The Chamber of Catawba County welcomed the 2022-23 Leadership Catawba cohort last Thursday, August 11, at Catawba Country Club in Newton.
A welcome and overview of the program and expectations were outlined by Kim Dahlsten, Director of Leadership Catawba & Vice President of Operations, followed by remarks from Lori Alala, Partner at Broome Associates, a Legacy Insurance Partner and 2022 Chair, The Chamber Board of Directors.
Each participant had the opportunity to share three items with the class and provide a brief introduction about themselves. From knick knacks to family relics, to hard hats, and photo albums, the three items showcased were as diverse as our participants. 
Following introductions, participants heard from Dr. Garrett Hinshaw, President, of Catawba Valley Community College. He spoke about leadership and his own personal journey then entertained questions from the cohort.
They day concluded with six roundtable rotating discussions amongst the cohort, so that each participant had the opportunity to meet and speak with everyone in their cohort. See all our orientation photos here.
The following day, Leadership Catawba participants attended Retreat at Treetop Adventures Lake Hickory. Participants were guided through various team building exercises and physical activities, led by Pastor John Steigerwald and Treetops staff. Participants learned how to work together and in small teams and partnerships to complete mini challenges. 
Following lunch, participants geared up for a series of three ropes course, which took approximately two hours for most to complete.
Leadership Catawba, the longest running program at the Chamber of Catawba County, has educated and equipped hundreds of Catawba County residents with information about the social, economic, and political dynamics of our community.
Over the next 8 months, participants will be immersed in community issues and challenges that our organization positions ourselves to directly address in the areas of Reinventing Community, Telling our Story, Serving our Community, Building for Jobs, Work Force Connectivity, and Small Business and Entrepreneurship. The program will challenge each of these participants to be an effective and influential leader within our great community through personal commitment and involvement.
2022-23 Leadership Catawba class:
Alison Alexander, Catawba County
Louise Atkinson, Cintas Corporatin
Anne Bogen, Carolina Caring Foundation, Inc.
Timothy “Darren” Chewning, Conover Fire Department
Jennifer Cline, US Conec, Ltd.
Porscha Corpening, First Horizon Bank
Todd Cutter, Lenoir-Rhyne University
Chrystal Dieter, Hickory Metro Convention Center & Visitors Bureau
Jeffrey Eudy, Catawba Valley Health System
Roseann Flowers, Hickory Real Estate Group
Ashley Grindstaff, NC School of Science and Mathematics-Morganton
Seth Jarrett, Realty Executives of Hickory & Lake Norman
Ashley Jones, Abernethy Laurels
Brandon Killian, Davidson, Holland, Whitesell & Co., PLLC, CPAs
Lala Kozischek, YMCA of Catawba Valley
Michael McCourt, Atriax PLLC
Amy McGhinnis, Martin Starnes & Associates CPAs, PA
Tina McGillvary, North Carolina Cooperative Extension, Catawba County
Jonathan McGinnis, HSM Solutions
Morgan McNeil, Young, Morphis, Bach & Taylor, LLP
Ann Metz, Frye Regional Medical Center
Lori Miller, Hickory Police Department
Emily Mitchell, Hickory Crawdads Baseball, Inc.
Antaijah Monroe, WestRock
Sharon (Sherry) Morgan, Hickory Parks, Recreation & Sports Tourism
Vu Nguyen, Republic Services
Amy Ogle, Hickory Downtown Development Association
Kelsey Pfaff, Century Furniture
Kimberly Propst, Catawba Valley Community College
Alexandria Scarborough, Catawba County Partnership for Children
Kaitlin Sigmon, Manufacturing Solutions Center at CVCC
Todd Watson, Just Dump It – Dumpster Rentals and Junk Removal
Adam Wehunt, Vanguard Furniture, Inc.
Kelsey Williams, Safe Harbor
Ben Willis, Western Piedmont Council of Governments
Mary Yount, City of Newton
2022-23 Leadership Catawba Sponsors:
To learn more about Leadership Catawba, click here.
