Greater Livingston County Chamber Alliance Leadership Livingston
Program Description
Program Overview & Purpose:
Leadership Livingston is an annual leadership development experience that runs from October through May, focused on cultivating civic-minded leaders throughout the Greater Livingston region. The program equips participants with a deeper understanding of the institutions, sectors, and systems that shape the community’s quality of life. Through a broad range of leadership topics, participants enhance both their personal and professional skills. The program delivers lasting value not only to the individuals involved, but also to their employers and the broader community.
Participant Benefits:
Participants attend full-day sessions once a month over the course of six months. Each workshop is designed to strengthen leadership capabilities while providing an insider’s look at the people and places that power the region. Sessions include guided community tours and opportunities to engage with leaders from local industries, government, and nonprofits. Topics include leadership strengths, diversity and inclusion, natural resources, education, workforce development, public services, and more. Graduates walk away with a clearer understanding of how economic development, community well-being, and civic engagement intersect to shape the region’s future.
Ideal Candidates:
Leadership Livingston welcomes both established and emerging leaders who are eager to make a meaningful impact in their community. Ideal candidates have a demonstrated commitment to community involvement—or a strong interest in getting involved. The program strives for a diverse cohort, drawing participants from a wide range of industries and sectors including education, healthcare, finance, manufacturing, government, arts, nonprofits, and beyond.
Employer Benefits:
Employers who support their team members in participating show a strong commitment to both employee growth and community investment. In addition to enhancing their team’s leadership abilities, sponsoring organizations are recognized as forward-thinking employers who value talent development and regional progress.
Program Content:
Each month, participants will come together for interactive sessions that focus on developing leadership skills through shared experiences, insights from local leaders, and expert guidance from the program facilitator. The curriculum includes self-assessment tools like StrengthsFinder and DiSC to foster greater self-awareness. Participants will also explore topics such as effective time management, personal renewal, and strategies for building positive organizational culture. Other key areas of focus include employee engagement, conflict resolution, coaching techniques, active listening, assertive communication, mentoring, and delegation. These sessions are designed to provide practical tools that participants can apply immediately in both professional and community leadership roles.
Questions? Please contact the Greater Brighton Area Chamber of Commerce at 810.227.5086.
Meet our 2026/2027 Facilitators
Tuition
$1,500 per participant for Alliance Members.
$1,700 per participant for future Alliance Members
Tuition is deductible under the Internal Revenue Service Code as a business expense. Organizations with multiple applicants will receive a tuition discount of $200 per applicant.
Tuition is payable to the Greater Livingston County Chamber Alliance and is deductible under the Internal Revenue Service Code as a business expense.Â
Session Dates for 2026-2027
Tuesday, October 13, 2026
Kick-off Lunch & Leadership Foundations
9:00am- 3:00pm
Tuesday, November 10, 2026
Strategic Planning
9:00am – 3:00pm
Tuesday, December 8, 2026
County Services Date
9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Tuesday, January 12, 2027
Workforce & Education Day
9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Tuesday, February 8, 2027
Non-profit Day
9:00am-3:00pm
Tuesday, March 9, 2027
Government Day
9:00am-3:00pm
State Capital Tour & Meeting with Leadership
Tuesday, April 13, 2027
Certified Tourism Ambassador Day
9:00am-3:30 pm
Tuesday, May 11, 2027
Graduation Day
9:00am – Noon
Howell Opera House
Emily Stone-Aiello, EMBA, MA, is a leadership development strategist, facilitator, entrepreneur, and founder of Whole Mama Michigan. For more than 18 years, she has designed and facilitated leadership and professional development programs that help individuals, teams, and organizations thrive through change.
Emily has partnered with organizations ranging from Fortune 500 companies to nonprofits and educational institutions, designing leadership programs on topics including communication, coaching, change management, employee engagement, career development, and relationship-based leadership. Her clients have included organizations such as Uber, SAP, and a top construction firm, where she developed learning experiences that translated leadership theory into practical workplace skills.
As founder of Whole Mama Michigan, Emily has also built a thriving collaborative of more than 30 local practitioners to provide holistic support for expecting and postpartum families, demonstrating her passion for community building, entrepreneurship, and bringing people together around a shared mission. She serves on the Livingston County Regional Perinatal Quality Collaborative Advisory Board and is an active member of the Brighton Area Chamber of Commerce.
Emily holds an Executive MBA, a master's degree in Learning & Teaching with Technology from Michigan State University, and a certificate in AI & Business Strategy from MIT Sloan Executive Education. She is passionate about helping leaders navigate today's rapidly changing workplace by combining timeless leadership principles with modern topics such as resilience, relationship-centered leadership, and the thoughtful use of emerging technologies.
Meet Sherri Richards
Helping leaders create what's possible, and equipping them to make it real.
For more than three decades, Sherri Richards has helped leaders and organizations navigate growth, embrace change, and build futures that matter. Her career has taken her from helping build a startup into a $2 billion division to advising more than 1,000 businesses, nonprofit organizations, entrepreneurs, and community leaders. Today, she brings that experience to every room she enters, helping leaders move from ideas to action with clarity, confidence, and purpose. Sherri is the founder of Rise Consulting and Good Fat Life Media, Executive Director of the National Arab Orchestra, an Adjunct Professor at Cleary University, and Treasurer on several nonprofit boards. Her work spans the boardroom, the classroom, the nonprofit sector, and the entrepreneurial world, giving her a practical perspective on leadership that bridges industries, generations, and communities. A Leadership Livingston alumna, Sherri is known for creating experiences, not lectures. Her energetic, highly interactive sessions blend practical business insight, evidence-based leadership practices, and the power of storytelling to help participants think differently, build authentic relationships, and leave equipped with practical strategies they can apply immediately. At the heart of Sherri's work is a simple belief: leadership is built one intentional decision at a time. She invites every leader to begin with one question: