Courtesy of Capital Region Chamber
By Rod Bacon
People who are successful in business have a deep understanding of the dynamics of the communities in which they live and work, and they support them to the best of their ability.
To ensure that their members have the best chance to achieve these goals, the Capital Region Chamber offers Leadership Capital Region, a program designed to provide participants with all the information necessary to fully understand the needs and goals of their communities and offer strategies to successfully attain them.
“It’s an extremely impactful experience for the participants who go through it and for the non-profit that is the beneficiary of the class project,” said Sami Gowen, director of talent development, who administers the program.
Since its advent in 1987 over 1,500 business people from the eight counties the chamber serves have gone through the program. Many graduates have gone on to serve on the boards of directors of area companies or moved into management positions within their own firms.
The program begins with a two-day overnight retreat in early fall. Eight subsequent sessions are held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the first or second Friday of each month from October through May, followed by a graduation ceremony in June.
Currently, the overnight retreat is held at The Lodge at Schroon Lake, a historic venue owned and restored by Sonny and Julie Bonacio, Andrea Crisafulli, and Alan Ayers.
Each of the eight sessions has a different theme that covers an important issue in the Capital Region. According to Gowen, the first session is devoted to economic development to “set the landscape of where our region is and where we are looking to grow.” Subsequent meetings address the non-profit community, workforce development, education, arts and culture, diversity-equity-inclusion, and community health, among others. Last year over the course of the program participants heard from over 100 different presenters, guest speakers, keynote speakers, panelists, and breakout discussion facilitators.
“We’re giving them access to individuals they might not have access to otherwise,” she said.
Participation at the retreat, which is scheduled this year for September 24-25, is mandatory, as is the full-day closing session. Two emergency absences from the monthly sessions are permitted. Registration for this group, which is the Class of 2026, is closed. Registration for the Class of 2027 opens in March 2026.
Costs to participate are $2,600 for small, community-based chamber-member non-profits and self-employed individuals; $3,200 for chamber members; and $3,700 for non-members.
Scholarships to defray these costs are available from two sources. The Alumni Committee, which hosts happy hours after each session to maintain connections with class members, holds raffles to help fund the scholarships. Their goal is to raise $2,000 over the course of the year. The chamber matches that amount.
This year 45 of the 58 community members who applied were accepted into the program. Only four requested financial help.
In addition to the eight day-long sessions, the program includes what Gowen describes as “experientials.” Participants are required to attend seven of these outside of class time. The idea, Gowen said, is to provide a “deep dive” into the workings of the venue they visit.
One of the more exciting ones, in her opinion, was a trip to GlobalFoundries, where they were given a tour guided by Pradip Singh, the chief manufacturing officer at the facility.
“It’s not every day that the public gets to put on the ‘bunny’ suits and tour the chip fab,” she said.
Each year they visit the 109th Airlift Wing of the New York Air National Guard where they tour an LC-130 that transports personnel to the Antarctic for Operation Deep Freeze.
“Prior to Covid they used to take us for a flight,” Gowen said. “We haven’t been able to get that back on the table yet but I’m working on it.”
Gowen tries to match the experientials with the topic being discussed at that week’s session. For example, if the group is exploring non-profits the trip will be to an area non-profit organization where they will meet with the executive director and learn about the challenges facing the organization.
She noted that she has scheduled 50 experientials this year so there is plenty of opportunity to get information from area business people.
Each class is required to complete a service project designed to have a lasting impact on the area in which it is located. This year’s project is a complete renewal of the Trinity Alliance of the Capital Region’s community gardens in Arbor Hill. Class members will clear land, pour soil, assemble beds, and plant vegetables in 15 gardens that will make healthy food available to underserved residents of Albany. They also have a goal of raising $25,000 in community support.
According to Pete Bardunias, the Capital Region Chamber’s senior vice president of community advancement and representative of The Chamber of Southern Saratoga County, an affiliate of that chamber, the leadership program is a way to help businesspeople understand more about the fabric of the region, both as employees and leaders of their companies.
“It makes a difference when they are more grounded in what the big picture is throughout the region,” he said. “It makes them better community citizens.”
Mark Egan, president and CEO of the Capital Region Chamber, echoed this sentiment.
““We can’t take community leadership for granted,” he said. “We started this hands-on community immersion program in 1987 to help ensure a strong pipeline of informed and engaged citizens to work to help our Capital Region communities be the best we can be. To date, the program has graduated more then 1,500 area residents from diverse backgrounds and diverse industries from throughout the region who are engaged in helping us build a better community.”
For more information about Leadership Capital Region go to capitalregionchamber.com, click on Business Resources, then Education and Training, then Leadership Capital Region.