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Reflecting on the Delta Force Leadership Program

EDITORS NOTE — Over the past 21 years, the Delta Force program has helped shape countless leaders, making a lasting impact on individuals, organizations, and businesses. In this retrospective, Kerry Getzloff, a member of the Class of 2024, reflects on her transformative, year-long journey in community leadership development.

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ESCANABA — When I was invited to Delta Force Leadership Program, I had no idea what the program would consist of. Before this I thought leadership was one person who was great at delegating and had all the answers. Now of course I realize that this is not the case. Leadership would be better defined as a group of people brought together for the betterment or enrichment of a project or community. If I have learned one thing in this program it’s that, “It takes a village”.

This program has ignited a passion within me to be more involved in my community. I have always found joy in helping others, and this program has opened my eyes to many opportunities for service within Delta County. Utilizing the network, knowledge and experiences I have gained from Delta Force, I plan to do my utmost to assist others and help our community.

I would also like to thank all the businesses that participated in this year’s Delta Force program. It was truly eye-opening to see what each business and organization does to service and enrich our community.

As part of this program, I was able to ride along with Delta County Sheriff Department’s Deputy Norman and be a volunteer for the active shooter training put on in August. I have worked in Delta County all my life and never realized how big the paper mill truly is, or that it generates enough power to run the city of Green Bay. It was interesting to learn about the programs the Delta Schoolcraft ISD offers. It is not just classes; they involve themselves with students learning from birth to graduation. With going to different businesses, each month, we learned how OSF has altered the way they operate so they could bring new services, clinics and doctors, to our community, eliminating the need for many to travel to further facilities. By visiting different organizations each month, we were able to experience how much these businesses truly impact our community.

It is bittersweet to be done with the Delta Force Leadership Program, I have come to quite enjoy the monthly classes of this program. For me, my favorite was the History and Culture Day. I have to say Ann Jousma Miller, made it exciting! Her passion for the history of Delta County is contagious. She told stories of Delta County’s past, like the Great Lakes pirate that lived in Escanaba, or how the Mason family was able to convince the railroad to build tracks from Minnesota to Kipling. I never knew the history of Marble Arms and the contributions Webster Marble made to not only Delta County but the world as well. I was also amazed by how our community was a vital part of World War II. As I listened to her, I started to recognize names and towns, and I found myself wanting to learn more.

Going through this program was an excellent experience, one I am proud to have shared with my fellow future-leaders of Delta County. It is my belief that we need to show some gratitude to our employers for this opportunity. They saw potential in their employees, in us, and invested their time and money to give us this experience that will enrich our lives for many years. We were taught the importance of being involved with your community and with its leaders. Each one of the graduates from Delta Force Leadership have gained a new professional network to reach out to. This only helps to improve their performance and enhance your business as well. By investing in your employees, you are developing future leaders and empowering this community.

This experience has been such a great journey to take with all the participants this year. From the impromptu jam sessions with Dr. Yin, the unforgettable experience of eating jail food (without doing something wrong), P.S. I will say this about the breakfast we ate in jail, it wasn’t bad, but it will keep me on the straight and narrow, so I never have to eat it again. Learning the different DiSC types and learning how to interact with different personalities will help in our professional and personal life as well.

To repeat, thank you to the Chamber and participating businesses this has been a great opportunity.

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