About Leadership Lodi

Leadership Lodi, formed in 1990, inspires and motivates individuals in our community to achieve higher levels of leadership. 

Each gradating class has between ten to twenty participants who represent our local employers’ mid- and high-level management, business owners, political up-and-comers, service club leaders, and government officials, including:

• The Mayor of Lodi, City Manager, and most department heads at City Hall
• Judge Warner, the President of Delta College, and the Superintendent of Lodi Unified School District
• 8+ Presidents and Executive Directors of the leading not-for-profits in Lodi including Lodi House, LOEL Center and Gardens, and the Women's Center of San Joaquin
• The Lodi Chief of Police, plus Lodi Memorial Hospital CEO and department heads
• In Agriculture, participants spend the day with Brad Lange, Larry Mettler, Mark Chandler, John Ledbetter, Brad Kissler, Andy Christiensen, County and UC Davis personnel
• Leading representatives from travel, industry, and real estate including Carson Funderburk, Plant Manager of General Mills, Dale Gillespie, Russ Munson, and Nancy Beckman
• Media contacts including Marty Weybret and Rich Hanner, publisher and editor of the Lodi News Sentinel

The year-long program provides participants with an opportunity to learn from current leaders about the complexities of the city from a variety of angles.

Participants spend a full day on topics such as government, education, law, agribusiness, economic development, and more, as they travel the city and meet with the people who help make the city tick.

Each year the graduating class creates a project that benefits the community, including fund-raising and manual labor, to foster their leadership skills and build teamwork.

Past Graduates

Below is a partial list of individuals that have been through the annual program.

These are but a few of the 250+ graduates who now chair non-profit boards, or have leadership roles in the community let alone their business.  Someone in these people's organization believed these individuals were worth investing in. 

Does a participant personally grow in Leadership Lodi?  Without a doubt, we can guarantee we will return to you a person who has gained insights into themselves, have a greater appreciation of what it takes to be successful and more effective as a team member, a new perspective of how they and the organization they represent fit into this community, and a deeper knowledge of the community in which they serve.