Impact Focused, Community Driven, Engaging Opportunities

Leadership Thunder Bay is an innovative leadership program comprised of a 10-month curriculum based on community issues for emerging leaders. This program is designed to help participants acquire both a broader understanding of the critical issues affecting our community and the leadership skills necessary to resolve them. It helps prepare participants for the challenges of their own lifelong leadership journeys, shows how to build skills, and develops awareness of the rich opportunities for leadership in Thunder Bay.

 

Impact Focused

Our program put an emphasis on practical experience as a key part of the learning process. No two leadership journeys are the same, and our facilitators take a tailored approach to ensuring all program participants receive an experience that is beneficial for them. 

Community Driven

Dealing with existing community issues in the region, we involve participants from all sectors of society and reflecting on the diverse nature of the region. The goal of the program is to empower individuals by helping them develop the skills and confidence needed for leadership roles in business, government, and not-for-profit organizations, helping to meet current and future challenges in our community. 

Engaging Opportunities

No learning day is the same, with the variety in our program, participants remain engaged in a dialogue between current leaders and our emerging leaders. By developing an outstanding network of people with a sense of community, we’re helping leaders build our community up.

 

– Meet the Facilitators – 

 

Kari Chiappetta

Kari has worked in the Social Service industry for 29 years. She graduated in 1993 from Confederation College with her Social Service Worker Diploma. She then went on to secure her Life Skills Coaching Certificate in 1995. Kari is also a certified Personality Dimensions TM facilitator, certified Lego Serious Play TM facilitator and Thomas Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument facilitator. Kari has also secured her Group Facilitation Methods Certificate from ICA Associates.

Kari has been self-employed since 2006. The focus of her business is facilitation and training. As a facilitator, Kari shapes and guides the process of working together effectively. She shares her skills and knowledge through workshops, training and facilitated sessions.

Kari was born and raised in Thunder Bay and loves the people and the sense of community in our city. She wants to give back to the community to help make it the best place for her children and future grandchildren to call home. She is passionate about helping to build strong leaders to grow and shape our community and has been involved with Leadership Thunder Bay in various roles for over 12 years.

Tara Gauld

Tara Gauld has 25 years of experience working in a variety of leadership roles in the post-secondary education, health, and social services sectors. She also has a Master’s degree in Business Administration with a specialization in Human Resource Leadership and a Master’s degree in Sociology with a specialization in Women’s Studies and health. As a former Board Chair and graduate of Leadership Thunder Bay, Tara is very excited to be co-facilitating the program this year! She is passionate about living in Thunder Bay and making our community a great place for everyone to live, work, and thrive!

 

– Benefits of the Program –

Referred by us as skill buckets, our facilitators tailor the program to suit the needs of the class. All the skills the program helps foster are categorized into four categories:

   

Self Knowledge

Leadership

 

Communication

 

Interpersonal 

As a Community Leadership Program, we improve our community by developing people’s individual leadership skills. Strengthening collaborative leadership capacity within the workplace helps organizations and businesses thrive. The Leadership Thunder Bay program is great for anyone, regardless of their position, and it’s become a valued program for succession planning and organizational development within our community. 

The leadership program spans ten months, starting off with a meet and greet, off to an overnight retreat, and followed by 8 Learning Days, a Community Action Project, and graduation. The current 2023/2024 Learning Day Program Schedule is:

Date Theme
September 12, 2023 Meet and Greet
September 22 and 23, 2023 Retreat- Mandatory Attendance
Thursday, October 19, 2023 Spanning the Generations
Thursday, November 16, 2023 Private Sector/Innovation
Thursday, December 14, 2023 Governance
Thursday, January 18, 2024 Poverty and Homelessness
Thursday, February 15, 2024 Indigenous Perspectives
Dependent on Diversity Thunder Bay Event Diversity
Thursday, April 18, 2024 Environment
Thursday, May 16, 2024 Choose Your Own Adventure
Thursday, June 20, 2024 Reflection, Next Steps, Graduation

Community Action Projects are submitted by local organizations and interest groups. During the opening retreat projects are selected by the participants and completed prior to graduation. Over the past 10 years, a variety of projects have helped our leaders make an impact on the community. 

Tuition for the program is set at $2,700. A portion or all of this fee is generally covered by employers who recognize the many benefits of the program in staff development. Bursaries may be provided to qualified candidates and payment plans are available.

A $500 non-refundable deposit is due upon acceptance into the program. In order to ensure balance and equal participation in the program, Leadership Thunder Bay may, to some degree, provide tuition assistance for a limited number of qualified participants in need.

 

Applications for the 2023/2024 Leadership Thunder Bay Program are now open, click here to apply!