Nine West Hartford residents recently completed Leadership Greater Hartford’s (LGH) 11-month Quest Program.

Submitted by Carin Buckman, Leadership Greater Hartford

Emily Marble was one of nine West Hartford residents who recently completed the Leadership Greater Hartford QUEST program. Submitted photo

Nine West Hartford residents recently completed Leadership Greater Hartford’s (LGH) Quest Program:

• Craig Cimini, Director of Client Informatics, Cigna
• Kaitlin DeVries, Manager of Decision Support, Saint Francis Hospital & Medical Center
• Rebeccah Eldridge, Architect, MBH Architecture, LLC
• Jonathan Kaplan, Attorney, Pulman & Comley, LLC
• Ryan Leichsenring, Associate, Shipman & Goodwin LLP
• Emily Marble, Director of Administration and HR, Institute for Community Research
• Adam Marks, Attorney, Updike, Kelly & Spellacy, P.C.
• Kyle Richards, Asset Management, Metro Realty Group, Ltd.
• Stephani Shivers, Director, Community Services & Education, Alzheimer’s Resource Center

Quest is the most recognized community-based leadership development program for professionals working throughout the Greater Hartford region, a landmark initiative of LGH for more than three decades. The program brings together rising and established professionals from the corporate, government, nonprofit, academic, and small business sectors and provides them with the opportunity to build the skills, contacts, and knowledge of the community needed to be effective in their careers and their communities.

The 11-month Quest program kicks off with an orientation and retreat in January and ends in November with class presentations and commencement. Quest consists of workshops, field experiences and, central to the program, a community service learning component that partners with various nonprofits in the Greater Hartford region. Through hands-on community projects, Quest participants work in teams and learn the tools and insights needed to become collaborative leaders, think creatively, act collaboratively, and take purposeful risks. This real-world experience is invaluable to assuring positive leadership growth and development.

Emily Marble, Director of Administration and HR at the Institute for Community Research, shared that for her, “the group’s journey mirrored the story The Little Engine That Could. We began our trek with confidence and enthusiasm. Along the way we had to navigate such issues as how to begin, where to focus, how to reach agreement, and, how to organize ourselves to achieve. Despite the bumps, doubts and detours we were right in knowing that we individually and collectively could. My thanks to everyone for the ride.” Marble worked on the Helping the Homeless in Hartford task force. This group worked to strengthen resources and opportunities available to Hartford’s homeless population in order to reduce the number of homeless.

Cimini, DeVries, Eldridge, Kaplan, Leichsenring, and Richards all worked on the Empowering Employment task force, which developed a sustainable program to aid individuals with intellectual disabilities seeking employment.

Marks was part of the group that worked on Chronic Student Absenteeism; his task force  raised awareness about the importance of education and being present in school to achieve post-secondary success; and Shivers worked on the Hartford Rocks! team, which successfully developed a concert that incorporated different genres of rock and roll. The 2014 concert took place in Bushnell Park and became a fundraising concert benefiting youth music and arts programs in Hartford.

Leadership Greater Hartford is accepting applications and nominations for those interested in Quest 2015. The class begins in January. To ensure enrollment in the Quest 2015 class, apply now.  Applications must be submitted as soon as possible. For more information contact Ana Valentin-Jackson, Program Director, at (860) 951-6161 x2200 or e-mail [email protected].

Leadership Greater Hartford is the most comprehensive nonprofit community leadership organization in the country. It provides leadership training to individuals ranging from high school students to retirees, with community service projects featured in most programs. These projects and the program graduates continue to have lasting impact in the Hartford region. For more information about how to be a participant or sponsor, or to inquire about customized training with Leadership Greater Hartford, call 860-951-6161 (x1800), email [email protected], visit www.leadershipgh.org, or like them on Facebook.