Leadership Class of 2017 graduates

A graduation ceremony was held May 18 for the Leadership Coshocton County Class of 2017. Pictured from left are: Bambi Zinkon, Shannon Scott, Tonya Lock, Dana Owens, M.D., Leadership Executive Director Betsy Gosnell, Felicia Drummey, Tana Fischer, R.N., Debbie Ford, Nathan Dile, Mike Gottwalt, Darcy Miller, and D. Scott Frank. Josie Sellers | Beacon

COSHOCTON – Betsy Gosnell felt privileged to recognize the outstanding graduates of the adult leadership class who dedicated the past year to self improvement and devolving their leadership skills.

“This is a very special group of people,” said Gosnell, who is the executive director of Leadership Coshocton County.

The Leadership Coshocton County Class of 2017 showed a passion for Coshocton County that led them to giving the food pantry at The Salvation Army an update and taking part in community events like the Clary Gardens’ Scarecrow Trail. Many of them also joined boards of area organizations and agencies.

The group’s graduation ceremony was held May 18 at M. Event Centre and after enjoying a meal catered by Shrimplin’s attendees heard straight from the class members about their experiences.

Bambi Zinkon’s group shared that they were impressed with the presentation they heard from David Baker whom they felt represented the leadership principal model the way.

“He had vision, drive and ambition,” Zinkon said. “He was very inspiring with his stories about seeking grant money to build Local Bounty up and getting people onboard for the continued revitalization of Roscoe Village.”

Mike Gottwalt’s group also thought Baker was a good example of the model the way leadership style.

“I think he caught a lot of our attention,” Gottwalt said. “When he does something he goes all out. He reminded us that when you get involved you need to put everything you have into what you are doing.”

When it was her turn to speak, Felicia Drummey spoke about the leadership style encouraging the heart and how she felt the youth leadership class exemplified this.

“They were each given $100 to pay it forward and make someone else’s life better,” she said. “They had moving stories to share (when we met with them) about how they helped others and how they themselves were moved. You could tell this impacted the students and them sharing their stories impacted each of us.”

Bee Richard Lehner, chair of the leadership board, helped Gosnell hand out graduation certificates and gifts. Jennifer Williams Kiko, field representative for Congressman Bob Gibbs also was there to pass out special governmental recognition certificates.

“I’m proud of who you are and the community leaders you are becoming for Coshocton County,” Lehner said.

After the graduates received their items, Zinkon presented Gosnell with a special gift from the class of 2017.

“We wanted to do something special for you for being our fearless leader all year,” Zinkon said.

The Leadership Coshocton County Class of 2017 included: Nathan Dile, Drummey, Tana Fischer, R.N., Debbie Ford, D. Scott Frank, Gottwalt, Tonya Lock, Darcy Miller, Dana Owens, M.D., Shannon Scott and Zinkon.

Leadership Coshocton County is a nine month program of the Coshocton Foundation that focuses on leadership skills, community mentorship and introducing class members to the hidden treasures of Coshocton County. For more on the program, visit http://www.coshoctonfoundation.org/leadership.

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