The 38th Class of Leadership San Antonio learned during their February class the reasons San Antonio is one of the nation’s best performing cities in terms of economic development. The day began with a welcome by the Witte Museum President and CEO, Marisse McDermott, who discussed upcoming renovations to the museum through their capital campaign. She noted that a South Texas Heritage Phase was included in the campaign to serve as a permanent home for the Witte’s collections, exhibitions and public programs, real-life stories of South Texans, and a Witte Research Center.
After a tour of the Witte, the class heard a community values panel discussion moderated by Julie Coan, COO of KLRN. The panel featured Frank Pantuso with the Christopher Columbus Italian Society, Richard Farias, Chair of the Board of the Pride Center, Honorable Horoko Faye of Japan and the Japanese American Society of San Antonio and Tim Farrell, COO of Operation Homefront. The panelists discussed how to to incorporate all cultures in San Antonio and to build an even more ethnically diverse community.
During lunch, the class heard from Angie Mock, CEO of the Boys and Girls Club, who shared inspirational stories of how the club has helped thousands of children across the country. Under her leadership, the average daily attendance of local members has increased by 12% and unduplicated participants served have increased by 32%. In addition, the Boys & Girls Clubs of San Antonio opened seven new sites in 2011 and increased funding sources from $3.2 million to $5.2 million in less than two years.
After the panel, the class visited The Neighborhood Place, which is a program where families, children, youth and seniors can take ballroom dance lessons, share parenting techniques, play basketball, learn to use computer skills, and much more. Its purpose is to provide an efficient and effective network of community services thereby supporting a community partnership approach and an ongoing working relationship with residents in the surrounding neighborhoods. The next stop for the class was the Best Buy Teen Tech Center, the first in San Antonio, which is located at The Neighborhood Place. This program helps teens explore their passions in technology and inspire future education and career choice.
The class then travelled to Animal Care Services (ACS) where they learned that ACS picks up nearly 100 stray animals daily.
The final stop was a visit to Haven for Hope where they heard from Sandy Morander, President and CEO of Greater YMCA. The YMCA is not only a gym, but provides programs for families and individuals to learn, grow and thrive.
The 56 members of LSA Class 38 are grouped into committees responsible for developing agendas for each of the seven class days. The agenda for Community and Social Values Day was developed by class members:
- Shannon Albert, Senior Director of Call Center and Customer Billing, CPS Energy
- Lauren Ciminello, Attorney, Jackson Walker LLP
- Claudia Coleman, Director U-verse Field Operations TXSW, AT&T
- Leo Munoz, Senior Manager of Consulting, Padgett Stratemann & Company LLP
- Adrian Reyes, Owner & CEO, Adrian Reyes Agency LLC
- Jesse Travis, Managing Partner, Travis Martin Financial Services, LLC
- Roberto Trevino, Owner, Roberto Carlos Trevino Architect
LSA is a joint partnership of The Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce and the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Click here for more information or email Lauren Sides. You can follow LSA on twitter @LeadershipSA or check out daily up dates on the LSA Facebook page.