Leadership Douglas County graduate from Castle Pines
Castle Pines resident Erin Novotny is a recent graduate of the Leadership Douglas County program. She is pictured (fourth from the left) with her graduating class during the firefighter education portion of the program.
By Elizabeth Wood West; photo courtesy of Carrie Buchan
Erin Novotny is a Castle Pines resident who works for the Castle Rock Police Department; she is also a recent Leadership Douglas County (LDC) graduate. LDC is a program founded in 1999 by the Castle Rock Chamber of Commerce. The program is open to emerging and established leaders who work in the civic, business, service, religious, and nonprofit areas of Douglas County for the purpose of learning more about local issues, networking with other regional leaders, and enhancing their opportunities to make positive changes in their community.
Novotny said, “One of my personal and professional goals has always been to be a life-long learner. I find that the most rewarding experiences are those that allow me to help others find their own success. I decided to participate in LDC to learn more about the challenges that face Douglas County with the hope of being able to further develop my leadership skills and work with others who were like-minded in wanting to strengthen our community.”
The LDC program is a two-year commitment that begins with an overnight retreat, followed by nine monthly all-day meetings that focus on leadership skills, various Douglas County programs and services, challenges within the community, and working together on a service project. Novotny’s group service project was furnishing the Douglas/Elbert Task Force’s newly expanded office and reception area.
During the second year of the program, participants become members of the LDC steering committee and work together to plan and facilitate the incoming class program and meetings. At the end of the second year, two of the steering committee members are chosen to mentor the following year’s steering committee members.
Novotny said, “The program as a whole was even more rewarding than expected, and I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in developing leadership skills and getting more involved in our great community. Coming together once a month for the better part of the past year to learn about the rich history and culture as well as the challenges faced by the county was invaluable. I feel that the success of the program can be directly attributed to the rotation of participants from attendees to organizers and eventually mentors. This allows for continued development of leadership skills as well as keeping the program and its topics timely.”
For more information about Leadership Douglas County, visit www.leadershipdouglascounty.com.
