by Curtis Wright, Class of 2007, President

This was a special year: our 20th Anniversary of Preparing Community Leaders.

In all the important ways, the year was much like those preceding it. The class was engaged and inspired. Our all-volunteer board, committees, day facilitation teams, and guest speakers continued to improve our program and strengthen our organization. We remain fiscally sound, and solidly positioned for the future.

This being our twentieth year, we did some special things to celebrate how far we’ve come, and reaffirm our commitment to promoting a dynamic, empowered community by preparing citizens for active participation and leadership.

• We introduced an updated logo (above), designed by Jeff Jimerson, Class of 2013. A clean and contemporary look, yet maintaining the symbolism readily recognizable as “Leadership Corvallis.”
• Todd Washington, Class of 2005, organized our anniversary year kickoff: “Leadership Corvallis Night at The Corvallis Knights,” a party for alumni, held on July 9, 2012. At the kickoff party, we introduced LC caps and LC tote bags for alumni.The LC tote bags were also given as thank you gifts to our class guest speakers, throughout this anniversary year.
• LC alumni participated in two anniversary year community service events: the United Way Day of Caring on September 21, 2012, and the Ag Expo Days on October 9-11, 2012.
• “Leadership Corvallis @20,” a retrospective written by Theresa Novak, Class of 2013, was included as part of the 2013 Yearbook.
• We expanded graduation to include a 20th Anniversary Gala on June 7, 2013. Coordinated by Committee Chairs Michelle Davis, Class of 2011
• Leadership Corvallis President’s Report for 2012-13, page 2 and Lacey McNeely, Class of 2010. The event was held at the Corvallis Country Club and included dining, dancing and general celebration. Alumni from most of the past 20 years were in attendance.

Download the full 2012-2013 President’s Report

Leadership Corvallis is pleased to announce its new officers, and board of directors, for 2013-14, beginning July 1:

Officers:

• President: Curtis Wright, Corvallis enthusiast
• President-Elect: Scott Jackson, Undersheriff, Benton County
• Secretary: Stacy Mellem, policy/accreditation specialist, Benton County Sheriff’s Office
• Treasurer: Kristen Gose, partner, Anderson Group CPAs, LLC

Newly elected board members:

• Class Host: Deb Rose, president, Crestwave Consulting
• Curriculum Chair: Jeff Davis, regional director for LBCC, Benton Center
• Vision Chair: Roger Lizut, community volunteer
• Alumni Chair: Elizabeth Westland, owner, Van Buren Court Building
• PR Chair: Rebecca Badger, marketing manager, Oregon State University
• Graduation Chair: Carole Hobrock, director of sales, Corvallis Country Club
• Community Service Projects Chair: Lisa Schubert, assistant director, OSU Residential Conferences & Catering
• At Large: David Hamby, professor, Nuclear Engineering, Oregon State University

Continuing board members:

• At Large: Kavinda Arthenayake, director, OSU Conference Services
• At Large: Todd Washington, owner, CPR Works

Members of the Leadership Corvallis class of 2013 have completed a 10-month program focused on leadership and volunteer opportunities in the Corvallis area. Their introduction to the people and places that impact our community was designed to encourage participation on boards of non-profits, local government committees, volunteer task forces and other areas where citizen involvement can make a difference.

Throughout the year, Leadership Corvallis participants visited dozens of venues in Corvallis and Benton County and heard from leaders in the fields of education, government, health care, economic vitality, land-use planning and human services, to name just a few. The following graduates were honored at a dinner and celebration on June 7:

Marlys Amundson, OSU Foundation
Joseph Bailey, Linn-Benton Community College
Emily Bowling, Oregon State University
Kaci Buhl, Oregon State University
Brad Canfield, Samaritan Health Services
Dani Davis, Anderson Group CPAs, LLC
Catherine Fisher, Town & Country Realty
Wendell Henershott, Grace Lutheran Church
Janelle Iverson, Samaritan Health Services
Jeff Jimerson, Madison Ave. Collective
Bre Kerkvliet, Corvallis Knights
Jim Luebke, Linn County Sheriff’s Office
Selina Marshall, Citizens Bank
Alexis McQuillan, Wilson Elementary School PTA Board
Heather Morrison, Benco
Theresa Novak, Corvallis Gazette-Times
Nicole Real, Oregon State University
Greg Ridler, Benton County Sheriff’s Office
Laura Shields, Oregon State University
Kathryn Stroppel, Oregon State University
Carol Patten Triebes, Bikram Yoga of Corvallis
Erin Wiedeman
Patrick Wylie, The Corvallis Clinic

Ricardo (Rick) DeBellis, student services manager at Oregon State University, has been honored by Leadership Corvallis as the 10th Hans Neukomm Award winner.

A 2007 graduate of Leadership Corvallis, DeBellis is well known for volunteer work. He has served in various capacities with the Downtown Corvallis Association (2002 to 2007), Leadership Corvallis (2008 to 2011), the Center Against Rape and Domestic Violence (2004 to present), the OSU Motorcycle Visibility Day Planning Committee (2006 to present) and the Doc Wong Motorcycle Clinics of Albany and Eugene (2011 to present).

“He is a creative problem solver and crushes town versus gown barriers everywhere he goes,” said 2012 Hans Neukomm award winner Ben Danley, who nominated DeBellis. “Rick, like Hans and the previous Hans Neukomm Award recipients, is a great example of what can be done by someone who cares to get involved in their community.”

Established in 2004, the Hans Neukomm Award is named for the founder of Leadership Corvallis. Neukomm, who passed away in 2011, envisioned Leadership Corvallis as a way to give participants a better understanding of how our community functions so they can be more effective in the workplace and community.

The award is given each year to a past class member who has made a significant impact through service to the community. In addition to DeBellis, prior recipients include: Julie Manning, the late Scott Zimbrick, Pete Bober, Susan Poole, Biff Traber, Penny York, Kavinda Arthenayake, David Hamby and Ben Danley.

Ben Danley, the director of marketing for the Oregon State University Alumni Association, has been honored by Leadership Corvallis as the ninth Hans Neukomm Award winner.

A 2002 graduate of Leadership Corvallis, Danley has been involved in the community and has been recognized for his work both as Corvallis’ 2006 Junior First Citizen and Corvallis’ Top Volunteer Under 40. Ben has served on the Community Outreach board of directors (2009-10); as a Benton County Historical Society trustee (2006-present) and vice president (2009); Rotary Club of Greater Corvallis member (2001-present), board member (2003-06, 2007-10), and secretary (2005-06); Benton County Committee for the Prevention of Child Abuse member (2000-06) and board president (2002-03); and Benton Furniture Share board member (2001-06) and president (2002-05). Danley also served on the Leadership Corvallis board of directors for six years following completion of the class, holding the positions of president and alumni chair, among others.

Established in 2004, the Hans Neukomm Award is named for the founder of Leadership Corvallis. Neukomm, who passed away in 2011, envisioned Leadership Corvallis as a way to give participants a better understanding of how our community functions so they can be more effective in the workplace and community.

The Hans Neukomm Award is given each year to a past class member who has made a significant impact through service to the community. In addition to Arthenayake, prior recipients include: Julie Manning, the late Scott Zimbrick, Pete Bober, Susan Poole, Biff Traber, Penny York, Kavinda Arthenayake and David Hamby.

“For all of his work for both Leadership Corvallis and the Corvallis community, I believe Ben Danley exemplifies the criteria of the Hans Neukomm Leadership Award,” said Leadership Corvallis Alumni Chair Michelle Davis. “He is dedicated to the pursuit of excellence and consistently exemplifies the values of philanthropy and service.”

Leadership Corvallis was created in 1992 to identify Corvallis’ and Benton County’s “best and brightest” citizens and offer a 10-month program that equips them to provide leadership within their community. An advisory board comprising community leaders helps develop topics and interacts with participants as guest speakers and session facilitators.

For more information about Leadership Corvallis, visit leadershipcorvallis.com.