Leadership York

05/29/2026

Earlier this month, we celebrated our 2026 FLY kids🎓💙

FLY Graduation is always such a meaningful day as students reflect on their experiences, share what they’ve learned through presentations and impact statements, receive their certificates, and award grant funding to local nonprofits selected throughout the year.

A special thank you to the York County Community Foundation for partnering with Leadership York to make the FLY grant process possible, and congratulations to this year’s student selected grant recipients: United Way of York County’s Ride United initiative, Crispus Attucks York’s Career Focus Institute, and STRIVE Workforce Development through Strive PA.

✨ And thank you to PennAir for serving as this year’s Program Sponsor!

Support from local businesses and community partners helps Leadership York continue providing meaningful leadership development experiences for students throughout our community.

05/28/2026

We’re excited to officially launch CONNECT: Training Leaders for Youth Success📚 Applications are now open for the inaugural Fall 2026 cohort!

CONNECT is Leadership York’s newest leadership and professional development program designed for individuals who work with and for children throughout York County, including educators, counselors, administrators, nonprofit professionals, youth serving staff, and more.

Visit our website to explore the program, hear directly from Leadership York alumni through featured testimonials, and become part of CONNECT’s first class ever.

👉 Learn more and apply today: https://www.leadershipyork.org/programs/connect

Funding for materials was provided by the York County Community Foundation.

05/27/2026

Spark is officially just one week away ✨

There’s still time to register, and we hope you’ll join us as we celebrate another successful year at Leadership York and recognize several incredible leaders and partners making an impact throughout York County!

We’ll be honoring:

🏆 Outstanding Alumnus of the Year: Natalee Gunderson
🏆 Alumni in Action: Laura O’Grady
🏆 Partner of the Year: Shadowfax Corporation

Join us next Wednesday, June 3 from 5:30 to 7:30 PM at the Crispus Attucks History & Culture Center for an evening of celebration, connection, and community.

Register here: http://weblink.donorperfect.com/Spark2026

Join us on Wednesday, June 3, at the Crispus Attucks York History & Culture Center for our signature end-of-year event and help us celebrate this year’s honorees ✨

Outstanding Alumnus of the Year: Natalee Gunderson, York County Community Foundation
Partner of the Year: Shadowfax Corporation
Alumni in Action: Laura O’Grady, United Way of York County

It’s going to be an evening full of connection, celebration, and a great way to wrap up an amazing year for Leadership York. We hope to see you there!

🎟️ Registration required: http://weblink.donorperfect.com/Spark2026

05/23/2026

Last month, Mentorship York welcomed Bob Batory for an impactful cohort session on Building High Performance Teams 🌟

Participants explored the importance of shared vision, trust, accountability, and creating an “owner mindset” within organizations.

One of the biggest takeaways from the session? Strong teams don’t happen by accident. They're built intentionally through leadership, trust, and continuous growth.

Thank you, Bob, for an engaging and meaningful session with our cohort!

And a special thank you to WellSpan Health for sponsoring this year's MY program and their continued support of Leadership York.

05/22/2026

LTP's final sessions 💙

Our session on Boardsmanship focused on nonprofit board responsibilities, effective meeting strategies, and ways to become more engaged community leaders. Thank you to Glatfelter Insurance Group for hosting and Graham Capital for sponsoring the session!

Our final session, Leadership in Action, held at RKL focused on connecting classmates with LTP alumni to hear firsthand about leadership, personal growth, and getting involved throughout York County after graduation.

These sessions encouraged participants to reflect on their own leadership journeys and think about how they can continue making an impact long after LTP.

Stay tuned for more photos and recaps from Closing Retreat and Graduation ✨

05/21/2026

Last month, our FLY students wrapped up their final full-day session💙

Hosted at York College of Pennsylvania, students spent the day reflecting on commitment, leadership, and how they plan to put what they’ve learned throughout FLY into action moving forward.

One of the most impactful parts of the day was the FLY grant process, where students reviewed 20 applications requesting more than $170,000 in funding before deciding how to allocate $20,000 through our partnership with the York County Community Foundation.

Congratulations to this year’s selected organizations:
• Crispus Attucks York – Career Focus Institute
• STRIVE Workforce Development – “It’s About Change”
• United Way of York – Ride United: Emergency Lyft Vouchers for Work Stability

The day also included graduation preparation, conversations with local school leaders over lunch, and time to reflect on just how much this group has grown over the last several months.

We’re so proud of this year’s FLY cohort and all they accomplished throughout the program 🎓 Stay tuned for more photos from graduation!

And huge thank you to PennAir for serving as this year’s Program Sponsor!

05/20/2026

Next up… Nonprofit Leadership Academy! 🎉

Over the past month, NLA participants wrapped up with sessions focused on organizational change and effectiveness.

📈 Session 6: Leading Organizational Change
Hosted at the York County SPCA, participants gained insight into leading sustainable change within organizations and explored practical elements of the change process. Thank you to Steven Martinez (EC 20, MY 22, EC 23, NLA 23, AOB 23), Executive Director of the SPCA, for sharing his leadership journey and organizational insight, and to Joan Mummert (NLA 11, BOD 2016–2022), retired President/CEO of the York County History Center, for leading a meaningful conversation on change leadership.

💡 Session 7: Leading Organizational Effectiveness
Participants gathered for a strong wrap-up session focused on the characteristics of effective organizations and the importance of planning and evaluation in nonprofit leadership. A special thank you to Amy Brillinger, Eric Chase, Jenny Englerth, and Roth Preap for sharing their experiences and participating in peer group consultation discussions.

And special thank you to Children's Aid Society Southern Pennsylvania District for hosting such a GREAT final session, and to the White Rose Leadership Institute for their continued support of NLA!

05/19/2026

After a VERY busy month for Leadership York, we’re catching up on program recaps as several of our 2025–2026 programs wrapped up for the year! 🎉

First, let’s take a look back at Executive Connections:

🌱 Session 4: Connecting to York County Culture & the Economy
Participants heard from local leaders about land conservation, agriculture, county initiatives, and York County’s business and economic climate. Thank you to Fritz Schroeder, Julie Wheeler for York County Commissioner, Scott Burford, and Silas Chamberlin for sharing your insight and expertise!

🎨 Session 5: Connecting to Arts
Participants gathered at The Grotto for an evening focused on York County’s thriving arts and culture community, featuring a walking tour and discussion led by Kelley Gibson (MY 16, NLA 19), President of The Cultural Alliance of York County.

💙 Session 6: Connecting to Community Health & Needs
For their final session, participants learned more about the challenges and opportunities impacting community health and the organizations working to meet local needs. Thank you to Jenny Englerth (EC 05, NLA 06, AOY 23) and Brian Grimm (LTP 09, MY 14, NLA 17) for leading meaningful conversations and sharing the impact of their work throughout York County.

Stay tuned for graduation photos!📸

05/18/2026

Reminder that LTP applications are open through July 1!‼️

Spots are filling quickly! If you've been wanting to be part of the , now's your chance. Apply online today using the link below👇

https://www.leadershipyork.org/

LTP Applications are LIVE!

Ready to grow as a leader and make a deeper impact in York County?

Our Leadership Training Program (LTP) is a nine-month, experiential course designed to strengthen your leadership skills, expand your network, and prepare you for board service.

📆 Applications are open now through July 1 on a first come, first serve basis
✨ New this year: online application process

👉https://www.leadershipyork.org/

05/06/2026

We’re so proud to partner with the YCCF on this meaningful opportunity for our FLY students💙

One of the most impactful parts of the FLY experience is watching students learn about community needs, philanthropy, and the power of giving back in a hands-on way. Our students take so much pride in being able to award these grants and make a direct impact across York County.

Congratulations again to this year’s grant recipients👏