As members of the 18th LGM class begin their exciting new journey, we thought it would be fun to bring you along on that journey through the course of the year. First, we’ll provide you with a “Take me back” moment that let’s you reminisce about your own LGM experience. Second, we’ll share what the current class is up to and we’ll let you know how and when you can link in if you are interested.
“Take me back” moment
Although the ropes course is, unfortunately, a thing of the past and no longer operates in Madison, team building was one of the best elements of the LGM experience. Think back to your LGM year and recall some of the team building that you did during the first few sessions as you were just getting to know your classmates. Whether it was tossing a ball back and forth among your classmates or building a brio truck while blindfolded, or confidently (or tentatively?) falling backward into the arms of your new friends, those experiences were critical in building the kind of camaraderie and team work that is critical to leadership.
LGM18 Update
LGM18 is off to a great start this year with 17 eager and talented individuals representing companies and organizations including: Operation Fresh Start, Dean Health Plan, Little Explorers Nature Center Preschool, Wisconsin Physicians Service Insurance Corporation, J.H. Findorff and Sons, Alliant Energy Corporation, First Business Bank, First Choice Dental Group SC, MAGNET, Wipfli LLP, M&I Business Banking, City of Madison Police Department, Murphy Desmond S.C., CUNA Mutual Group, American Girl, Greater Madison Convention & Visitors Bureau and Whyte Hirschboeck Dudek. The class will be focusing their community projects on issues related to K–12 education, economic/ workforce development and quality of life.
Our first two sessions, held in February and March, focused on team building and project development. Special thanks to LGM11 alum Steve Goldberg, executive director of the CUNA Mutual Group Foundation for hosting our first session, where the class worked with Chris Hinrichs on some “getting to know you” activities and brainstormed ideas for projects.
During the March session, the class met at the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery on the UW–Madison campus and heard from local experts who discussed issues to further team project development. Among our guests, we were pleased to have presentations from two LGM alum — Dr. Susan Abplanalp, LGM10 and deputy superintendent and chief learning officer for the Madison Metropolitan School District, and Jennifer Post Tyler, LGM16, project director with Thrive.
Sue discussed many of the changes taking place in the MMSD focussed on accelerating learning. She explained current plans for enhancing alignment across all schools within the district to better match curriculums, and a new pilot project where a select number of central staff are assigned to a cluster of schools in the district to assist in internal communications and implementation of best practices.
Jennifer presented information on Thrive’s current projects as well as an overview of the 2010 State of the Region Report. According to the report, the region’s quality of life continues to be a bright spot with high levels of health insurance coverage, a competitive education system, and lower overall crime rates and levels of poverty. However, the region trails its peers in two important categories: job growth and establishment growth. The session was completed with a tour of the new facility including a look at one of the embedded teaching labs designed to promote a collaborative learning environment for K-12 education programs, college students, science teachers and the public. If you haven’t had a chance to check it out, we encourage you to see the innovative new space, open to the public daily from 8 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Great leadership is important now, more than ever in our community due to the recent events and proposals in our state government. Therefore, the class will be taking a closer look at Wisconsin’s current budget issues and how it impacts us and our region this month. Stay tuned for highlights of our monthly sessions and updates of the LGM18 project work. As a reminder, LGM is now on Facebook, and we encourage you to visit us to find out more information about this year’s class and projects, as well as a great way to connect with fellow alumni!
