History

More than three decades ago a man from Coshocton took a chance and began to think outside the box. Community steward and local philanthropist, Robert Thomas, envisioned a program that would identify, train, and motivate citizens to accept volunteer leadership roles within the community. In August 1990, after months of discussions and planning, the permanent trustees of the Coshocton Foundation approved support for the Leadership Coshocton County Program.

Bob Thomas, along with Project Chairman Bruce Wallace and Jim Elliott, the first Executive Director, met with other communities:  Newark; Zanesville; and Marietta to get ideas on how to establish what our community now knows as Leadership Coshocton County. A Steering Committee of 12 individuals, ready and willing to accept the challenge, was also assembled to oversee the operations of the program. Over 50 applications were received, all serious and worthy of consideration, to become members of the Charter Class and only 20 were chosen.

Volunteer director Elliott was at the helm for the first three years. Christine Cugliari, 1993 graduate, then assumed responsibility as the Executive Director, followed by Lena Crouso, a 1999 graduate.  Cindy Byers, a 2000 graduate, became the fourth Executive Director and Donna Meyers, a 2001 graduate, became the fifth Executive Director. The current Executive Director is Betsy Gosnell, and while not a graduate of  Leadership Coshocton, brings with her a passion for the community and a background in managing civic leadership programs.

Since the first class graduated in 1992, each Leadership Coshocton County class has enrolled a diverse group of civic-minded community members. The members of each class work together to broaden their leadership skills and community awareness. The year begins with an Opening Retreat led by a facilitator. The purpose of the retreat is to create a comfort level between members and begin the process of forming cohesiveness within the class;  solidify an understanding of the goals and purpose of the program; and develop an understanding of their unique personality and communication styles to gain insight on how these compliment one another; their leadership style and how best to work with others.

To date, more than 500 alumni of Leadership Coshocton County have, in fact, risen to the challenge to think outside the box, all to improve the quality of life in Coshocton County. This can be summarized best by a quote Bob Thomas loved to use from Andrew Carnegie, “The best means of benefiting a community is to place within reach the ladders upon which the aspiring can rise.”