From the Chamber Chief: May, 2015

Last week the Chamber proudly hosted its eighth

Leadership Fredericksburg graduation ceremony. It
warmed my heart as our 27 Fellows celebrated nine
months of leadership development, team building,
and hard work. Still, this event was bittersweet for
me because it was also the final class to work with
our original program facilitators, me and Greg
Hiebert.
Greg is the managing partner for
leadershipForward. We have worked together since
the programs inception in 2007. What an extraordinary opportunity for me,
at that time in my career - to be able to work with an experienced executive
coach and leadership expert! Greg taught me so much over the years how
to conduct LMAP 360 coaching sessions; facilitation techniques; and more
than you can imagine about leadership development and principles. It has
been my pleasure to work with him for so long.
Greg will be missed, but the program will not skip a beat. I am delighted to
announce our new partnership with two exceptional leaders Dr. David
Corderman and Dr. J.R. Flatter - both with close ties to Leadership
Fredericksburg. David is the Senior Partner with Academy Leadership
Associates. He is an internationally recognized leadership training
professional with extensive experience working with law enforcement
executives. His career includes four years as an infantry officer in the
U.S.M.C and 24 in the FBI as a special agent. During his law enforcement
tenure he served for eight and a half years on the FBIs Hostage Rescue
Team and retired as the Chief of the acclaimed Leadership Development
Institute. In his last assignment he was responsible for all the leadership
training in the FBI, to include the 30,000 member workforce as well as all
outreach leadership programs for international, federal, state and local law
enforcement executives.
J.R. is the President and CEO of Flatter and Associates. He also began his
career in the Marine Corps, rising from an enlisted Private to Staff Sergeant
before receiving a commission as a 2nd Lieutenant. During his military
career he excelled in the leadership roles of Platoon Sergeant, Drill
Instructor, Platoon Commander, and Company Commander. J.R. successfully
completed staff tours of duty as a Manpower Policy Analyst,
Antiterrorism/Force Protection/Nuclear Security Program Manager, and
Business Processes Reengineering Project Manager. He holds a B.A. in
Business Administration from the University of Washington; an M.S. in
Management from the Naval Postgraduate School; and a Ph.D. in Public

Sector Leadership Development from The George Washington University. J.R.

has taught various leadership classes at GWU.
Regarding Leadership Fredericksburg, David has served as a program mentor
eight times; hes spoken with our class about leadership numerous times;
and he has partnered with us and the Rappahannock Rotary Club to host
ethics seminars. J.R. is a graduate of the 2012 Leadership Fredericksburg
class. Since that time, he has served as a program mentor, sponsor, and
speaker each year. Both gentlemen are active in their community Dave,
particularly in service to the Families of the Wounded Fund, and J.R., as a
highly engaged member of the Chambers Board of Directors.
Leadership Fredericksburg is indeed in good hands. Going into our ninth
year, we will again select a class of approximately 28 Fellows that will spend
nine months immersed in intense personal leadership development that
includes: an executive coaching session to review individual 360 and
personality profile assessments; monthly meetings from September May at
various locations around the region, learning about different industries that
support our business community and hearing personal leadership remarks
from all levels of leaders; nine months of meeting one-on-one with a mentor
specially matched to them; nine months of growing with their Action
Learning Team in preparation to deliver a project presentation for their
projects organization. Nine months of professional leadership curriculum
facilitated by David, J.R., and me. It will culminate with the Graduation
Ceremony and the opportunity to join the Leadership Fredericksburg Alumni
Association which provides multiple layers of continued opportunity.
Now Im back where I began this columnsimply amazed that eight years
have passed; incredibly proud of another outstanding group of leaders; and
looking forward to the next wave of leaders that will join us. It is truly an
exciting time to be part of the Leadership Fredericksburg program.
If you want to know more, take note: it is enrollment time and you can find
out how to apply on the Leadership Fredericksburg page of the Chamber
website. Consider joining us at our Leadership Fredericksburg Information
Session on Thursday, June 4 at 8:30 a.m. in the Chamber office. Program
leaders will share insights about the program and answer your questions.
RSVP here or by calling Stacey at 540-373-9400. Join with us, one way or
another and be part of the fastest growing network of leaders in the
Fredericksburg Region!