December 19, 2023 – Flagler County Board of County Commissioners Chair Andy Dance along with Chief of Special Projects and Library Director Holly Albanese have been selected to attend the 2024 Northeast Florida Regional Council (NEFRC) Leadership Academy. The seven-month program begins in January.
“I would like to congratulate you on being nominated and selected to participate in the 2024 Regional Leadership Academy hosted by the Northeast Florida Regional Council,” said Leadership Academy Program Director Tyler Nolen, who is also special projects coordinator and emergency preparedness planner for NEFRC. “(It) is dedicated to promoting the principles of regionalism, encouraging community leaders from various sectors to come together and work towards a shared vision of growth and prosperity. Our program is open to individuals who are deeply committed to serving the regional community and who understand the significance of regional cooperation.”
The NEFRC Leadership Academy meets for one day each month – the last Wednesday – in each of the counties that make up the region: Baker, Clay, Duval, Flagler, Nassau, Putnam, and St. Johns.
“There are speakers arranged at each county location where we discuss issues specific to that county,” Nolen said. “The focus of this program is to nurture and cultivate a commitment to regionalism. Our program topics change and evolve based on what each of our counties is doing well, and how they can teach each other along the way.”
Meeting themes include topics from around the region like economic development, housing, agriculture, resiliency, and emergency preparedness.
“The graduates from the Regional Leadership Academy become members of the Regional Community Institute, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that works with the NEFRC, serving as a policy ‘think tank’ for the Northeast Florida Regional Council,” Nolen said. “This organization routinely works on various policy initiatives that impact our region.”
