Pictured are the graduates and Subject Matter Experts (class presenters), from the one-day Raising the Board class held on April 19. Seated, from left: Ginnetta Reed of T-Ross Brothers Construction and Genie Bausinger of Milton Regional Sewer Authority, Central PA Chamber Board Members; Jessica Williams, Central PA Chamber Finance & Membership Director; and Phyllis Dyer of the Union County Historical Society (UCHS). Back: Lauren McDonald of The Wealth Factory, Central PA Chamber Board Member and class presenter; Tea Jay Aikey, Central PA Chamber President & CEO; Alison Hall, Central PA Chamber Board Member; Jayme Rall, T-Ross Brothers Construction; Mike Molesevich, UCHS; Nathan Allen, Real IT Care; Todd Ross, T-Ross Brothers Construction; Tina Welch of Welch Performance Consulting and Central PA Chamber Board Member; Rob Jones of the Milton Historical Society, Central PA Chamber Board member and class presenter; Loni Briner of North Shore Railroad and class presenter; and Ryan Workman, Central PA Chamber Business & Education Coordinator and RtB Program Director. Not pictured: Christine Sperling of UCHS.
MILTON – The Central PA Chamber of Commerce conducted its premier board leadership training in a single day for the first time in the program’s four-year history.
The one-day Raising the Board (RtB) class was held Wednesday, April 19, in the Ross Room at the Central PA Chamber and added 12 new graduates of the program, bringing the total up to 57 alumni since 2019.
Traditionally, the class was held semiannually for a few hours a day over four consecutive weeks. After some polling, however, it was determined more people were willing or able to dedicate a single day to grow their skills and confidence as a board member.
“Times require change, and we did just that,” said Central PA Chamber President & CEO Tea Jay Aikey. “Our RtB program has been modified to accommodate time constraints.”
It took more than scheduling to move RtB to one day. It also required plenty of adaptations from the Chamber staff and its Subject Matter Experts to both harness and maximize the 15 topics that are introduced throughout the program.
“We have truly raised the bar on Raising the Board,” said Ryan Workman, the Central PA Chamber’s Business & Education Coordinator and RtB Program Director. “I hope our graduates leave with a sense of newfound knowledge, experience and accomplishment.”
“It was amazing,” said Tina Welch of Welch Performance Consulting, who was just recently appointed to the Central PA Chamber Board of Directors. “I’ve been on boards for years and years, and there were at least 10 to 15 things I took away from my participation today that I did not know before.
“I would recommend RtB to anyone.”
Ginnetta Reed of T-Ross Brothers Construction, who is also serving her first year as a Central PA Chamber Director, added, “Being able to participate in one day, learning how to be an active board member and understanding the ‘behind-the-scenes’ of being a board member is key to success.”
Raising the Board and the entirety of its content was developed in-house by Central PA Chamber staff and some of its members, who each have extensive boardroom knowledge and expertise on various topics in the curriculum. The 15 topics are broken down into four focus areas, called the PAAC (Practice, Act, Apply, Connect) Model.
Learn more about each topic by visiting: www.centralpachamber.com/rtb.
While RtB originated with non-profit leaders in mind, it has proven to be just as impactful for any type of board.
“Boards are essential to all aspects of an organization and businesses alike,” Aikey said. “Investing in your board is a payback that will be quickly noticed and will no doubt change your future.”
If interested in participating in a future Raising the Board class, contact Workman at 570-742-7341 or rworkman@centralpachamber.com.
The Central PA Chamber offers its appreciation to its latest participants and presenters, as well as to the Watson Inn, Watsontown, for catering lunch during the program day, and also to A+ Office Outlet, Mifflinburg, for providing the binders that hold the course materials.
