Our Blog

Shafer Leadership Academy Seeks Community Engagement and Inclusion Director

12 Nov 2021

Muncie Nonprofit Shafer Leadership Academy is seeking a Community Engagement and Inclusion Director to build relationships with underserved communities across East Central Indiana, with a specific focus on growing its network within Delaware County. The Community Engagement and Inclusion Director will serve as a brand ambassador, working to connect underrepresented…

Muncie Daughter Calls You to Consider your Bias in the Workplace

Blog, Stories of Leadership

2 Nov 2021

Charlize Jamieson sat in the pews of College Avenue United Methodist Church a few months ago and heard the pastor say from the podium: “Transgender individuals are not God’s mistake; They are God’s miracle.” “I couldn’t believe what I was hearing,” said Jamieson, who grew up and has lived 45-plus…

How Dustin Humm, owner of eKeeper Systems, has achieved a “higher degree of sanity” by working with Shafer

Blog, Stories of Leadership

24 Aug 2021

“It was getting to the point where I would put in 200 to 250 hours a month, month after month, for years,” said Dustin Humm, owner of eKeeper Systems. “Working 250 hours is not healthy.” Founded in 2004, the Yorktown-based IT services company that began with a handful of employees…

From immigrant to Muncie City Council member: Ro Selvey is proving that hard work and dedication pays off

Blog, Stories of Leadership

4 Aug 2021

From the first day, she arrived in Muncie seeking refuge from her native Lebanon—immigrating from a bitter civil war that left her homeland in ruins—Roza “Ro” Selvey has been on a mission to give back to the community that supports her. “I came to the U.S. in my early 20’s…

How Ivy Tech’s Terri Sanders is training student leaders with inspiration from life, Shafer Leadership Academy, and Spider-Man

Blog, Stories of Leadership

12 Jun 2021

It was the fall of 2020. Twelve Ivy Tech Community College students from the Muncie campus had been selected to participate in the Student Leadership Academy, an annual 10-week leadership training program. Participants would be rewarded with a three-credit scholarship. As Assistant Director of Student Support & Development, it was…

Muncie Youth Stock ReFreeGerator on Southside

Blog, SLA News

5 May 2021

More than 30 high school students lead innovative project to combat food insecurity. Masked high school students gathered around an unplugged refrigerator painted with vibrant pastel triangles. They took turns packing nonperishable food items into every tray and compartment, then they left. A week later, the refrigerator was gone. “It…

‘I found my why at Emergence’

Blog, Stories of Leadership

5 Apr 2021

Shafer Leadership Academy program helped Dorica Young-Watson find her voice. The kids in Dorica Young-Watson’s third-grade class excitedly shared their costumes for the school Halloween parade, a highlight of Young-Watson’s year. “I’m going to be Wonder Woman,” she announced, proudly. “You can’t be Wonder Woman,” a boy stated, matter-of-factly. “Wonder…

From campaign boot camp to building better government: How Jeff Robinson and Shafer Leadership Academy are taking ECI to the next level

Blog, Stories of Leadership

25 Mar 2021

Like many people who live in the community they grew up in, Jeff Robinson had a lot of ideas for what Muncie needed. He got involved any way he knew how, serving on committees and taking on leadership roles in local organizations. But in 2018, he started wondering whether it…