Leadership Palm Beach County is initiated as a local affiliate of the US Chamber of Commerce by a joint task force of local chambers including Palm Beach, West Palm Beach, Boynton Beach, North Palm Beach and Palm Beach Gardens.
Local chambers and a group of business people formed LPBC’s Board of Directors and 39 community leaders become the inaugural adult program class.
LPBC Class of 1985, following a presentation the class heard, played a significant role in the establishment of the Children’s Services Council of Palm Beach County. The PBC CSC, which became the 2nd in the state, is an independent special district established by local voters, to dedicate funds so more children are born healthy, remain free from abuse and neglect, are ready for kindergarten and have access to quality after-school and summer programming. CSC provides an umbrella for leadership, coordination and oversight concerning the status of children.
LPBC Class of 1989 hosts “Youth Leadership Day” where two dozen high school juniors were invited to learn about county government, the media and education in Palm Beach County. This served as the foundation for the LPBC Youth Leadership program.
LPBC co-hosts Florida State Legislative Day.
LPBC served as the lead organization in creating the Palm Beach County Health & Human Services Planning Association.
LPBC offered the first Leadership Focus program to help key executives broaden their knowledge of the county in a short period of time.
LPBC coordinated the first Youth Leadership class, adapting the LPBC model for high school students as they prepare for college and envision future careers.
LPBC Board of Directors and LPBC Alumni Association Board merged to become the LPBC Board of Governors.
LPBC established Board Connection, a national pilot program to identify, train, and place diverse candidates on nonprofit boards.
LPBC launched its first website.
LPBC initiated its first civic engagement projects for the Adult Leadership program.
LPBC, in response to a need for voter education and information, collaborated with other prominent State and County organizations, to host the "Dare to be Aware" Candidates Forums.
LPBC Class of 2004 initiated the first Songwriters in the Round which brings the charm and heart of country music to West Palm Beach and raises support for LPBC.
LPBC hires its first Executive Director: Krista Springer Basore.
LPBC initiated the Annual Leadership Excellence Award which was created to celebrate LPBC alumni who reflect the organization’s core values. The award is given to Don Chester, Class of 1986.
LPBC launched the Leadership Palm Beach County Ethics following the convictions of several county and municipal elected officials, with the belief that LPBC could be a catalyst for replacing the “Corruption County” image with a “Culture of Ethics” label.
LPBC alumni spearheaded a community-wide ethics initiative to address the county’s perceived culture of corruption and committee of concerned alumni authored the “Palm Beach County Ethics Pledge,” which was signed by over 100 elected officials.
LPBC celebrates 30 years in Palm Beach County.
LPBC scholarships, which are supported by Songwriters in the Round and awarded at the annual LPBC Youth Program graduations, will have provided over $50,000 for college support.
LPBC renames programs - Adult Program becomes Engage and Youth Program becomes Grow.
LPBC establishes the Leadership Aspire Program. The program was created to provide a service to the community. The goal is to create a pipeline for leaders based on the mission of LPBC to educate and unite leaders to build a better community.
LPBC introduces its signature Leadership Celebration event, combining the Leadership Excellence Award Ceremony with Leadership Engage Graduation
Leadership Excellence Award transitions to four awards: One in each of the private, public, and nonprofit sectors, and one President’s Award, given at the discretion of the current President of the LPBC Board of Directors.
Leadership Palm Beach County celebrates its 35th Anniversary.
LPBC holds inaugural Breakthroughs: The Leadership Palm Beach County Summit on June 15. The summit brought together 300 leaders from private, public and nonprofit sectors to understand three challenges facing the community: the need for jobs for ex-offenders, internships for students, and mental health training in the workplace.
Civic Engagement Projects rebrand to become Engage Forward. Thanks to James Garvin (’18), Josh Hirsch (’17), and Audra Grigaliunas ('18) for their work on this rebranding.
COVID-19 Pandemic disrupts the world. LPBC pivots and offers the Engage Class of 2021 virtual and hybrid session days.
LPBC introduces its Leadership Equity & Diversity Committee (LEAD).
LPBC hosts its first and only “Drive-Through Holiday Breakfast,” a safe, outdoor way for guests to celebrate the holidays during the pandemic.
Beginning with the Class of 2022 in August 2021, LPBC returns to in-person session days for Engage and Grow, following the masking guidelines in effect at that time.
Aspire Program is reimagined. It adapts to include all educational programming offered by LPBC, including Lunch & Learns, Legislative Updates, and Cost Of Poverty Experience (COPE), which formerly fell under the Alumni Relations Committee.
LPBC celebrates its 40th Anniversary.
Leadership Excellence Award returns to one award spanning all sectors, plus the option of a President’s Award to be given at the discretion of the current President of the LPBC Board of Directors.
