Twelve Harford Leadership Academy grads will display their talents as performing artists in a competition fundraiser Tuesday, Nov. 15, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Chesapeake Theater at Harford Community College.
The performers will compete for Judges' Choice, Audience Favorite and Best in Show. Three area community leaders - James LaCalle, Duke Thompson (Maryland Conservatory of Music) and Vanessa Milio (Harford County Chamber of Commerce) – will be judges. The master of ceremonies will be Eric E. McLaughlin, a founding partner of Shaffer, McLauchlin & Stover, LLC. Tickets to the event are open to the public and are $20. To purchase tickets, call the HCC Ticket Box Office at 443-412-2211.
All proceeds from the event will support Winds of Leadership, Inc. which is the 501(c ) 3 philanthropic arm of the Harford Leadership Academy. WINDS has designed a monument to honor leadership that will be placed in the plaza outside of the college's Chesapeake Center. This monument will be a visual symbol to the community that leadership matters and the future depends on a strong network of leaders to solve the most pressing issues of each generation. The location is set in the plaza, but the funds to build the statue still need to be raised.
A group of graduates of the class of 1999 of the Harford Leadership Academy have organized the "Leaders Have Talent "event to help raise money to build the monument. The team — led by Marlene Lieb (Harford Community College), Claudia Holman (APGFCU), Terri Schell (Harford County Public Library), Kurt Sudbrink (John Carroll School), Steph Hau, (Chesapeake Environmental Management) and County Councilman Chad Schrodes — has worked over the past eight months to develop the program and host it.
Performers will include the following: Bill Fritz (PNC Bank), Josh C. Nelson (Chesapeake Environmental Management), Shane Grimm (Harford County Government), Suzanne Green (YMCA), Joe Ricci (Susquehanna Workforce Network), Michael G. Hiob (Harford County Government), Felicia Roach (CULTIVATE), Jennifer M. Jones (State of Maryland), Annie Pagura (HCC), Tamara Zavisian (Community Foundation of Harford County), Kurt Sudbrink (John Carroll School) and Eyvo Johnson (HCC).
Many companies have sponsored the event. Bob Hope level sponsors include: Aberdeen Proving Ground Federal Credit Union, Chesapeake Environmental Management, Inc., and SURVICE Engineering Company. Oprah Winfrey level sponsors: Boyle Buick/GMC Truck and Clark Turner Signature Homes. Bono level sponsors include: Freedom Federal Credit Union, Friends of Billy Boniface, Harford County Councilman Chad Shrodes, Harford County Chamber of Commerce, Habitat for Humanity - Susquehanna, Johnson & Johnson, lkk consulting services, Robinson & Robinson, LLC; Slavie Federal Savings Bank, and John Carroll School.
Tickets can be purchased by calling 443-371-2211. Questions about the event should be directed to Sudbrink at 410-652-3143.