History

The Community Leadership Academy of Springfield, Ohio was started in 1981 as a joint venture between Wittenberg University and the Springfield-Clark County Chamber of Commerce. In the late 1980’s, the Community Leadership Academy Alumni Board became a third partner in the planning and operation of the Academy. From its initiation to 1992, over 250 individuals participated in the Leadership Academy.

After a two-year hiatus to reassess the direction and financing of the program, the Community Leadership Association of Clark County was incorporated on May 11, 1994 with the following purposes:

• To provide educational services to present and future community leaders to develop their leadership skills and sensitivity to community needs;
• And to encourage individuals from diverse backgrounds to assume community leadership roles and to contribute their talents and energies to community service.

In 1997, a part-time Executive Director was hired to oversee the expansion of the Academy programs. During this year, the Leadership Academy program was expanded to include both a spring and fall session. In addition, the first issue of the alumni newsletter, The Clark County Leader, was published and Alumni Leadership Luncheons were instituted to keep community leaders apprised of issues relevant to the community.

In 1998, two additional community leadership programs were started: 1) the Youth Leadership Academy, to help encourage young people ages 15-21 to become involved in their communities, and 2) the Executive Quick Start Academy which is a 6-week program designed to assist busy professionals who are interested in gaining knowledge about the Springfield community.

As of 2004, over 500 individuals have graduated from the Leadership Academy and Executive Quick Start program.

Members of the Leadership Academy have been involved in numerous community projects including:

• Designed a marketing campaign for the Help-Me-Grow program
• Developed a long-term fundraising campaign for the Heritage Center
• Designed a community resource booklet, and initiated the RUDAT project for urban redevelopment of downtown Springfield.

In July 2004, the Community Leadership Association of Clark County underwent a name, logo and programming change in order to meet the demands of a growing and diverse community. Leadership Clark County emerged as the organization to empower leaders of the 21st century in Clark County.