Why do we need a leadership academy in the Midcoast Region?
The Midcoast is a unique region rich with spirit, creativity and tradition. We, as a community, need to nourish its promise. The people of the Midcoast will benefit from efforts to further develop the skills of existing and emerging leaders with the capacity to positively impact the growth of Midcoast communities.
20 individuals from Knox and Waldo Counties will be selected to participate in our community-based leadership initiative. The program will pair emerging leaders with established community leaders to sharpen current skills, to build new ones and to form the relationships necessary to develop the essential networking skills that directly contribute to community development.
MLA started in 2006 and is run through the University of Maine’s Hutchinson Center in Belfast. Modeled after successful community leadership programs which are held through out the country, MLA was created as an initiative by a group of regional and statewide leaders led by Jim Patterson, Hutchinson Center Founding Director;state representative Chris Rector; and Cheryl Miller, Senior Program Officer of Maine Development Foundation.
Now entering its fourth year, MLA brings together a dynamic group of Midcoast leaders – both existing and emerging – to participate in a program that expands their knowledge of issues affecting our region, helps to further develop and refine their leadership skills, and builds an effective network of citizen leaders throughout Knox and Waldo Counties.
Central to the founding of the program is the belief that the Midcoast is a unique region, rich with spirit, creativity, and tradition. MLA’s mission is to positively impact the economic and cultural quality of life in the Midcoast by enhancing the professional and personal development of its existing and emerging community leaders. As Jim Patterson stated early in its inception, “MLA is an idea whose time has come. There is momentum,energy, and capacity in Knox and Waldo counties to create the synergy we need to shape our collective tomorrows.”
The attached files below include the 2011 Draft Schedule, the Application for class 4, the applicant information brochure and the List of Alumni from the Midcoast Leadership Academy.
Midcoast Leadership Academy 2007
 Application to Class 4 | [Application to the current class for the MLA.] | 30 Kb |
| MLA Alumni list | [ ] | 38 Kb |
| MLA Applicant information | [Informational brochure for the MLA 4 class] | 120 Kb |
