Overview of the program

Leadership Rockland...

Our Vision:

Prepare an informed, energetic and visionary leadership base to serve Rockland County.

Our Mission:

Identify, Inform and Inspire leaders to better serve our community by increasing their awareness of the many facets of Rockland County.

Program Objectives:

At the end of the ten-month program, participants will:
Have gained enhanced knowledge of Rockland County
Have been inspired, challenged, encouraged and enabled to bring positive change to our community
Have connected with people and ideas from all walks of life to create a focused energy that can bring Rockland County forward.

According to Dorothy C. Filoramo,the immediate past chair of the Leadership Rockland Board of Directors, "The Leadership Rockland Program is a valued resource for our community. By "identifying and informing" emerging leaders through an educational experience focused on the infrastructure of this county and presented from the unique perspective of the actual leaders, the program engages and challenges its participants to examine issues and seek solutions."

"Graduates of the program are a cadre of activists who are involved and will serve in all facets of the public and private sector. Knowledge is power, and with this tool, Leadership Rockland is a powerful advocate of community action" added Filoramo.

Newly elected chair Jan Degenshein concurs and adds "This is not your father's Rockland County. Pressing social, economic and environmental issues have surfaced and must be addressed. Class participants will be expected to take a hard look at both the beneficial and problematic attributes with which we are confronted, and – equipped with a more holistic knowledge imparted by the program – configure their own personal action plans for resolution."

The monthly sessions are lead by knowledgeable and dedicated coordinators, many of whom have graduated from Leadership Rockland, whose expertise in their field makes this the best educational program on the County of Rockland.

The Honorable C. Scott Vanderhoef, Rockland County's Chief Executive and a founder of the Leadership Rockland program, served as chair from 1990-92. Succesive chairs of the program have been:

• Mark Rothenberg, former Vice-President with United Water New York and Chapter Chair for Rockland SCORE, served as chair from 1992-94.
• Dr. L. John Durney III, Provost & Vice President for Academic Affairs at St. Thomas Aquinas College and also a founder of  Leadership Rockland, served as chair from 1994-96.
• Dohn Harshbarger, Retired Vice President of Student Development at Dominican College, served as chair from 1996-2000.
• Bill Madden, President of  Madden Communications & Marketing, LLP served as chair from 2000-2003.
• Frank Borelli, Jr., a Principal with the Ducey Insurance Agency, served as chair from 2003-2006.
• Roberta Zampolin, Retired Superintendent Nyack Public Schools, served as chair from 2006-2009.
• Dorothy Filoramo, Vice President, Institutional Advancement at Domincan College served as chair from 2009 to 2012.

The first class graduated in 1991 and over 500 participants have graduated from the program since its inception. 

Leadership Rockland, Inc., is governed by a volunteer board of directors consisting of members of the for-profit and not-for-profit communities, most of whom are Leadership Rockland alumni. 

There are several committees assigned by the board of directors. The program committee selects volunteer coordinators for each of the programs, based on their expertise in the issues (i.e., education, media, etc.). Each coordinator then selects speakers, panelists, etc., in order to provide participants with a variety of experts to discuss and lead discussion on the issues.

Tuition...

Tuition for the program is $1,000. Employers often sponsor participants by expending the tuition and/or providing the professional time needed for the monthly daylong sessions. Tuition includes all materials, meals, and transportation by bus from one site to another during a program. The estimated full cost of the program without in kind donations from coordinators and volunteers would be $2,000 annually per participant. The tuition, then, is actually discounted by $1,000 per participant through volunteer efforts on behalf of our team of 100 coordinators and speakers. 

Scholarships...

When available, the Leadership Rockland Board of Directors allocate partial tuition scholarships for applicants who request financial assistance and are not eligible for corporate sponsorship through their employer. In addition, applicants should consider other funding sources. It is important to meet the deadline for application materials first and then explore funding options. 75% of all alumni listed have been sponsored by their employers. Additionally, 10% received small scholarships from Leadership Rockland. 10% fully funded their own tuition and 5% received funding from sources other than their own employer (one example is of an individual who received private funding from a member of their own board of directors. The board member was familiar with the LR program and felt the agency would prosper from representation and the individual would grow professionally. Although the agency could not afford the tuition, the individual was provided the professional time and the funding was created by the board member to assist the participant.) 

Application...

Visit our application page for information on the application process and to download an application to the program.