BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – After graduation, many Illinois Wesleyan University alumni scatter all across the globe to live and work, but some end up coming back to the twin cities of Bloomington-Normal where they spent their college years.
Three alumni are employed locally. Melissa Beaver ’93, is the director of marketing at Heritage Enterprises, and received a degree in business administration from IWU. Michael Jensen ’96, is a management consultant at State Farm and received dual degrees in political science and sociology. Joann Yant ’95, is a business analyst at State Farm, and received a history degree. Even though it has been nearly 20 years since they earned their degrees, the trio is still open to learning. They are taking a class through the McLean County Chamber of Commerce called Leadership McLean County (LMC).
According to the LMC website, the class was started in 1995, and is designed to develop community leaders by cultivating skills, awareness and engagement through intentional learning experiences. The yearlong program requires all of its members to attend leadership retreats every other Friday, attend a town council meeting and school board meeting in McLean County, volunteer for a local organization and complete a service project.
The bi-monthly sessions feature community-related themes such as Diversity Day, Agriculture Day, Education Day and Criminal Justice Day. Community leaders also speak at the sessions, sharing their personal leadership experiences. Many sessions include visiting locations such as the local jail, the coroner’s office, and, most recently, Springfield, Ill., to tour the capital building.