CONCORD, N.H. — ROC USA® will more than double the number of community leaders invited to an annual national leadership institute starting in 2018.
President Paul Bradley said ROC leaders who have come with ROC USA to the Community Leadership Institute sponsored by Neighbor Works® America, have for years raved about the experience.
“It’s really gratifying to see co-op leaders come together largely as strangers on a Thursday night and by Sunday morning be exchanging fond farewells or even fighting back tears as they depart for home,” Bradley said. “CLI has helped many dozens of co-op residents bond as they work together to address common concerns.”
CLI takes place in a different city each year, with recent hosts including Los Angeles, Cincinnati and Columbus. Bradley applauded NeighborWorks for consistently delivering a top-quality event despite setting up in a new city each time.
“We know ROC leaders love CLI not just because they say so, but because so many apply to come again every year,” Bradley said. “The one comment we consistently hear is that while they value meeting community leaders from other kinds of organizations, they value the time their ROC peers the most and crave more.”
That’s why, starting in 2018, ROC USA will launch its own national leadership institute exclusively for ROC leaders to take the place of CLI. Bradley, ROC USA® Network Director Mary O’Hara and National Training Manager Gary Faucher are already planning the agenda.
The new (and yet-to-be-named) training institute will follow a similar schedule to CLI, with participants arriving on Thursday for an evening reception and departing Sunday. It will take place June 7-10 at Southern New Hampshire University in Manchester.
With the move to our own event, Bradley said he expects to open up attendance to 75 to 100 ROC leaders every year — up from a current high-water mark of 48. As always, it will cost ROC leaders nothing but their time. ROC USA will cover all expenses for travel, lodging, meals etc.
“I can’t wait — NeighborWorks America has been a great host and partner for us for nine CLIs,” he said. “They’ve been encouraging us to pursue our own event and now we’re ready. It’s going to be terrific.”
Stay tuned to rocusa.org and myROCUSA.org to learn more about the new leadership institute, the application schedules, and more.