ABOUT
Our Mission
Leadership Hudson exists to empower leaders to shape a stronger, more connected Hudson.
The organization executes this mission by:
● Building a leadership resource to serve community needs
● Fostering connectivity and encouraging contributions to the community
● Empowering the people of Hudson to maximize leadership skills
How Leadership Hudson Works
Every year, a class of roughly a dozen community members are selected from a pool of applicants to participate in the nine-month Leadership Hudson program. Participants learn lessons in leadership, ethics, history, and much more from local government, school, and community organization leaders during class sessions. They also receive guided tours of civic, business, and educational facilities throughout the community and the county seat, helping class members better understand how our community operates and how local leaders make decisions.
Leadership Hudson classes are kept small in size to ensure every class member has a meaningful role and opportunities to collaborate closely with their peers and presenters. One key outcome of this collaboration is a class project (decided upon by the class members) designed to benefit the Hudson community. Class projects have included a wide range of initiatives with which you are likely familiar, whether you realize they were Leadership Hudson-created or not! You can view a list of previous Leadership Hudson class projects here.
Interested in participating in Leadership Hudson? Learn more about the program and apply for an upcoming class.
Our History
Leadership Hudson was established in 2002 as a community service project of Hudson Clocktower Rotary, chartered by Rotary International. Inspired by Rotary International’s motto of “Service Above Self,” the goal of the program has always been to help aspiring and established leaders in Hudson, Ohio better understand the needs of the community and the entities who serve them—including government, businesses, and non-profit organizations—while also honing their personal leadership skills. Participants then emerge from the Leadership Hudson program well-prepared to serve the community in volunteer-run and civic organizations.
Since its founding, the program has graduated more than 250 alumni from 20+ Leadership Hudson classes. Those alumni have gone on to serve in many elected, appointed, and volunteer positions in civic, community, and other governmental organizations.
Leadership Hudson is overseen by a volunteer Board of Directors and classes are coordinated by volunteer best it can be. In 2015, Leadership Hudson became a nonprofit public charity, allowing it to become eligible for grant funding and to serve as fiscal sponsor for class projects.