 ...Mission The mission of LNI is to increase the awareness of issues pertinent to Northwest Indiana among a diverse group of Lake and Porter County leaders while promoting a lasting network of leaders whose skills have been enhanced through the LNI effort. ...Vision The vision of Leadership Northwest Indiana is to be the preeminent organization providing highly developed educational programs on the issues impacting Northwest Indiana while offering a nurturing environment for participants to refine their leadership skills so that they can be effective leaders in their workplaces and communities to benefit all of Northwest Indiana in addition to establishing a network of alumni advocating on behalf of LNI.. ...History  Leadership Northwest Indiana (LNI) is a non-profit organization offering a program of education, information and interaction to leaders from the business community, government entities, other non-profit organizations and social services agencies from Lake and Porter Counties. Your class continues a long line of leaders who have emerged and continued to lead our region in a variety of diverse roles. LNI, however, has over a thirty-year history dating back to 1983 under the name of Leadership Calumet (LC), inaugurated through a grant to Indiana University Northwest from Lilly Endowment Inc. The program experienced a brief hiatus in the late 80’s, then was resurrected in 1990 under the auspices of NIRPC with Ken and Janet Cypra as program advisors. Over 500 participants have graduated from the program since. The mission of LNI is to increase the awareness of issues pertinent to Northwest Indiana among a diverse group of Lake and Porter County leaders while promoting a lasting network of leaders whose knowledge of the region has been enhanced through the LNI effort. LNI is designed to expose a select group of current and emerging leaders to the issues and concerns that affect Northwest Indiana while celebrating its wealth of resources and assets. By fostering a greater understanding of the history and issues confronting Northwest Indiana, it is hoped that each graduate will take this knowledge and return to their community ready to meet these challenges armed with a network of new contacts, growth in personal leadership skills, and an enhanced knowledge of the region as a whole. Each year, a carefully selected class of men and women are chosen from varied backgrounds, representing sectors from industry and business, government, social services, healthcare, and the arts in both Lake and Porter Counties. Traditionally, the class meets once a month for the entire day from September through June with each session focused on a topical issue such as education, transportation, media/communications, social services and healthcare, government, the arts, natural resources, economic development, cultural diversity and leadership skills. Several years ago an all day visit to the Indiana State Legislature was added. One class of 18-24 individuals participated in LNI each year for its first 19 classes. In January of 2006 a second class was added to simultaneously operate along with the fall class. This move created a “winter” class which runs from February through December of the year. Recently the board voted to rename each of the classes from a year designation (class of 2004-05, class of 2005-06, etc.) and classify them by their sequential number, for example LNI23. Not only do we operate two classes, the average size of our current classes is 32 participants. In 2002, the LNI Board of Directors signed an agreement with the Institute for Innovative Leadership and its Executive Director, Keith Kirkpatrick, to share resources and office space, thus bringing the LNI Program back to its original home, Indiana University Northwest. In 2007, LNI relocated its office from IUN and contracted with the private firm of KPM Group, Inc. and Keith Kirkpatrick to continue as Executive Director overseeing the visionary, strategic direction and planning for the organization. Leadership Northwest Indiana is affiliated with a much larger network of community leadership programs throughout the country. LNI is an organizational member of The Community Leadership Association, a national organization, and the Indiana Leadership Association. The board of directors for LNI continues to participate heavily in the developmental future of the organization. It is the intent of LNI to have a major impact on the leadership capacity of Northwest Indiana through expanding programs and more extensive outreach to LNI alumni. Strategic Planning ....More to come. Tax Status ....More to come. |