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Program designed to connect current and emerging leaders with community

Applications are officially open for those interested in participating in the 2023-2024 Coffee County Leadership class through August 15.

Operated jointly by the Manchester Area Chamber of Commerce and the Tullahoma Area Chamber of Commerce, the personal development program is designed to connect current and emerging leaders with their community.

“You get to see the inner workings of government, education, business, industry, tourism and on and on,” Manchester Chamber Director Katy Riddle said.

The program is operated somewhat like a school year, kicking off with a class retreat Sept. 22 followed by a program day once each month through June 2024.

Riddle said each program day is centered around a theme, such as Local Government Day in October.

“We visit Tullahoma City Hall, we visit Manchester City Hall, we visit the Coffee County Government and on that day we also visit the courts,” she said.

The program also features an “Industry Day,” which highlights area businesses.

“We hear from the Industrial Board about their role and how they recruit industry and then we also take some tours,” Riddle said. “We have toured Batesville Casket Co., we have toured Kirchhoff Automotive and CFC Recycling.”

In addition to the monthly field trips, those participating in the Leadership program are also able to earn points for items by doing certain tasks related to the program such as attending a local government meeting or walking along the greenway.

Riddle said the average class size for Coffee County Leadership is about 20 people. The only requirement is that participants live or work within Coffee County.

“For the most part, it is people in the education, or business or government communities,” she said. “We have had a couple people from the Tullahoma Police Department, we have had the director of schools, we have had our Industrial Board executive director.”

“You just have to be willing to give up that one day a month, the cost is $400 and that goes towards transportation, that includes meals every program day and other course materials,” Riddle added.

Riddle said she believes the Coffee County Leadership program is beneficial because it helps introduce area residents to the inner workings of the Manchester Coffee County community.

“I also think it helps you understand the big picture of your community because we all play a small role in hopefully making this place a little better than how we found it, but this strengthens that,” she said. “It also introduces you to the nonprofit community here.”