On May 14th, approximately 50 community and family members gathered at the Cardinal Inn in Albion to celebrate the 2026 graduating class of the Boone County Development Agency’s Leadership Academy. This year, 11 individuals from across Boone County participated in a three-month cohort led by Molly Brummond, Assistant Dean for Student Development at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s College of Law.
The Academy is designed to help participants discover their leadership style through the Gallup Strengths assessment, gain tools for communicating effectively, and begin considering how they can apply all they learned to their work environment and volunteer activities. This year, members of area charitable organizations were invited to the graduation to meet with and learn more about the graduates to support the need for additional volunteerism and leadership throughout the county.
Graduates of the 2026 Boone County Leadership Academy included: Shelby Kelley, Albion Economic Development Corporation; Sadie Sindelar, All Diesel; Bryce Molt, Jill Petsche and Eric Beckman, Applied Connective; Juliann Scholl, PHD, Freelance Writer; Marcos Flores, Eduardo De Matos Martinelli and Tiffani Stegemann, Niewohner Farms; Nena Rutten, Boone County Health Center; and Nick Schwager, Cedar Rapids State Bank. In addition to the curriculum and collaborative learning, each also received a copy of the book “Dare to Lead,” by Brene Brown and professional headshots taken by Alida’s Picture Pages.
The Boone County Leadership Academy was established to help encourage more people to take on leadership roles across the county, both at the municipal and philanthropic levels. The Boone County Leadership Academy is one of many programs funded by BCDA. Learn more about BCDA and all of the organization’s programs at https://boone-county.org/.
Group Photo:
Back row, l-to-r: Eduardo De Matos Martinelli, Juliann Scholl, Tiffany Stegemann, Shelby Kelly, Eric Beckman and Bryce Molt.
Front row, l-to-r: Nick Schwager, Jill Petsche, Nena Rutten, Sadie Sindelar and Marcos Flores.
