• Welcome Alumni and Visitors. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions CLICK HERE to contact Alec Hoag, LMB President.

Class Sessions

Leadership Manhattan Beach is a dynamic, interactive community leadership development program for people who want to learn more about our city, meet interesting people, give back to the community and make business and professional connections.

Over 9 months, Leadership Manhattan Beach participants learn about all aspects of the city including education, government, health, culture, business and the environment. Participants in this program have an opportunity to meet the key leaders in Manhattan Beach as all of the presenters are the leaders and experts within the community.  All sessions are held onsite in different locations around the city so that the participants are exposed to the different organizations and facilities. During the program, the participants also enhance their leadership skills through leadership training and completion of a community service project for the city.

Overview of the Sessions

Orientation to Leadership Manhattan

During this evening our new class meets the LMB Board and gets an opportunity to network with the alumni. This session provides an overview of program expectations and establishes a strong foundation on how to maximize their participation in the program.

Team Building Retreat

This experiential retreat will provide a review of the communication-style assessment provided by the program and demonstrate how communication styles impact effective team leadership; includes interactive exercises focusing on team dynamics and building the class into an effective team.  Attendance is mandatory.

Meet the City

During this session, the class gets an opportunity to meet and interact with Manhattan Beach City Officials, acquire information about the City of Manhattan Beach, discuss the responsibilities and challenges facing city Leaders and explore key issues facing the City of Manhattan Beach with City Officials.

Environmental Stewardship and Sustainability

Manhattan Beach has a long history of environmental stewardship, as a community and as a city government. During the environment session class members meet with the key leaders who are responsible for achieving our communities’ environmental goals and initiatives. Each year the major environmental issues facing Manhattan Beach will be presented. This session is held at the West Basin Water District.

What’s Happening in Education 

This session will introduce class members to what is happening in education within Manhattan Beach and provide an opportunity to interact with administrators, teachers, and students. They will also be exposed to several of the organizations that support and partner with MBSD. This session is held at the Manhattan Beach District Office.

Civic Engagement: The Power of One

Manhattan Beach is a city where people are highly engaged. This session will be held at the Beach City Health District where we will meet with the CEO and learn about the role of this organization and the many opportunities for volunteerism. We also will meet with representatives of the different city commissions and discuss the issues that they are working on and how class members can get involved.

Business and Economics

This session provides the class with an economic snapshot of the City as a backdrop to discussions with local business owners about what it takes to start a business in Manhattan Beach. Class members will also meet with key leaders from the Manhattan Beach Chamber of Commerce and the Downtown Business Association.

Community Project Selection

Class projects are the main focus of this session. Class members will have an opportunity to learn about potential community project-partners, identify their project, discuss preliminary project goals and select their leader and co-leader. The project work starts in January and is completed before graduation in May.

City Council Simulation

A highlight of the program is the City Council Simulation where the class takes on the role of City Council and presents two current city issues in City Council Chambers. This is a great learning opportunity to experience what sitting city council members are facing when dealing with key issues impacting the city.

Mid-year Leadership Retreat

This retreat is designed to reinforce the leadership training presented at the go away retreat and provide the project management tools required for a successful project implementation. During this day the participants will begin their project planning process. Attendance is mandatory.

Project Meetings

From January to May the class will have 7 sessions to work together on their project. Each meeting is led by the class project leader and the project leads. This is where class members apply their leadership and team skills in a real-life application.

Lessons Learned & Life After Leadership

This session provides an opportunity for the class to self-assess and discuss what they personally achieved in terms of their leadership and personal growth goals during the program. We also will discuss the next steps on how they might give back to LMB and the community.

Graduation

This is an evening to celebrate the class project and the successful completion of the program. It is a chance to share with alumni, the community, and friends and family the experience and friendships that are the result of the 9-month journey.