A history of training future leaders: Leadership Greater McHenry County celebrates 20 years

Leadership Greater McHenry County is marking 20 years of training the county’s current and future role models.

The organization was founded in 2004 with the goal of developing the leadership skills of emerging leaders in McHenry County’s business, government, philanthropic and public service sectors, graduating its first class in 2005. Notable Leadership Greater McHenry County alumni include Sheriff Robb Tadelman and Crystal Lake City Council members Denise Smith and Cameron Hubbard.

Participants in the program have to apply, and each class has just over 30 members. Applicants also have to get their employer to commit to giving them the time needed to participate in the program. Potential candidates then are invited to an interview.

“Participants will be selected based on their commitment to community and personal leadership aspirations. The selection committee will carefully consider diversity to assure the program and community are fairly represented,” according to the LGMC website.

If accepted, LGMC participants complete a 10-month program that starts in the fall and includes retreats, program days such as law and justice and government, where the leadership group sits in on a McHenry County Board meeting and then learns about various services the county government provides.

After the program days wrap up in midwinter, the students take part in challenge days, where they work in teams to explore and present issues of interest, according to the LGMC website. The participants graduate in June and become part of the alumni network.

Alumni of the organization, of which there are about 630, work in a variety of public and private settings and serve in leadership roles throughout the county. The majority of alumni, 60%, serve on boards ranging from school districts to the county board, according to a news release from the organization.

About 70 alumni serve on six committees for the organization, among the many alumni who stay involved and help continue the organization’s mission. Marcy Piekos, the executive director of LGMC and a 2008 graduate herself, said the organization is incredibly dynamic because so many people have stayed engaged.

Some of the organization’s alumni gathered last week for a 20th anniversary celebration. Audra Buckner, a 2018 graduate ,and Tom Quinn, a 2006 graduate, were named this year’s distinguished alumni. Quinn also served as the emcee for the celebration. In his remarks for the evening, Quinn said that those gathered “have a common bond.”

Kathleen Woolley, a 2016 LGMC grad, said she grew up in the county and that LGMC was “something I wanted to do.” She said she “learned a lot that I did not know” through her participation and seems to run into an LGMC person wherever she goes.

Buckner called LGMC is a life-changing experience. She said she never realized how much McHenry County has to offer. Buckner said it’s not about learning leadership but “growing your leadership.”

She said Christina Haggerty, MCC’s vice president of marketing, communications, and development, introduced her to LGMC. Haggerty is a 2013 LGMC graduate.

Kimberly Dahlem, a 2024 LGMC graduate, said the program “catapulted” her into a career change. She said it opened so many doors for her and said it was a “very powerful experience.” Dahlem said she had a 30-year public education career and now runs an executive coaching and consulting business.

John Costigan, a McHenry native who is now based out of North Carolina, came back to his home county to deliver the keynote speech. Costigan was introduced by LGMC graduate Sean Haley.

Costigan, who is a public speaker and sales trainer, is known for making cold calls and doing sales work on stage. He shared some insights and advice with the audience, including to write down goals.

”We’re in a people world,” Costigan said, adding if you can communicate with people, that’s one of the keys to success.

The late former mayor of Crystal Lake, Aaron Shepley, was also honored at the event. Shepley, who died in 2020 while in office, served on the LGMC board, and Piekos said he was “integral” to the establishment of the organization, which also runs a youth-oriented program.

Former Centegra Health System CEO Mike Easley honored Shepley at the reception before Shepley’s family foundation presented LGMC with a donation. Easley said Shepley gave Crystal Lake a “phenomenal city government” and remembered Shepley as a “phenomenal guy.”

Learn more about Leadership Greater McHenry County at its website, leadershipgmc.org.