After a brief hiatus, the Leadership Bartlett Alumni Association is resuming its quarterly meetings with the first to be 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Jan. 17 at Coletta’s Italian Restaurant at 2850 Appling Road, Bartlett.
Peter Abell, president and chief executive officer of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra since mid-2017, will be the speaker. Abell is a graduate of the LBAA class of 2008 and former employee of Youth Villages, a leader of the merger of Books from Birth with Porter-Leath, and a Boy Scouts leader. His talent and experience with nonprofits, fundraising and education make Abell a good fit with the MSO.
Also on the agenda is a presentation on the “Healthier Bartlett” initiative. Speakers will include Sharon Fryman, volunteer services and community outreach manager for St. Francis Hospital-Bartlett, graduate of class of 2017; and Nikia Johnson, ALSAC/St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, graduate of class of 2018. They will speak on the Healthier Tennessee Communities initiative of the Governor’s Foundation for Health and Wellness.
Leadership Bartlett, having graduated 26 classes to date, is a program of the Bartlett Chamber Foundation. A few of the projects created and supported by the LBAA are the Bartlett Community Chorus, the Bartlett Community Concert Band, an annual Pancake Breakfast in honor of police and fire departments, Youth Leadership, assistance for the City of Bartlett in opening the first recycling center and organized fundraising for the Bartlett Education Foundation.
Participants in the programs are taught about city, county and state government. Each class takes a trip to Nashville to meet some of our legislators and sit in on a session of the legislature.
Graduates are encouraged to retain the friendships that are forged during their classes and use the knowledge they have gained to serve their community. Some of LBAA’s graduates are now or have been city aldermen, chamber of commerce personnel, city employees, local ministers, a county commissioner and members of the private sector.
Each civic organization in our area has several LBAA members. Business leaders recognize the value of the organization and yearly send company representatives to the classes in order to enhance their leadership skills.
The class of 2019 is now forming. For more information, contact John Cox, executive director of the Bartlett Chamber Foundation, at (901) 230-4646 or (901) 372-9457.
