This post was written by LDA Class of 2023-2024 The Impacters Team: Jenny Loveless of Clinton Community School District; Carlos Martinez of Angi Energy Systems; Kelli Buck of Prent Corporation; Hannah Davila of GIFTS Men’s Shelter; Chayce Howard of Beloit Memorial High School; Ellen James of Corporate Contractors Inc.; and Michelle Penny of Beloit Health Systems. December’s topics included meeting with Blain’s Farm and Fleet owner and CEO Jane Blain Gilbertson, Human Resources Panel, Real Leadership, Child Care Action Plan with Drew Pennington GBED, and a Marketing Panel Learning about Bla ..read more

This post was written by LDA Class of 2022-2023 Team Aces Jacob Smith, Baker Tilly; Kayla Schaapveld, Ansay & Associates; Jayden Chan, Craig High School Senior; Maddie McCue, Nowlan Law; Kara Witt, Blackhawk Community Credit Union; and Melissa Wittwer, Rock County. March’s Topics included My Leadership Journey Speeches, and Active Shooter & Casualty Care in the Workplace. Our session began with a welcome from the Mercyhealth Team engaging us in some trivia with questions specific to our Real Colors. We then moved onto the either highly anticipated, or dreaded, 2.5-3 minute speeches o ..read more

This post was written by LDA Class of 2022-2023 Team Supper Clubbers members: Felicia Astin, Advia Credit Union; Julie Barreau, Blackhawk Technical College; Fredd Carr, Rock County 911 Center; Nick Fredrick, ANGI Energy Systems; Kerstin Hughes, Community Action Inc.; Chloe James, Diamond Assets; Ryleigh Rose, YLDA- Beloit Turner student. Eric Kuznacic of Why The Fuss? Technical Solutions talks about branding and marketingDoing the Y-M-C-A as a morning wake-up exerciseJanuary’s topic was based on Leadership, Networking and Fundraising Our session kicked off with Eric Kuznacic, owner of Why the ..read more

This post was written by LDA Class of 2022-2023 Team Local Leaders members: Jaxon Lee, Milton High School; Roy Carrasco, Janesville Police Department; Nick Varda, ANGI Energy Systems; Madysen Wade, Greater Beloit Chamber of Commerce; Ishanti Harris, NAMI; Brian Muehlenkamp, SSI Technologies; and Lindsey Baumann, Beloit Health System. Panel discussion with Oakleigh Ryan from Whiton House, Kathy Hansen from KANDU Industries, and LeAnn Jones from Beloit PoliceJanuary’s topic was based on Leadership, Networking and Fundraising This session started out with Dave Hiller speaking about leadership and ..read more

This post was written by LDA Class of 2022-2023 Team Rock Forward members: Jess Daniels, Corporate Contractors, Inc; Katarina Dries, (YLDA), Craig High School; Patrick Gasper, School District of Janesville; Kari Swirth, Irontek; Jamie Thiede, Johnson Financial Group; Lisa Tollefson, Rock County and Scot Truesdill, City of Janesville. November’s topic was based on Poverty & Diversity in Rock County This session was a roller-coaster for many of the group members. We were inspired by the many groups and organizations in Rock County doing terrific work but saddened at the same time by the dept ..read more

This post was written by LDA Class of 2022-23 Team Golden Six members Angela Butters of Mercyhealth; Will Hentschel (YLDA), Milton High School; Linda Kleven, City of Janesville Senior Center; Kayla Neumueller, Blackhawk Technical College; Jarod Schut, First National Bank & Trust Company; and Patrick Singer, Rock County IT. Touring the IronWorks campusOur Communities and the Challenges They Face Wow! To say that today was eye-opening would be an understatement. This month the LDA group had the privilege of learning more about the Beloit community, Rock County, and many of the community chal ..read more

This post is part of an occasional series focusing on Leadership Development Academy graduates and what they have done, personally and professionally, in the years following their LDA experience. Please contact us if you would like to be profiled here, or would like to recommend a graduate for us to feature. Xandi FInn (far right) and her LDA Class of 2020 collaborative project teamName Xandi Finn Year Graduated 2020 What are you doing now? II am a Project Coordinator for Janesville Mobilizing 4 Change, a substance abuse prevention agency. What did you want to be when you grew up? A CPA. I kno ..read more

This post is part of an occasional series focusing on Leadership Development Academy graduates and what they have done, personally and professionally, in the years following their LDA experience. Please contact us if you would like to be profiled here, or would like to recommend a graduate for us to feature. Name Rebecca Veium Year Graduated 2019 What are you doing now? I am the CEO of the Boys & Girls Club of Janesville. What did you want to be when you grew up? I remember being in 5th grade and deciding I wanted to be a Psychologist. I knew from little on I wanted to help people, especia ..read more

This post is part of an occasional series focusing on Leadership Development Academy graduates and what they have done, personally and professionally, in the years following their LDA experience. Please contact us if you would like to be profiled here, or would like to recommend a graduate for us to feature. Class of 2006-07Name: Mandy Bonneville Year Graduated: 2007. What are you doing now? I am still employed with the City of Janesville and currently serve as the City’s Solid Waste Supervisor. I manage the operations of Janesville’s closed and active sanitary landfills, compost facility, and ..read more

Team 5 Star Vision This post was written by LDA Class of 2020-21 Team Team 5 Star Vision members Diamond Gregory, Blackhawk Community Credit Union; Brandon Rusch, City of Janesville; Kevin Saxe, RH Batterman; Lyndsey Stocker, Herzing University; and Jeramie Mielke, Town of Beloit Fire Department. Are you aware of the severity of human trafficking in Rock County? In 2020, Rock County Law enforcement agencies dedicated 616 hours to fighting sex trafficking in Rock-County. What is human trafficking? “Human Trafficking, commonly referred to as ‘modern day slavery,’ is a global phenomenon that inv ..read more