Program manager graduates from Leadership Harrisonburg-Rockingham

Program Manager Kesley Gerber recently graduated from the Leadership Harrisonburg-Rockingham program. This 10-month program, offered by the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Chamber of Commerce, develops current and future leaders through community awareness, engagement, and education.

Participants are nominated and sponsored by their employers, and selected for participation by a committee of LHR alumni.

Over the 10 months, the cohort learned about various aspects of the local community, including site visits and panel presentations from a number of prominent professionals.

Gerber appreciated the breadth of the content and the opportunity to network across diverse fields. Her fellow participants included representatives from the following industries and areas: construction, hospitality management, tourism, banking, transportation, higher education, and the nonprofit field.

“Through sessions on agriculture, local government, the arts, and more, I gained new perspectives on what makes our community unique,” she said. “Professional development topics like public speaking, active listening, and relationship building were all valuable skills I practiced in these sessions and are useful for my role at TCFHR. I thoroughly enjoyed making connections within my cohort and look forward to supporting one another in our future endeavors!”

For their required service project, Gerber and her team volunteered at a Thanksgiving celebration meal for Mercy House clients.