History
The History of Our Association
Timeline
1983
Program Begins
The Leadership Lakeland program began thanks to Jere Annis, Gene Engle, Duane McConnell, and Tom Moore. None of them ever went through the program, but all of them helped create and organize it.
1984
Association Established
The Alumni Association began with the help of Thomas Petcoff, Rick Stephens and James Turk. Those who joined the alumni association paid an annual dues fee of $50.
1989
Jere Annis Leadership Award
The Jere Annis Leadership Award was established to honor the late Dr. Jere Annis, an organizer of the Leadership Lakeland Program. The first recipient of this award was John Cannon.
2005
Leadership Conference
LLAA began working with ODK to facilitate their leadership conference thanks to the work of Larry Ross and Steve Bissonnette.
2006
“State Of” Events
From 2006-2009, LLAA’s events focused on “The State Of” series.
2007
Policies & Procedures developed
LLAA created its first formal, documented policies and procedures under the guidance of Steve Bissonnette.
2010
Committees Formed
LLAA began forming committees. First committees were: Finance, Annual Meeting, ODK, Membership/Communication, and Events.
2014
Inspiring the Leader in Youth Summit
February 20th marks the 4th year for LLAA’s Inspiring the Leader in Youth Conference. This year, in partnership with SEU, Students will enjoy time with college students as well as community leaders. Contact Lisa Oliver at 863.838.6691 to learn how you can get involved with this great project.
WOW Project
Thanks to Lyonal Lindsey, the Worthy Outreach Work (WOW) Project was created.
2016
Leadercast Lakeland
LLAA hosted Leadercast Lakeland, its first signature event for its members and the community.
2017
Lakeland Legacy L3 Fund
LLAA created the Leadership Lakeland Legacy (L3) fund through Givewell Foundation to allow alumni and members of the community to “pay it forward” and create funds which are used to provide leadership and outreach opportunities for current and future generations of leaders.
Legacy Hero Award
The Legacy Hero Award was created to recognize an alumnus who has used his or her time and talents to help the alumni association fulfill its mission and vision within the organization.