"The mission of community leadership is to strengthen and transform communities."
The National Community Leadership Association
Leadership Lafayette was incorporated as an independent non-profit organization in 1982 and is one of the older community leadership programs among the 50 in Indiana and the 700 across the country. Robert L. Griffiths, who was then Chairman of the Board of the Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce, proposed the idea for initiating a local community leadership development program. Griffiths recruited other community leaders to assist in planning, funding and implementing the Leadership Lafayette program with grants fom the Gannett Foundation and Lilly Endowment.
At the outset, the community expected unprecedented growth in the Greater Lafayette area in the 1980s, at a time when federal and state support to deliver needed services was diminishing. There was a shortage of effective community volunteers to address community challenges and leadership needs. Today, the community continues to grow as a regional economic center, and the demand for services also continues to increase. More than ever, Greater Lafayette needs motivated community members who are prepared to facilitate the continuing advancement of the community's excellent quality of life.
The first Leadership Lafayette class enrolled approximately 30 students in 1982. Out of 1,092 alumni to date, approximately 765 currently reside in the Greater Lafayette area and serve more than 75 non-profit organizations as well as schools and faith communities.
Initially, the classes focused on community awareness and understanding of current issues and leadership needs in multiple arenas including the environment, the economy, government, criminal justice, education, human services, and skills development in teambuilding and communication. From 1990 to 1996, various leadership skills were added to the curriculum and a new way of perceiving the benefits of leadership provided the foundation for new programs.
Significant changes in curriculum and delivery format since 1996 focused on leadership skills such as ethical leadership, visioning, creative problem solving, collaboration, group dynamics, and communication. The focus areas also have included diversity and cultural competency, non-profit board leadership and fundraising, and leading change and change management. Experiential learning is now integral to the program.
In 1999, program offerings were expanded into the evenings to give participants more scheduling options and enabling the organization to increase the number participants. The Career Leadership Academy was added in 2001 and is designed for emerging leaders in business organizations to develop leadership skills for application in their businesses and career development. In 2005, the Tippecanoe County Commissioners engaged Leadership Lafayette to deliver a leadership program for county employees and elected officials. In the same year, Leadership Lafayette was invited to collaborate with Purdue University and the Tippecanoe County Extension to design and implement a leadership program for Tippecanoe County high school sophomores and juniors.
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