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Meet the Leader Mentors

Strengthening Partnerships Toolkit

We know the importance of leadership. Good leaders make things happen on every level from families to national governments.

But how do you become a leader? Are you born into it or is it a skill that you develop throughout your life? Truth is, people learn how to lead. Even people who seem to lead naturally must learn and utilize leadership skills to be effective. A great way to learn leadership is through a relationship with a mentor—someone who’s willing to share their experience and knowledge.

That’s where the CADCA National Coalition Institute’s Leader Mentor Program comes in. Since 2003, the program has created opportunities for coalition members to learn leadership skills, apply those skills in practical settings and then to pass the skills on others. Now, the program’s members are preparing to launch their Project of National Significance (PNS)—an attempt to increase awareness of and participation in community anti-drug coalitions.

The goal of the PNS determined by the Leader Mentors is to expand various sectors’ commitment to community coalitions. The group will target national groups with strong local affiliates in a variety of categories including business, media, government, faith-based organizations, ethnic/cultural organizations healthcare, and law enforcement. By building relationships with national organizations and associations, the Leader Mentors expect to increase the participation of the local/state affiliate in local/regional coalitions.

People are really enthused about this—they really want to do it,” said Cheryl Guthier, chair of the Leader Mentor group and of the Community Prevention Partnership of Berks County in Reading, Penna. The group is initiating contact with national groups now and plans to roll out the PNS formally at CADCA’s National Leadership Forum in Washington, D.C., on February 14-16, 2006.

One of the steps in preparing for the PNS was for the Leader Mentors to elect their own leadership. Ms. Guthier was elected chairperson, Ann M. Comiskey of the Troy Community Coalition in Troy, Mich., was elected co-chair. Deacon Dzierzawski of The Community Partnership in Toledo, Ohio, and Sue Staggs of the Community Action Partnership for Prevention (CAPP) in Richmond, Texas, were selected as chairs of the Project of National Significance.

The PNS is the latest challenge for the Leader Mentor program which was initiated in 2003 from the Institute’s Greenhouse Project. In its initial phase, the program matched experienced coalition leaders—the Leader Mentors—with two newly-formed, diverse, local anti-drug coalitions from economically-disadvantaged communities. The Leader Mentors helped their assigned coalitions develop six distinct products to increase the novice coalitions’ sustainability and effectiveness while further developing their own coaching skills.

Ms. Guthier said that three years later, she’s still in contact regularly with both of the groups she mentored and they’re doing very well—one recently was awarded a Drug-Free Communities Grant and the other received funding to conduct drug testing in schools in its region.

In addition to working with other coalitions, the Leader Mentors have been encouraged to take advantage of training programs to develop and apply their leadership skills. The Leader Mentors will participate in the Institute’s first advanced training courses at Volk Field, Wisc., in December. The training, designed for experienced coalition leaders, includes courses coalition building and strategic planning. Additionally, the Leader Mentors are given the opportunity to participate in the Institute’s National Training Academy which allows participants to Certified National Training Initiative Co-Instructors, Pilot Course Observers, or Certified Coalition Trainers.

“The Leader Mentor Program has provided a great opportunity to meet others from around the country and build relationships and support,” said Ms. Guthier. “We’ve had the opportunity to learn from each other and from those whom we’ve mentored.”

As a coalition leader, it’s important to continue strengthening leadership skills and sharing them with others, particularly young people who are tomorrow’s leaders. CADCA’s National Coalition Institute offers a variety of training opportunities and online resources to enhance the skills you need to lead a strong, sustainable coalition.