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AALP Program Director Greeting – April 2021

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What leadership looks like during a global pandemic continues to evolve and demands our need to adapt the way we connect to each other.  Many in the ag-sector have seen demands on their organizations and/or growth to their businesses at a pace unimaginable one year ago. The examples of tenacity, innovation, collaboration and kindness are amazing and heartening. There is a need to be prepared when much is unknown. Foresight and change leadership are topics AALP Class 18 delved into at their Seminar 4 where they constructed news headlines for beyond 2030 and peeled back layers about their role in motivating and managing team change.  

ROI is thrilled that 20 of our 21 initial AALP Class 18 participants are able to commit to a one year extension so that we can meet in-person and conduct study tours.  They are excited to continue to build their peer to peer bonds by sharing leadership experiences together. Hybrid seminars (in-person and virtual) will take place July, August and November. In the meantime participants are taking part in additional activities such as a Global Zoom discussion between 83 participants of other ag/rural/urban leadership programs from Scotland, Australia, Pennsylvania and New York about “What makes a good leader?”.  Also, they are hosting monthly “Lunch with Leaders” from Ontario and across the world, some are AALP alumni! 

As we begin to transition to in-person gatherings many of AALP’s alumni and friends networking events will be planned with a hybrid approach so that you can get to know and support AALP Class 18 while connecting with old and new friends. Stay tuned for events such as the Stewart Gala, Dean Tiessen dessert social, Parliament Hill reception and more as we create opportunities for ag-sector networking and fundraising towards AALP Class 18’s international study tour. 

I am grateful to the foresight of the AALP network that continues to support a progressive approach to full value chain ag-sector leadership training. Thank you to the Ontario Federation of Agriculture who contributed an additional $10,000 sponsorship towards ROI fundraising efforts, to the OAC Alumni foundation that is matching 1:1 donations to the Dean R.J. McLaughlin leadership award fund up to $55,000, to AALP Class 2 that raised over $5,300 towards future-focused AALP programming and to Syngenta for additional sponsoring of a dinner speaker.

Leaning forward and giving back is the culture of the AALP network.

Happy Spring to you. I hope you enjoy this busy season full of possibility. 
Gabe Ferguson, Leadership Program Director