Three JSU Students Selected to Attend LEI

Allison Crow, Alison Pierce, and Krystle Bell meet with Secretary of State, Nancy Worley at the State Capital.

June 22, 2004 -- Three Jacksonville State University students were selected to attend The Leading Edge Institute (LEI), a unique leadership development program for young women across the state of Alabama. The three JSU students were Krystle Bell, Allison Crow, and Alison Pierce. These women attended LEI's Summer Institute during the week of June 13 - 19, 2004.

The Leading Edge Institute experience began in a conference-like setting, in which the collegiate women gained a greater understanding of themselves and the community around them. Participants met with some of Alabama's leading women, from companies such as Blue Cross / Blue Shield of Alabama and Southern Progress Corporation, to learn more about living out their values in a work environment. The women turned their knowledge of leadership into action first by visiting the State Capital. Our collegiate women met with Kay Ivey, the State Treasurer, and Nancy Worley, the Secretary of State. They also engaged in a luncheon with other female leaders, including Appellate Court and Supreme Court Judges. After visiting Montgomery, the students traveled to Selma, Alabama for a tour of the Voting Rights Museum. The week concluded with a trip to the Black Belt of Alabama to see the work of Rural Studios in Perry County.

This leadership development program provided young women from across the state a glimpse of what areas for improvement are found in Alabama. They also learned what women are currently doing to make Alabama a better place to live. They formed contacts from across Alabama. LEI does not end with this one-week program. The women will continue working with LEI through individual projects and the LEI mentoring program. Celebrations of their accomplishments take place through the Fall Connection and Winter Summit.

Twelve four-year institutions from the state of Alabama participated in the 2004 Leading Edge Institute. The Leading Edge Institute's mission is "To inspire, prepare, and empower the young women of Alabama to lead our state to a more equitable and prosperous future."

For more information, contact Megan Radison, Assistant Director of Student Life at Ext. 5491 or mradison@jsu.edu.

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