LEONARDTOWN, Md. – October 9, 2020 – On October 1, 2020, Leadership Southern Maryland’s Class of 2021 held its first of nine program sessions to learn about economic and workforce development in the tri-county region. The program was sponsored by Calvert County Department of Economic Development, Charles County Economic Development Department, and St. Mary’s County Department of Economic Development.  Ruthy Davis LSM ’14, director of regional workforce and business development for Tri-County Council of Southern Maryland was the advocate for the session and planned the day’s events.

The day opened with a panel discussion featuring the economic development directors from Calvert, Charles, and St. Mary’s counties (Kelly Robertson-Slagle LSM’10, Darrell Brown, Chris Kaselemis).  The class then explored the topic of creating entrepreneurial communities with Wynne Briscoe, director of the Southern Region, Small Business Development Center; Hugh Burrell, director of the Velocity Center at Indian Head; and Matt Scassero LSM founding sponsor and director of the University of Maryland Unmanned Aerial Test Site.  The morning also included Ellen Flowers-Fields LSM’09, associate vice president of Continuing Education & Workforce Development, College of Southern Maryland who gave a presentation called “Getting Southern Maryland Back to Work.”

In the afternoon, the class delved into workforce development including virtual tours of The Charles County American Job Center and the JobSource Mobile Career Center.  The day concluded with Pam Wilkerson LSM’19, workforce operations manager from the Tri-County Council of Southern Maryland briefing the class on soft vs. hard skills.

At the conclusion of the program day, the class enjoyed a virtual LSM Homecoming hosted by the Leadership Southern Maryland Alumni Association.  Graduates from far and near gathered together to “meet” the newest class and discuss a month-long campaign to give back to the community.