Leadership Greater Valley 2002

Leadership Greater Valley 2002 Program, a collaborative program of the Valley Council for Health & Human Services, Valley United Way and the Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce is complete following a graduation ceremony held on Thursday, November 14  in the newly renovated  and expanded Derby Neck Library. Twenty-seven individuals who aspire to be community leaders were involved with this year's program which provided them with a rich community experience that exposed them to all aspects of life in the Valley area.

The History of the Valley session included Jones Family Tree Farm in Shelton

The program opened on Thursday, September 12 with a brief orientation at the Kellogg Environmental Center in Derby before the participants headed out by bus for a hands on history lesson as they toured the Valley following much of the route of the Valley Heritage Driving Tour. Rob Novak, Director of the Derby Historical Society, served as guide for the tour. They traveled through Derby, Shelton, Ansonia, Seymour and Oxford and made stops at Pumpkinseed Hill on the Jones Family Tree Farm in Shelton and Rich's Dairy Farm in Oxford. A box lunch was provided for the bus trip with dessert being part of the stop at Rich's dairy Farm in Oxford.

Does it get any better than this - fresh ice cream and fresh corn in the background!

This year's program consisted of seven sessions on consecutive Thursdays with topics that included:

• History of the Valley

• Diversity

• Qualities of Leadership

• Economic Development and the Region

• Government, Education and Public Services

• Health and Human Services

• Arts & Media in the Valley

This program is partially funded through a grant from the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven.