Leadership Howard County Aims to Keep the Community 'Remarkable'

Tim Payne, President/CEO of Leadership Howard County, recently told Columbia-Patuxent Rotarians how the nonprofit is working to see that Howard County remains a remarkable to live and work.

Payne said that in its 39-year history, Leadership Howard County has produced over 1,600 graduates. “If you use the average rate for volunteer engagement over the course of our history, more than $202.8 million of community investment has happened through the graduates of our program,” Tim said. Strategic projects done for partner organizations in the community are valued at almost $500,000. While these numbers are impressive, Leadership’s next step is to show how the community is different in terms of outcomes and changes.

Leadership’s core programs include: (1) Leadership Premier (Flagship Program) for those who have successful careers and “are looking for ways to connect across their peer groups to create change.” (2) Leadership U (Youth Program) where “we bring high school students together from every school, every community in Howard County, help them learn more about what's happening here, and help them see ways in which they can be part of shaping the future.” (3) Leadership Essentials (Early Career Program) run in collaboration with Loyola University, with emphasis on personal leadership style, strengths, and growth areas for younger professionals.

Tim said Leadership is launching a strategic planning process to have stronger alumni networking and engagement, and to elevate the ways in which alumni already have impact. “The power is in our alumni. The power is in the ways in which we as a community of alumni can really come together and create change,” he explained. “Leadership is a practice and not an inherent characteristic.”

The organization aims to be a hub that brings leaders together, looks at ongoing, persistent problems in the community, and works collaboratively with others. It would like to be a sustaining force for progress.

“Leadership is about addressing those problems that don't have known solutions,” Tim concluded. “We’re helping people to think even deeper, to look below the surface, to understand what patterns or trends happen over time … Hopefully [we’re] creating space for leaders from all backgrounds and all experiences and all perspectives to find the common ground, to create common good solutions and ensure that Howard County remains remarkable.”

Columbia-Patuxent Rotary is the largest and most active of the seven Rotary clubs in Howard County. It meets at 7:30 a.m. on Fridays at JAM Eateries. Visitors are always welcome.