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On Thursday, March 13, Leadership Shelby County celebrated its 30th anniversary at the Alabaster Senior Center alongside the current class and old alumni. (Reporter photos/Alec Etheredge)

By NOAH WORTHAM | Managing Editor

ALABASTER – Surrounded by three decades worth of Leadership Shelby County alumni, the program’s original coordinator, Ellon Corbett, was presented with a birthday cake on Thursday, March 13 as she celebrated her 90th birthday and as LSC celebrated 30 years of forging leaders in Shelby County.

For the past three decades, Leadership Shelby County has taken key leaders from across the county and organized an annual class that lasts from each August until May and sees members develop their leadership skills.

“It is this great program that brings people from all different walks of life together, whether it’s public sector, private sector, people who are long in their career (or) some who are just emerging leaders,” said Kendall Williams, executive director of LSC.

A special celebration marking the major milestone for the leadership program was held on March 13 at the new addition to the Alabaster Senior Center in front of the city’s new amphitheater. The event brought together as many alumni from past graduating classes as possible to help celebrate the program’s achievements as well as the achievements of all involved over the three decades.

During the event, all three of Leadership Shelby County’s directors, past and present, shared their thoughts on the program.

“I consider being coordinator of Leadership Shelby County and the youth leadership program one of the greatest assets in my life because it taught me as much as it taught the individuals who came through,” said Carol Bruser, a former coordinator of LSC and the program’s second director.

Corbett shared that, at one time, every mayor in Shelby County was a graduate of Leadership Shelby County.

“I felt like all along that it was a good program and it was going to be even better,” she said.

Williams said that, in the lead-up to the 30th anniversary celebration, she received emails from old alumni who sent warm regards and greetings and expressed their appreciation for what the program did for them.

“Even if they don’t live here in Shelby County anymore, it’s still a piece of them,” Williams said.

Each year, a leadership class is formed of approximately 25-40 of the county’s leaders who are chosen by the Leadership Shelby County Selection Committee based on their own merits and information submitted on their applications. The committee attempts to represent a cross section of the entirety of Shelby County with individuals in business, labor, education, the arts, religion, government and community-based organizations.

“Every class is different and every year is different because everything changes in our county,” Bruser said.

Over the course of the nine-month program, each Leadership Shelby County class undergoes an opening retreat in order to get to know one another before proceeding forward with several informative and hands-on meetings with major community decision makers.

“(We) introduce them to things that they’re not aware of, things they can make a difference in and learn to just understand the whole workings of a county and community (and) how we all fit together,” Bruser said.

Each year at the end of the program in May, members of the class participate in a graduation ceremony that officially marks them as Leadership Shelby County Alumni.

“We always say at graduation, ‘It doesn’t stop here,’” Williams said.

With 30 years now complete, Williams looks forward to the future as the program continues to shape Shelby County’s leaders.

“Thank you for 30 great years of Shelby County and I’m so excited to see what lies ahead because of you, the alumni and our future alumni who will continue to make Shelby County the best place to live, work and raise kids,” Williams said.

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