Rome Reporter

With an internal mission to cultivate future leaders within the utility and community, while fostering diversity and inclusion at every level of the organization, the HCWA established a Leadership Academy and graduated its first class at the end of this past year.

The first HCWA Leadership Academy had six graduates from different departments
throughout the organization. That inaugural class consisted of Waymon Cody, Travis Jackson,
Matt Jenkins, Nikeva Silverton, Chris Walker, and John Wilson. This year, the HCWA
Leadership Academy 2023 class has doubled, with 12 Authority employees taking part in the
program.

During the year, the Leadership Academy class spends one day each month in a
different HCWA department learning how everyone in that department operates. That
experience includes a “Lunch & Leadership” session where participants hear from guest
speakers about various leadership topics. The Leadership Academy schedule runs from
January through October, with a graduation held at the end of the year.
HCWA staff taking part in the Leadership Academy are nominated by their respective
Division Managers, and then the Authority’s Effective Utility Management (EUM) Employee
Leadership and Development Committee votes to select the top applicants to participate. In
addition to reviewing nominees from Division Managers, the Committee also considers those
who self-nominate.

The 2023 HCWA Leadership Academy participants include Hunter Parker, Adam Waits,
Adam Barham, Michael Bell, Beverly Smith, Michael Dodson, Akilah Herring, Keith Hyde,
Sherell Washington, Zach Knudsen, Brandon Dubbs, and Brenda MacDonald. 

Original source can be found here.