Leadership Butler County kicked off its class of 2019 on Thursday at the Days Inn. Butler County Chamber of Commerce President Stan Kosciuszko said this will be the 28th year for the program that has graduated more than 800.

A little more than a week after its 2019 class graduated, Leadership Butler County is ready to begin again with a fresh group of local business leaders.

Butler County Chamber of Commerce President Stan Kosciuszko said this will be the 28th year for the program that has graduated more than 800.

“We're the only professional development class in Butler County,” Kosciuszko said.

Kosciuszko said he has high hopes for them based on his first impression.

“They seem very personable, very friendly and not shy,” Kosciuszko said. “They've been asking good questions and seem engaged.”

Kosciuszko sat this year's class down for an orientation-style meeting Thursday at Days Inn.

They started with an icebreaker, a type of question-and-answer scavenger hunt.

Class member Tracey Wolford, assistant manager at Mars Bank in Penn Township, said everyone was given a list that said one of their classmates likes this or did that, and they had to ask around to find out who fit each description.

“I really didn't know what to expect when I came in,” Wolford said. “Within the first hour, we had met and already were having conversations.”

During the orientation, the group followed along in a binder full of paperwork, including information about their project.

Stephen Jenson of the Department of Veterans Affairs said there wasn't a list of potential projects, just some ideas from past classes. He said he liked the fact that his class was going to have a chance to shape their journey through the class.

“I'm expecting that we're going to have to be very innovative,” Jenson said. “I like owning it and developing it.”

Wolford said she thinks her classmates will work together well as a group.

“The first impression of this class is we're going to get a lot accomplished,” Wolford said.

Jenson said their strength is the diversity that the program always brings to its classes.

“I personally thought it was amazing to have a diverse group together,” he said. “Sometimes when you have all these different backgrounds, you get the best result.”

- Eric Bennett, New York Life- Ryan Campbell, Calumet Specialty Products- Kenneth Clowes, Care Center (SPHS)- John Duncan Jr., Penn United Technologies- Carrie Ferguson, Butler Veterans Affairs- Amy Franz, United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania- Amy Furey, Office of Personnel Management- Jeffrey Geibel, Edward Jones- Christine Grossman, Butler Health System- Christina Hough, Glade Run Lutheran Services- Stephen Jenson, VA Butler Healthcare Health Care System- Mary Jones, Armstrong- Mikayla Moretti, Butler County Community College- Nicholas Serafine, NexTier Bank- Hannah Shannon, NexTier Bank- Ashley Steighner, Office of Personnel Management- Rhonda Tack, Sunnyview Nursing and Rehabilitation Center- Janna Unik, Butler Health System- Kimberly van Driel, First English Lutheran Church- Amanda Wemette, Alliance for Nonprofit Resources- Tracey Wolford, Mars Bank