time to ensure the class of participants is diverse and balanced. Applicants who aren’t accepted the first time they apply are encouraged to apply again the following year. The 2016 Leadership Wichita class will be announced August 5.

9. Who oversees the program? Suzy Finn, Director of Community Advancement for the Wichita Metro Chamber of Commerce, works with the Leadership Wichita Board of Trustees to organize the program and to select timely and topical speakers and session materials.

10. Who makes up the Board of Trustees? Every Leadership Wichita class selects one representative on the Board of Trustees. Other members of the Board are selected by the Chamber and Board Chair from the list of distinguished program alumni. The 13-member Board has a number of responsibilities, including assisting with the logistics of the program, identifying trending topics and issues for inclusion in the sessions, and securing speakers. Board members typically serve a three-year term. Our 2016 Board is listed below:

Tyler Heffron – 2016 Chair Attorney - Partner Triplett, Woolf & Garreston, LLC Ryan Bond Director, Brand and People Experience Sasnak Management Corporation Dennis Clary Senior Manager, Public Affairs Cox Communications John DeCesaro Vice President and Marketing Manager Fidelity Bank Claudio Ferraro Sr. Administrator and Chief of Staff Via Christi Health Bobby Gandu Director of Admissions Wichita State University Katie Grover Senior Vice President and Marketing Director Fidelity Bank Christina House Project Operations Lead & Risk Officer Airbus Americas Engineering Chris Howell President, Western Kansas Region UMB Bank, N.A. Wendy Johnson Division Director, Marketing and Communications Wichita Public Schools Mark Manning Budget and Research Director City of Wichita Gabe Schlickau Owner State Farm Agency – Schlickau Don Sherman VP, Community Relations & Strategic Partnerships Westar Energy Leadership Wichita nominations are due June 10, and should be submitted electronically at wichitachamber.org/leadershipwichita. Nominees will then be forwarded an application to complete and submit by June 22.