The Capacity Lab is excited to share is that we have again partnered with Ally Co, a local consultancy organization, to launch two local leadership cohorts to develop, connect and grow the nonprofit leadership pipeline in our community. 

The leadership cohort is a 6-month biweekly coaching journey led by Beth Oakes, a seasoned nonprofit director with over 25 years of experience in leading local nonprofit organizations of sizable impact. This is the second year that The Capacity Lab has invested in nonprofit leaders to participate in the program. 

This year, concurrent cohorts have launched in both ends of Chautauqua County. They will meet independently for several sessions and together as one unified group for others, providing opportunities for both hyper-local learning, as well as countywide networking and collaboration.

The Local Leadership Cohort model has proven important for several reasons.

First, it combines theory with practice. All of the information shared at the table is then put into practice, and recycled again at the table in the following session to work through the sticky points of application in each individual’s context as a group. This makes retention much more likely and makes the knowledge “live” in real-time in each participant’s setting of leadership. 

2024-2025 Chautauqua County Core Cohort: Anna Gassman, Chautauqua Striders; Emily Morse, Chautauqua Hospice & Palliative Care; Emily Drew, Jamestown Community College; Michael Nordin, Mental Health Association; Valerie Johnson, Chautauqua Adult Day Services; Nick Weith, Jamestown Public Market and Ellie Shriver, Family Service of the Chautauqua Region. Emily Spielman, Child Advocacy Program; Alicia Ekstrom, The Waterfront Foundation; Reuben Hernandez, Chautauqua County Land Bank; Julie Putcher, Ahira Hall Memorial Library; Bridget Majka, Chautauqua County Rural Ministry and Jamie Probst, Chautauqua Hospice & Palliative Care

Second, it embraces horizontal learning. The coach is the guide, but participants learn as much from each other as they do from the coach. Peer learning is stimulated, and abundant opportunity is given to exploration of collaboration and partnership between agencies. 

Finally, it is contextualized learning. Participants don’t have to travel or jump on Zoom to connect with people from a distance, they are able to sit across the table from them, consistently over 6 months, to flesh through the particulars of the strengths and weaknesses of leadership in their specific communities. Context is everything, as they say, “Content might be queen, but engagement will always be king.”

Last year, 10 leaders participated and graduated from the program. They included: Zachary Agett of Chautauqua Hospice and Palliative Care, Carey Lee of Family Services of the Chautauqua Region, Erika Maberry of Chautauqua Striders, Hillary Meyer of the Reg Lenna Center for the Arts, Alisha Perry of Prevention Works, Cherie Rowland of St. Susan Center, Amanda Telford of Jamestown Community Learning Council, Jessica McKeever of Arise Chautauqua, Daryl Simon of Sukanya Burman Dance, and Kellie Roberts of the Chautauqua County Humane Society. 

At this time the Local Leadership Cohort is one of three coaching cohorts The Capacity Lab is investing in to grow the nonprofit leadership talent pipeline in Chautauqua County. The other cohort opportunities, facilitated by the Institute for Nonprofit Practice (INP), include the national RISE Program designed for early career leaders and the regional Core Certificate Program for established nonprofit leaders. For more information on either of the INP cohort programs read our previous blog post here.

Recruitment for any of the coaching cohort programs is ongoing. Contact The Capacity Lab at info@thecapacitylab.org for more information about each, including a timeline and application process.

Also, make sure to connect with us on social media, Facebook and LinkedIn, for more updates on this cohort and others!