Shannon R. Blevins, Class of 2008

Shannon R. Blevins 
Associate Vice Chancellor of Economic Development and Strategic Initiatives, The University of Virginia's College at Wise 
Coeburn, VA

The value of relationships! 

Skip Skinner, Class of 2008

How has your Lead Virginia experience influenced or shaped you as a leader?
Lead Virginia has provided me with a situational awareness of my home region and other regions across the state and a better understanding of how our economy interacts with the rest of the Commonwealth. This is something I always knew, but when you travel to a region and physically put your "boots on the ground", you can you fully appreciate the issues and speak directly to leaders which are being impacted.

Caryn Foster Durham, Class of 2008

Caryn Foster Durham
Chief Executive Officer /Owner, Charles Ryan Associates
Richmond, VA

How has your Lead Virginia experience influenced or shaped you as a leader?
My Lead Virginia experience helped me better define the type of leader I wanted to become. While I was a proven and established leader when entering the program, I was not an evolved leader.

Acceptance of the desire to grow beyond where I was as a leader allowed me to put a plan in place to achieve success. Further, the understanding that growth did not mean I was failing was freeing. While my evolution is not complete, I am a stronger and more empathetic leader as a result of my Lead Virginia Experience.