News release from the Young Leaders of Northeast Indiana:
Young leader receives scholarship
(August 10, 2011) – Young Leaders of Northeast Indiana (YLNI) board member Melissa Beber is one of 20 emerging leaders in the United States to earn a Judith O’Connor Memorial Fund Scholarship for Emerging Nonprofit Leaders. BoardSource, an organization dedicated to advancing the public good by building exceptional nonprofit boards and inspiring service, selected Beber who will participate in the 2011 BoardSource Leadership Forum, the nation’s premier nonprofit governance conference, on September 22-23 in Atlanta, GA. The BoardSource Leadership Forum is the only national conference focused on the impact of nonprofit boards and the unique role they play in advancing the public good. Every year, approximately 800 nonprofit board members, chief executives, and senior staff from around the world gather with an impressive array of experts to discuss the newest thinking and practices in nonprofit governance.
Beber is the Government Affairs Coordinator for the Greater Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce and serves as Vice President of Community Impact for YLNI. In her role with the Chamber, Beber helps educate the membership regarding some of the most important public policy decisions facing Northeast Indiana. As VP of Community Impact for YLNI, Beber is responsible for overseeing programs such as YLNI the Vote, 2020 Vision, YLNI Barr Street Market and other programs aimed at engaging emerging leaders with the community.
The forum will be an opportunity for Beber to develop her skills as a nonprofit leader. “Every nonprofit organization needs a strong governing board, and BoardSource training is excellent, ” said David Bennett, Executive Director of the Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne. “We are pleased to be able to help Melissa attend this training, and wish to thank the Foellinger Foundation for creating the Barbara Burt Leadership Development Fund.”
Beber’s participation in the forum is also made possible through generous support from the Barbara Burt Leadership Development Fund, a component fund of the Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne to help support the development of nonprofit leadership towards the ultimate goal of organizational effectiveness. The fund was established by a gift from the Foellinger Foundation in honor of its former President and Chairman of the Board, and Executive Director of the Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne.
About YLNI – The Young Leaders of Northeast Indiana (YLNI) is a dynamic group that is connected to the community and committed to making it a vibrant and viable place to live, work and play. The mission is to attract, develop and retain emerging leaders through community, professional and social engagement.
About the Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne – Established in 1956, the Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne is a public, charitable foundation serving Allen County for more than fifty years. The Community Foundation had assets of more than $101.7 million at December 31, 2010 and awarded over $8.8 million in charitable grants and scholarships in that year.