Lincoln, Neb. —Members of the Nebraska Leadership Education/Action Development (LEAD) classes 39 and 40, will pause their programming and resume in the fall of 2021.
The Nebraska Agriculture Leadership Council (NALC) Board of Directors unanimously decided to postpone seminars and other programming for members who are involved in production agriculture and agribusiness for the 2020-2021 year.
“To suspend regular programming from September 2020 through August 2021 was not an easy decision, but one the board felt was in the best interests of all people involved with the program,” said Ed Woeppel NALC Board Chair.
“Our discussions centered on two major issues; the safety of participants, staff, and others involved in programming; and secondly, the quality of the program.”
Given continued uncertainties about the spread of COVID-19, the board was unable to see how programming could occur in a way that would safeguard the health of everyone involved without compromising participants' experiences.
“The foundation of the Nebraska LEAD program is not only the content, but also includes the experiences that participants have while in the program that allows them to truly develop as leaders,” said Richard Bischoff, associate vice chancellor for the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
The program is Nebraska’s premier two-year agricultural leadership development program, built over 39 years.
“While we will be pausing for this year, we will not be sitting still. We will have some new activities for the LEAD 39 fellows in order to keep them connected. We will use the year to conduct a ‘deep dive’ into all aspects of the program. We will ensure that we are providing the highest quality programming possible,” Woeppel said. “Our goal is to come back even stronger when this pandemic is behind us.”
The Nebraska LEAD Program is Nebraska’s two-year premier agricultural development program. Nebraska LEAD is sponsored by the nonprofit Nebraska Agricultural Leadership Council in cooperation with the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and 11 other institutions of higher education throughout Nebraska.
Nebraska LEAD officer are located at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
For more information, visit: lead.unl.edu