One of the most troubling comments I’ve heard during my involvement with Connect SI came from Frank Knott, President of ViTAL Economy, Inc. and lead consultant on the project. He correctly observed that perhaps the greatest export commodity of southern Illinois is its educated youth. Frank first said that about two years ago and, while it still holds true today, southern Illinois is finally standing up and answering that challenge with Lead SI. While we continue to hemorrhage our talented, educated, dynamic young people to more prosperous parts of the nation, good people are doing something to reverse this trend.
Lead SI is an effort to train, motivate and empower high school students from throughout southern Illinois to one day be regional leaders capable of exercising their God-given leadership talents in a collaborative manner. Lead SI is the idea of ex patriot southern Illinoisan Ron Barger, General Counsel for Archon Corporation of Dallas, Texas (the real estate division of Goldman-Sachs) and a graduate of the class of 1973 of Murphysboro High School.
After an evening discussion last year about the woes of the region with his wife, Leisa, one evening, Ron contact classmates Dennis DeRossett, publisher of the Southern Illinoisan, and Bryce Cramer, manager of Egyptian Electric Cooperative. Ron, Dennis, and Bryce aren’t your typical civic wallflowers. These guys act, and act they did on Ron’s vision for bringing our talented youth together for training at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.
In partnership with a team formed around the concept through Connect SI, the first Lead SI class of 32 high school sophomores and juniors met at SIUC for three days of leadership training, team-building, and motivation. Birds of a feather, these young leaders bonded in about 30 minutes and left the training on Friday ready to tackle the world. The first class was limited to students from high schools in the John A. Logan College district, but plans call for expansion to other community college districts in the years ahead.
One of the last activities for the young leaders was to give them the chance to voice their thoughts at the end of the training. You should have heard them. They were so appreciative of the honor of being able to attend the first Lead SI Institute. It was quite common to hear words to the effect that their horizons had expanded to other communities beyond their own. They recognized Ron Barger for his support. Ron, always passionate about the region, was deeply moved by their genuine respect and appreciation.
Kudos to the Program Committee for bringing together a solid curriculum loaded with quality speakers, motivational presentations, and opportunities to meet some of the real leaders of southern Illinois. Katie Sermersheim, Kathy Lively, and Sandy Rhoads did some supremely heavy lifting in developing an outstanding training program that was greatly appreciated by the young leaders.
Thanks also to all who contributed the money necessary to pay for three days of room-and-board, transportation, and related costs. Our goal was to raise $50,000. At this writing, $48,350 has been committed, the majority from private sector sources. That’s the good news. The challenge ahead is that as Lead SI expands to over 100 students per year, it is estimated that up to $100,000 per year will be needed. Whew!
There is an old saying that “It takes a village to raise a child.” If this region is to stop the export of our best and brightest, it will take the entire village of southern Illinois to work together to train our talented young people to stay in the region and pick up and carry the torch of collaborative leadership.
Too often we give in to the folly of the “Friday Night Lights” syndrome, the definition of community relations by the rivalries of high school athletics. Through Lead SI, a new generation of young leaders will pave the way to the day when Pinckneyville and Du Quoin, Benton and West Frankfort, and Carbondale and Marion, can all work together for regional growth and economic progress. That’s the Connect SI vision and one we must all support.
Rex Duncan is President of the Board of Directors of SICBCC, Inc.
For comments, please email Rex at rduncan@siu.edu
