LPBC's Leadership Grow Plants the Seeds for the Leaders of Tomorrow 

Empowering youth in their junior year of high school, Leadership Grow, a branch off of Leadership Palm Beach County (LPBC), is a free program made possible by alumni, partners and sponsors that focuses on opening young minds to the critical issues facing Palm Beach County and supporting these selected students to take on leadership roles. Students through this program learn about different industries in Palm Beach and are provided the opportunity to build a foundation of involvement in their community.

Coming up on 20 years of the program, CEO of Leadership Palm Beach County and Executive Director of the Leadership Grow program, Lori Nocito has brought together a team of Leadership Palm Beach County alumni to provide students with a nine-month experience where high school juniors have access to leaders from businesses, government agencies and civic organizations. “It is very rewarding to see the students interact with each other, meet community leaders and explore career opportunities,” says Nocito, who adds that Palm Beach County Board of Governors put this program together with the intent to provide local youth with the opportunity to work with adult leaders in the community through day-long programs at no cost to the students. “Grow offers an in-depth curriculum that acquaints participants with community needs, opportunities, challenges and resources as well as career opportunities,” says Nocito.

LPBC is a nonprofit organization that has been around since 1983, bringing together leaders from the public, private and nonprofit sectors to create a vibrant, interconnected community. Leadership Grow is modeled after their flagship program, Leadership Engage.

Programs Manager Heidi Reever says that what is most unique about the Leadership Grow program is that students are opened up to various industries in the county and therefore learn about careers they may want to pursue that they were never aware of prior to this program. “They also get to know students from other schools around the county who they would normally never meet,” adds Reever.

Students also develop necessary skills through Leadership Grow that include public speaking and resume-writing to prepare them for future education and employment.

Some experiences students obtain through program session days is insight into the studios of Channel 25, the kitchen of The Breakers hotel, the Kennedy bunker and airboats in Grassy Waters Preserve. Leadership Grow classes meet one day a month for the session days. “Former students have often come back to us to express gratitude for the overall experience of being in this program,” explains Reever. She adds that within this program students are encouraged to network with speakers who present at their monthly sessions and these connections can often lead students to obtaining summer internships.

Students who are selected for the program are also qualified to apply for Leadership Grow scholarships. In 2022, the program gave out $16,000 in scholarships to students upon high school graduation and enrollment in any post-secondary education program including vocational/technical training and two-year or four-year college programs.

In the history of the program, Leadership Grow has awarded a total of $162,000 in scholarships.

Students are selected for Leadership Grow through their school’s nomination in the spring of their sophomore year. Schools with current sophomore classes of more than 100 students are allowed to nominate two students, with one alternate. Schools with current sophomore classes of less than 100 can only nominate one student, with one alternate. Leadership Grow accepts a total of 50 high school juniors and fills the program on a first come, first serve basis. Students who are interested in being nominated for the program are recommended to contact their school principal to find out the faculty member who is responsible for nominating students for Leadership Grow.

Reever says that the most fulfilling aspect for her in helping to run this program is seeing the students expand their understanding of the county and the various industries in it. “I also enjoy seeing the new relationships that form between the students,” she adds.

Leadership Grow is also looking to expand by adding leadership skills training for the students that will include conflict resolution and consensus building.

Nocito and Reever would also like to acknowledge one of their community partners MV Transit. “Since most of our monthly sessions begin and end in the eastern part of the county, transportation can be an issue for students living in the western communities since it’s a distance away,” explains Reever. “For the past couple of years, MV Transit has provided free transportation for the students in our program who live in our western communities, and we are very grateful to them.”

For more information about Leadership Grow and LPBC, call 561-833-4320 or visit leadershippbc.org.