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Leadership Shelby County kicked off its 30th anniversary year at the program’s annual alumni breakfast on Tuesday, Aug. 20, celebrating the past and welcoming the new class who will continue to build a bright future in the county. (Reporter Photo/Alec Etheredge)

By ALEC ETHEREDGE | Publisher

NORTH SHELBY – With leaders spanning 30 years packed into the Jefferson State Community College Judy Merritt Building on Tuesday, Aug. 20, the Leadership Shelby County organization officially kicked off its 30th anniversary celebration at the annual alumni breakfast.

In addition to leaders from the past 30 years gathering to reconnect and claim they are officially part of “the best class ever,” the members of the class of 2025 who are about to embark on the journey were introduced.

“We are celebrating 30 years of Leadership Shelby County,” said class of 2024 graduate and Shelby County District Attorney Prosecutor Brooke Grigsby. “That’s amazing. Good programs last 5-10 years, right? Exceptional programs are still standing and going strong after 30 years and I have no doubt the best is yet to come.”

Grigsby, who has worked with the DA’s office for the past six years and has been with the state for 20 years, has a unique perspective on the program as a two-time graduate.

“I am a graduate of last year’s class, so you may be wondering why I am the speaker today, and I am kind of wondering myself,” she said with a laugh. 

Grigsby then flashed back to 1999 and the beginning of Youth Leadership Shelby County.

“My connection to Leadership did not begin in 2024,” she said. “In 1999, I was one of four juniors at Shelby County High School selected to be in the inaugural class of Youth Leadership Shelby County and that is where my journey with Leadership began. Now, here we are 25 years later, going strong, and I am really proud to be a part of this organization and here with you today.”

In her 25-year gap, there were some emotions and words that held true this past year as an adult going through the class that she dind’t know were as important back at the age of 16.

“I remember walking into the 4H Center 25 years ago, as 16-year-old Brooke, who looked very similar,” she said with a laugh. “I was anxious, excited, nervous and intimidated. I don’t remember a lot to be honest, but there is something that stuck out. There was a gentleman speaking to us. He kept saying, ‘You are the future of Shelby County’ and pointing to us, ‘You all are the future of our county.’”

She said, at 16, it wasn’t something that really resonated. Jokingly, she said she was probably thinking about excelling at the ropes course that afternoon and taking down the guys, but the words spoken that day, now ring truer than ever.

“Those words didn’t fall on deaf ears,” Grigsby said. “Fast forward 25 years later, I am walking into the same 4H Center this time last year for our adult retreat. As I walk in and look around the room, I immediately feel all of the same emotions that 16-year-old Brooke felt. I was anxious, I was nervous, I was excited and a little intimidated. It didn’t take long in that moment, after I started talking with my classmates, that I immediately felt relief. I felt calm and welcome. I got to learn about everybody’s experiences that were oddly enough similar to mine. We had all worked really hard to get where we are, we had all failed miserably at some point, we had all had triumphs and successes, and we had all had a lot of growth. You recognize really fast, that despite all of the differences in personality and lifestyle, education, whether you’re introverted or extroverted, we all had a common thread—everybody was genuinely invested in this county, in their communities and everybody wanted to be there. It wasn’t about the me.”

Those words were echoed by Leadership Shelby County Alumni Board President Dr. Resia Brooks as she opened the event and introduced another special speaker.

“It’s great to reconnect with friends, make new friends and make more connections,” she said. “One thing that is unique about this organization is that we are all leaders who love Shelby County and love to be able to better serve our area and the place we call home. You are in for an amazing experience this year, learning more about all of the beauty and resources and opportunity that Shelby County provides. I absolutely love Shelby County. I am blessed to live here and work here, and I know you feel the same.”

She then introduced class of 2024 Youth Leadership Shelby County graduate Aiden Poe.

A senior at Vincent and an Air Force Academy commit, Poe is a two-sport athlete, playing football and earning the Shelby County Pitcher of the Year award in baseball the last two years

“I am so honored to be a graduate of Youth Leadership Shelby County,” he said. “This program has been the most influential part of my development as an adult and in my high school experience.”

Poe said the Leadership Shelby organization has been instrumental in his growth toward the future.

“Not only is this program a great learning experience, but people truly respect it,” he said. “It is an honor to have graduated from this program. I haven’t submitted an application to a job, a program or even the Air Force Academy without mentioning this 2-3 times. People really respect what is done in this program.”

More than that, however, he said it’s the leadership qualities and the love for your community that really makes the program special.

“I am committed to the Air Force Academy where every person there is expected to lead other leaders,” he said. “Similarly, here in Leadership Shelby County, you are expected to do the same thing. You are chosen as one of the best leaders in your county in the best county in the state. It is honorable to be able to do that. To the leaders who are beginning this year’s journey soon, appreciate the time you have with these great people around you.”

Grigsby, who followed Poe, shared similar sentiment, letting the class of 2025 know that it is a commitment on those days you have to miss work for the program, but she challenged them to make it a priority, tying back to the words spoken to her as a 16-year-old nearly 26 years ago.

“Make it a point to make it a priority,” she said. “Go and invest. You are not 16-year-old Brooke who is being told, ‘You are the future of our county.’ You are the now of our county. Take it all in, enjoy it and be present.”

The Leadership Shelby County class of 2025 includes:

-Alesha Smith

-Angelica Melendez

-Anna Catherine Roberson

-Austin Brooks

-Brent Sugg

-Brooke McKinley

-Courtney Bentley

-Courtney Chism

-Daniel Phillips

-Douglas White

-Jason Dickerson

-Jason Picklesimer

-Jesslan Wilson

-Jody Tallie

-John Beatty

-Judson Barnes

-LeAnn Streetman

-Maranda Johnson

-Marisa Pinchin-Polk

-Mark Endfinger

-Meribeth Gilbert

-Michelle Grill

-Nedra Moore

-Reid Knight

-Scott Gossett

-Shaun Styers

-TiJauna Halsey

-Trey Simpson

-Tyrus Kidd

-Val crofts

-Watson Houghston

-Wes Hester

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