Cheyenne County Chamber graduates 2023 Leadership Class

SIDNEY -- The Cheyenne County Chamber of Commerce graduated its 2023 Leadership Class this afternoon.

The leadership class is a 10-month course that helps community leaders become stronger leaders, and teaches participants about the community's history, infrastructure and assets.

Emily Thomas, facilitator of the program, is also a graduate of an earlier course.

"I actually took the class several years ago when I was coming on to the Chamber. The program has been in place for several years. I've been part of it for the last five. But I know there was probably 10 years before that," Thomas said.

Each class is assigned a community project. This year's project focused on youth and outdoor activities. Kyle Long explained the program and what the 2023 class chose a project.

"The class project was to coordinate a hunter safety class for the Cheyenne County youth residents and to provide them with a lifetime hunting permit for successful completion of the class. The purpose of that was to encourage youth to get out and enjoy the outdoors and learn a new skill and promote safe and responsible hunting," Long said.

Thomas said the program is designed to equip existing leaders to be better at what they do, and benefit the community while doing it.

"The purpose of the program is really just to take leadership that is already within Cheyenne County and to enhance their skills and then to go out into the community and use those skills to better themselves and the community," Thomas said.

To learn more about Cheyenne County Leadership classes, contact Thomas at [email protected], or Toshia Jones at the Cheyenne County Chamber of Commerce.