Episode 59: Pocket Change Podcast
Summary
Key Takeaways
- Leadership University is a place for high school students to engage with the workforce in our community and learn valuable leadership and interpersonal skills.
- Leadership Jackson is a program equipping adults in the Jackson area.
- The Education Connection is a unique program that connects teachers and students to show them behind-the-scenes information about the workforce through a career fair called Pathways2Possibilities.
- The Greater Jackson Chamber strives to not only serve residents in Madison County and surrounding areas in West Tennessee.
To apply for the Leadership Jackson program, visit leadershipjackson.com. Learn how to become a member of the Greater Jackson Chamber at jacksontn.com.
The Pocket Change Podcast is presented by Leaders Credit Union. To learn more about Leaders, visit leaderscu.com.
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Full Transcript
Hey, this is Shea.
Carrie:
And this is Carrie.
Shea:
Welcome to the Pocket Change Podcast.
Carrie:
Where you'll learn better ways to spend, save and invest and take control of your financial journey.
Shea:
So Carrie, you've been in a leadership program before, right?
Carrie:
I have, yes.
Shea:
How was that?
Carrie:
It was great. I learned a lot, met a lot of great people and got to do some fun things.
Shea:
What was one of the fun things you got to do?
Carrie:
So I'm afraid of heights, but I decided to, like, face my fear.
And I got to climb the fire truck ladder. Yeah. Whatever that thing is called. But of course, I had assistance. Someone was behind me, but I was terrified. But I did it, and it was fun.
Shea:
Yeah. So those programs in our community help us to, you know, interact and learn more about our communities, but also get to do some fun things along the way, some behind the scenes things and develop leaders. So we're going to talk to the Greater Jackson Chamber today about Leadership Jackson and some of their other programs that really support our community.
Carrie:
That's right.
We're excited to welcome our guest, Lauren Saliba, vice president of education and leadership development at the Greater Jackson Chamber. Welcome to Pocket Change, Lauren.
Lauren Saliba:
Thanks. Thank you all for having me.
Carrie:
Of course. So tell us a little bit about your journey and how you got involved with the chamber and the programs you now oversee.
Lauren Saliba:
Yeah, so it's kind of come full circle over the past 20 years or more. When I was a high school junior, I was able to participate in our youth leadership program that the chamber started. I went through in 2001, which was the second year of the class. And so I learned a lot at the time under Judy Renshaw's leadership and then was able to apply some of those skills throughout my life to get me through. And then when I came back to Jackson, I was able to participate in the adult program and that was in 2017. And I was on that board until this position became available. So I was blessed to be hired in December of 2021, overseeing our leadership programs and with some employee changes that we've had. I was honored to be promoted in the spring of I guess it was just this, it's been a year now 2024 to also having some leadership over our education initiatives which marry well with each other between running the leadership programs in education. They just go hand in hand. So it's been a great experience to be able to combine those two. So it's kind of a full circle moment that is very unique and I'm and I'm glad to have had the opportunity.
Shea:
Yeah, it sounds like it's had a big impact. I mean, it's now your career and what you started as as a student. And so what's your experience been like with Leadership University and what the current students go through with that?
Lauren Saliba:
Yeah. So Leadership University really sets a good solid foundation of learning more about your community from teenagers don't always get to see that, you know, they just kind of see the the basic things that involves their life specifically, not the behind the scenes of government or healthcare or anything like that. So this opportunity allows them to learn those things and also build their leadership skills. We talk about those at each session, whether it be accountability or motivating others, being a good peer, time management, all of those things that sometimes you don't learn in the classroom. So it's a, it's a year long program and they applied the end of their sophomore year. So we just finished all those applications. And this current class will start July 14th and they'll meet once a month through April. Learning all the ins and outs of the community, hearing from community leaders and learning from them and also, you know, growing their own employable skills.
Shea:
And soft skills, those are so important now to employers.
Lauren Saliba:
And that's what we that's what we finish the last session with is, you know, interview skills. They have one-on-one interviews where they get, you know, real time feedback on that. And, and thanks to Leaders, they get a financial simulation, which is so important every year for them to gain that knowledge. And, and it's eye opening for a lot of them. So my uncle always told me if you can just reach one student through that program, then you'd know you've been successful. But it's through great volunteers too. Both of their programs, There's just so many great sponsors and volunteers who help, you know, support me and, and really take this program head on and want to have an impact on the youth here in Jackson, Madison County.
Shea:
It sounds like it's a big commitment. I mean, they're starting in the summer. These students haven't meet every month and I mean the whole year, school year. So that's, that's big.
Lauren Saliba:
Starts in July with just kind of a get to know you session cause 40 kids is a lot from all the schools in our area, whether it's home school, private public school, and they have a 2 day retreat. And from August on, it's once a month. And it's, it's rewarding. It really is. And we have, so it's been around since 1999 and we have such good community support that it really you can you can see the impact that it has on the kids from day one when they walk in that door overwhelmed, or “What did I get myself into?” to the end. Yeah, it's it's cool to have this, this side and that perspective.
Carrie:
It’s such a great opportunity for them too, though.
Lauren Saliba:
Absolutely.
Carrie:
And I'm sure it looks good on their resume in the future as well.
Lauren Saliba:
It's good resume builders, good for scholarships. And I'm always blessed once they go on to graduate to be asked to write recommendation letters. And that makes me so happy. I love that we had made that connection with them and can be another positive influence, adult influence in their lives. So, yeah.
Carrie:
That's great. So can you give us an overview of the Leadership University program timeline and how many students participate each year?
Lauren Saliba:
Yes. So they apply at the end of their sophomore year. So in the spring, we usually kick that off with a counselor's luncheon in February. And we let we work so closely with all of the counselors in the schools. We could not do it without them helping to get the word out to those sophomores. And so they apply in the spring. We have a few board members go to each school and do the interviews just to get to know personalities and kind of put the application to a face.
Shea:
So they’ve got to do an interview for it?
Lauren Saliba:
Yes, they do. We typically have, we usually accept 40, give or take, and we've had double that and more apply, which is a blessing and a curse because you want to offer it to everybody and they, they all do such a good job and, and you just can't. So I always tried to provide positive feedback in other areas of ways they can get involved in the community. But yeah, so typically 40 and we try to make sure that we have a good cross section of representation from all of the schools and, and so far we've really been able to do that as long as the applications are coming in. So yeah, then they graduate in April. So it pretty much runs their whole junior year essentially.
Shea:
Yeah. Well, it shows the impact it has that it's so full and so many applications each year. And so you've got Leadership University for the students and also Leadership Jackson, the adult program. So tell us what that program's like and who can participate.
Lauren Saliba:
Yes. So Leadership Jackson actually started in 1979. Thanks to Judy Renshaw and Harbert Alexander Sr. We're the third oldest leadership program in the state. It's been successful and it just keeps growing and getting bigger and better each year.
Shea:
So you said class of 2017?
Lauren Saliba:
I was 2017.
Shea:
Now was that the best class ever?
Lauren Saliba:
That is so the best class ever!
Shea:
I'm sure everyone listening will say that.
Lauren Saliba:
There's always a competition now. My husband went through in 2014, so I hear that from a lot of him and his classmates a lot. And then, you know, whenever we get together for socials or luncheons and alumni gather, there's always a little friendly competition to see who has the most turn out or who brings the most supplies that we're, you know, donating to a nonprofit of some sort. So, but, and I'll say it here today, 2017.
Shea:
We’ll let you have it.
Lauren Saliba:
It’s a tough one to beat.
Shea:
It's on the podcast.
Lauren Saliba:
So those applications just kicked off June 1st and they'll go through July 15th. The only stipulations is the business has to be a Chamber member. It's a benefit to those who are Chamber members. So if you are an employee of a Chamber member or if the individual owns their own business, you can apply. If you're if you own your own company and you're the decision maker, you can nominate yourself. If you're the decision maker of your business, you can nominate your employee. Our main focus is we just want people to know the time commitment and the cost that comes with it. But the return on that investment is so much bigger than either one of those. So, yeah. And another benefit is when the LJ class graduates, they get to be part of our alumni association and those are annual dues. And we have corporate sponsors that we’re blessed by, but being part of that provides and so much more to the community. Obviously there's the social networking part of everything and being connected to alumni, but we also are able to do youth scholarships through that. We have community impact today's where we have an Adopt-a-Mile program. We host fundraisers to give back to the community too. And we're blessed that we have close to 300 alumni who see the value in still staying connected and wanting to be involved after they've experienced their own leadership journey. And, and we've got a great board who leads that and is continuing to raise the bar and keep people engaged and share all the good things going on here in our community and how we can continue to give back.
Carrie:
So what does it look like to apply and how many are accepted?
Lauren Saliba:
So the nomination process can be found online through leadershipjackson.com. Also, all the information is coming out through our chamber newsletters and we're making the media rounds and, and all of that to make sure everybody hears about that. The chair this year of the class is Mike Bryant and the co chair is Mari Hakim. And so they are awesome and, and we've been meeting and planning and are just excited for the process to kick off. So once a nomination is received, the nominee will automatically be emailed an application to complete. And same with Leadership University, once that's received, an interview will be scheduled with some LJ alumni just to get to know the personality again, that's so important to put a face with things you have on paper. And that process has worked for so many years. We typically accept 30, give or take. We've had as few as 28. That class called themselves The Great 28. And we've had as many as 32. So somewhere in that range is what we like to stick to. So yeah.
Shea:
That's a good group. So tell us more about how the chamber partners with other organizations to support education in our community.
Lauren Saliba:
Yes, so the Chamber education initiatives have been around for a really long time, but as education continues to evolve, so has our connections and what we're going to do with the Chamber. So recently we've had Leaders Education Foundation come on as our sponsor and we're so excited to have them because y'all know, obviously there's so many great things they do in the community around education. And so to have this come full circle and have them join us in those efforts has been amazing. And part of this new partnership and our new effort with education is to be more present, to be more visible, to share the successes that the schools are having and, and be an advocate for, for them. Just to make sure that we're not behind the scenes like we've done in the past, but we're coming right alongside them, cheering them on. And, and we're really looking forward to this new approach, whether it be coming to their schools and having coffee for them one day or the celebration kick education celebration breakfast that we had recently just to say thank you. It's a tough, tough job what they do. And the more that we can just thank them and appreciate them, I just think this will go a long way just showing how grateful we as a community are for what the schools that we have here and all the things that they're doing.
Shea:
I think it's great highlighting even some of the, you know, ways that the chamber and industry and the schools are trying to, you know, prepare students for the workforce. You know, even through manufacturing days and things like that, where students can see, you know, first hand, you know, maybe jobs they can have in the future right here in Jackson, you know, at these industries that are part of the chamber. And so that's another way that, you know, the education initiatives of the chamber are really supporting students in our community.
Lauren Saliba:
So the K12 Education Connection is really just an umbrella for what I was just talking about as far as being present and celebrating them, but also to other programs that we lead. You mentioned Manufacturing Day, and that coincides with Manufacturing Month every October where the schools partner with an industry and get to hear from the Jackson State AMT students and get a tour of the industries just to show them what's available out there. And they have a new appreciation education for manufacturing and how all of that works. It's so much more technology than it used to be. And then we also partner with the school system, Jackson-Madison County School System and United Way of West Tennessee to host annually our Pathway to Possibilities Career Fair, which is for 8th graders. And we have vendors, anything from electric, you know, electricity to hospitality to healthcare, just vendors from and exhibitors from every business you can think of for them to get first-hand knowledge of what's out there. Because so many of those kids are having to choose their path going into high school. And so the more exposure they can have to what's available in our community. And a lot of the times they'll take that information back to their parents too.
Carrie:
Yes, I have an eighth grader. So he also went through the Pathway to Possibilities, so he did that this year.
Lauren Saliba:
Did he love it?
Carrie:
It was great. And of course, we're part of it as well, right? So we're all in the vendor side.
Lauren Saliba:
Yeah, it's a great, to get that interaction with the students from a vendor perspective. How has it been for you all the past few years?
Carrie:
We’ve enjoyed it.
Shea:
It’s busy. It's a lot of kids asking a lot of questions, but you wanted to spark their interest some way. You know, if it's they're interested in healthcare, they're interested in finance, banking, you know, and all facets of that, not just, you know, maybe lending, but maybe it's the marketing side or different things. So they're really getting exposed to a lot.
Lauren Saliba:
Yeah, we had in January this year, we had over 2000 students there and we've decided to shift it to August. So we'll have one this coming August. We want to make sure that weather is not an issue moving forward and it has been in the past.
Shea:
Yeah, snow’s been a little…
Lauren Saliba:
Snow, rain, I mean, it's all, you just never know what you're going to get. But then we also didn't want to miss a whole group of 8th graders. So we're having two this year. We had the one in January and we have the one in August. And we have about 1800 students already registered for that one. And we're hoping having it at the Civic Center will give us even more space to continue to grow that.
Shea:
That'll be great.
Lauren Saliba:
And that's for all of West Tennessee. That's not just Jackson and Madison County. So it makes for a fun event.
Carrie:
It does. So those are great examples of how the Chamber's involved beyond just business, but can you share with us a little bit about how you all have evolved and grown over the years?
Lauren Saliba:
The Chamber as a whole, we've grown. I've only been there for three years, but I'm still kind of not really a new one anymore. We've had such a great adjustment in our staff and, and how we divide things up and stuff like that. We recently got a five star accreditation from the American Chamber of Commerce Executives, which is really hard to get. Just the impact that our economic team has, and they, we call them Team Madison County because it's a, it's a team of people that work together to make sure they're recruiting the right industries. And, and because of that, we've seen, we've seen so much growth in Jackson too. We've seen an increase in our memberships, not just from those businesses in Jackson and Madison County, but those from surrounding counties because they know that the impact of being involved with the chamber, which gets them involved in the community can have on their business regardless if they're here in town or not.
Shea:
It is regional, regional impact that you know, y’all are making.
Lauren Saliba:
We made that brand change a couple years ago to greater Jackson and we, we really feel that,
Carrie:
Yeah, that’s what I was going to bring up, I know that you've changed over to the greater Jackson and I, I personally have seen a huge difference in in the chamber.
Lauren Saliba:
We also love collaborating with all the other chambers around. We all can benefit from every other community being successful and doing well too. So it's been it's been awesome how we've continued to grow just from the support of others and from the economic impact that's happening here in our community.
Shea:
Yeah, y'all are award-winning, not just US Chamber, but State of Tennessee.
Lauren Saliba:
We work hard and we have fun too.
Shea:
And bringing industry and economic development to Jackson and our areas. Really, it's really good.
Lauren Saliba:
It’s a true team effort from start to finish on all the things. And so, I think we have a good group that we work well together and we support each other. And I think that's evident in how we've changed over the past few years.
Shea:
So if you're not a Chamber member and you're listening, reach out to the Greater Jackson Chamber.
Lauren Saliba:
We would love to share all the benefits of what being a chamber member can do. And it's, it's worth it.
Shea:
So since this is a financial podcast, you know, we want to ask you what is some of the best financial advice you've ever been given?
Lauren Saliba:
So my parents told me from the moment I had my first full time good paying job after college for me, that's when that came was to put as much as you can in your 401(k). So if the company that's employing you matches 100% up to 3%, you put in 3%. Just take advantage of that from the beginning. And so I've continued to try to do that. And that's the one thing that has always stuck with me throughout my career is, you know, just to save where you can. And that's a great way to do it.
Shea:
You can love where you work, but you want to retire someday.
Lauren Saliba:
I mean, that's the goal.
Shea:
Let's prepare for it, right?
Carrie:
That’s great advice. So, this is the Pocket Change Podcast. So I have to ask you, if you were to find some extra change in your pocket, what would you spend it on?
Lauren Saliba:
I think, 'cause I have two kids, 11 and 9, and a lot of our money goes to everything for them, as we all do with our kids. For those of us who have them or dog parents too, you know, your money goes somewhere else. I think I would spend it on me. I think I would go get myself a massage.
Carrie:
There you go. You need it.
Shea:
Might have to save your pocket change for a little longer.
Lauren Saliba:
Summer's just starting. What better way? You know?
Carrie:
That's right. Well, thanks so much, Lauren for being with us today and sharing all things about Leadership Jackson and the Greater Jackson Chamber and beyond. We appreciate everything.
Lauren Saliba:
Well, thank you all so much for having me and thank you for your partnership. We appreciate it.
Carrie:
You're welcome. Thanks for tuning into the Pocket Change Podcast.
Shea:
Be sure to rate, review, and subscribe and check out our full episodes on YouTube.
Carrie:
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Shea:
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Carrie:
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