NORWICH - The Leadership Chenango Class of 2016 is set to graduate on June 2, 2016. The graduation ceremony and dinner, sponsored by Chobani, will be held at the Northeast Classic Car Museum in Norwich, beginning at 5:30 p.m. In addition, the Dan Marshman Ag Leadership Award will be presented to Robert Marshman of Oxford prior to the graduation ceremony.
Additional highlights of the evening include guest speaker the Hon. Frank Revoir, Chenango County Judge, and class speaker Jared Bartle. Certificates of completion will be given to the Leadership class recipients by Class Facilitator Jill Eddy, and Assemblyman Cliff Crouch.
This year's Leadership Chenango Class of 2016 includes: Jared Bartle, Audrey Benkenstein, D. Lukas Brown, Kevin Doonan, Barry Fitzgerald, Dan Grady, Rebecca Graham, Jessica Kelsey, Renee Locks, Whitney McCracken, Stephanie Meek, Julia Miller, Justin Moffitt, Jill O'Hara, Deborah Slentz, Simon Solomon, Matt Telesky, James Terry and Lynne Walton. Employers represented in this year's class include: Blueox Energy, Chenango County, Chobani, Commerce Chenango, DCMO BOCES, Emmanuel Episcopal Church, Friends of Rogers, NBT, NBT-Mang Insurance Agency, Norwich-An Alvogen Company, NYCM Insurance Company, and Raymond Corporation.
The Dan Marshman Agriculture Leadership Award is presented to a leader, business or organization that has demonstrated leadership and service to the agriculture community in the Chenango-Madison area. This year's recipient, Robert L. Marshman, is a 5th generation farmer. Marshman farms was established in 1856, and is today, only one of four "Century Farms" in Chenango County. Although, he is retired from farming, his sons David, and John, have continued the farming tradition. His resume is extensive, and even includes serving on the Central Florida Shuffleboard Association, while living in Florida for part of the year. Bob has received the Lions International Leadership Award, he has served on the Oxford FFA, Chenango Co. Farm Bureau, DCMO BOCES, Oxford Academy School Board, Oxford Town Board, Chenango County Holstein Club and is a member of the Oxford Hall of Distinction. He has been a driving force behind developing the education potential within the redevelopment of the Historical Society's Loomis barn project. So much so, that it was named the Bob Marshman Agriculture Education Center. Sarah Mahan, executive director CCHS said, "He is widely thought of as a great advocate for promoting the preservation and enjoyment of the county's agricultural history."
The Leadership Chenango program was developed under the auspices of The Chenango Foundation in 1988. Initiated by business representatives, community leaders and government representatives, the program goals were to develop future leaders that could address the challenges of the area and enhance those leaders' knowledge of Chenango County and its various economic and socio-economic sectors.