for immediate release - Fort Wayne Downtown Improvement District

Contact: Event Details:
Cheri Becker, Executive Director Date: August 16, 2012
Leadership Fort Wayne, Inc. Location: 904 S Calhoun Street
(260) 481-6112 Time: 4:00pm
cbecker@ipfw.edu
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
LEADERSHIP FORT WAYNE ANNOUNCES RIBBON CUTTING CEREMONY TO
CELEBRATE 30 TH ANNIVERSARY, NEW LOCATION AND NEW STAFF MEMBERS
FORT WAYNE, IN., August 2, 2012 � Mayor Tom Henry will preside over a ribbon cutting
ceremony at 904 South Calhoun Street on August 16, 2012 at 4:00pm. The 2012-2013 program
year marks 30 years of community leadership development and stewardship for the
organization. After a 30 year residency with Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne,
the non-profit organization has re-located to the heart of downtown Fort Wayne across from
Summit Square. This move will allow for LFW to be in close proximity to businesses, local
government offices, and other non-profits that reside in the downtown area, and serve as a
centrally located center for leadership development in the community.
Mayor Henry, a 1986 LFW alumnus, will read a proclamation naming August 16, 2012
������������������������������������������
the City of Fort Wayne welcome LFW to its new
office and congratulate the organization on 30 years of dedicated service to the community,
announcing ����������������������������������������������
-plus
community leaders to address community needs at every level of our community through
personal leadership and citi���������
Leadership Fort Wayne invites all community stakeholders and supporters including alumni of
its LFW, YLFW, NINA, BPNI, RLE programs and 101 Northeast Indiana Connectors to attend.
In addition to the celebration of a 30 th anniversary and the opening of a new location; LFW is
also pleased to announce the addition of two new staff members to its team. Michelle Chambers
will serve as the new Program Director and Ryan Walbridge as the Marketing and Impact
Manager.
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-profit, corporate and
government sectors. As a public servant and real estate professional formerly employed with
the Cities of Carson and Los Angeles she worked intimately with the development of non-profit
agencies and distressed communities. Her unique combination of education; Masters of Public
���������������� ��������� ��� ����� ��� ������ �������
�������� ��� �������� ��������� ���� en her the ��������� opportunity to work �������� �
closely with community development and human services programs of all types. In 1991 she
began working for the City of Los Angeles as an Outreach Worker for the Community
Development Department. In her final tenure with the City of Los Angeles she worked as the
Acting Deputy Director of the Human Services Youth and Family Centers. As the Deputy
Director she oversaw the management of three million dollars in annual Community

Development Block Grants. In 2007 she began working as the Redevelopment Project Manager
for the City of Carson Redevelopment Agency. Here she managed the development of
���������������������������������������������������
������������� ������� ���� ����� was enrolled ���in ������� the Carson City ����� Leadership ����
Institute, an eight month training designed to provide future leaders with a detailed
understanding of the various public and private elements needed to be an effective leader within
a company or community. Miche�����������������������������������
she volunteers her time working with agencies that work with youth and seniors.
Ryan Walbridge is a Fort Wayne native and attended Canterbury High School where he
participated in the Youth Leadership Fort Wayne, Youth as Resources, and L.E.A.D. programs.
He then chose to attend The University of Tampa in Florida where he received a Bachelor of
Science in Marketing. During a summer back in Fort Wayne he interned with the Northeast
Indiana Regional Partnership as a Marketing Intern; assisting the staff with website
development, social media, and other marketing and communications tasks. During his time as
an undergraduate in Tampa he worked as the Marketing and Listings Coordinator for Keller
Williams Tampa Central; coordinating marketing for the broker and property manager. Most
recently Ryan served his college fraternity, Theta Chi Fraternity, Inc., as a Leadership and
Education Consultant working with groups of undergraduate men at large universities on the
west coast.
About Leadership Fort Wayne, Inc.:
Leadership Fort Wayne is the preeminent source for businesses, community-serving
organizations, local governments and nonprofit organizations to train as board members,
volunteers, future community leaders and staff. Leadership Fort Wayne development provides
individuals with a greater understanding of the importance and impact of corporate community
involvement and individual civic engagement, philanthropy and service. The mission of
Leadership Fort Wayne is to train, prepare and inspire individuals to positively impact the
community through meaningful engagement. More information about Leadership Fort Wayne,
Inc. is available at www.leadershipfortwayne.org.
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