Class Act: Leadership OBX
An Eye-Opening ‘Back of the House’ Tour of Community Issues
by Steve Hanf / Photo Above: This Leadership OBX Hatteras Session includes a stop at Chicamacomico Lifesaving Station Historic Site to learn more about the Outer Banks lifesaving efforts and prelude to the US Coast Guard. Photo courtesy of Outer Banks Chamber of Commerce.
Lainie Reed likes to refer to herself as “a professional volunteer.” Like so many others across the Outer Banks, the long-time visitor became a resident when she retired and started looking for ways to plug in to her new community.
Just one problem: “If you look around here, the majority of us are transplants,” Reed says. “We’ve all come from somewhere wanting to accomplish something, many of us in retirement, but until you know what there is here, you sort of wander around and maybe waste time. I wanted to know what all the things were.”
After a few years of wandering, Reed learned about the Outer Banks Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership OBX program and took part in the 2018-19 class. Her group of about 25 professionals of all ages and all walks of life enjoyed a deep dive on all things Outer Banks. Her class got a sneak preview of plans for Outer Banks Health’s Cowell Cancer Center years before the building opened. They met Jenniffer Albanese at Interfaith Community Outreach. They heard from local government officials, spent time in schools, toured the Wanchese Marine Industrial Park, and so much more.
“It’s intense. You spend an awful lot of time with professionals telling you about what they do in all these areas,” Reed says. “It was the absolute best way for me to figure out how this community worked and where I could fit in as a retired professional.”
That’s why, all these years later, Reed remains one of the program’s leading ambassadors, having recommended Leadership OBX to about 10 others. It’s also why, all these years later, interest in the program remains so high. The 12th class gets started this October, and Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Karen Brown says there are some years she actually has to turn away folks.
Above: Going in to the local schools to learn about the success and challenges facing our teachers and students is an important day for the class. Photo courtesy of Outer Banks Chamber of Commerce.
“It’s very rewarding to me because people still get excited about it,” Brown says. “You’d think after 12 years you could be pulling teeth to get applications, especially in a relatively small community, but that’s not the case at all.”
Applications went out over the summer and were submitted in September. Hopefuls answer a few brief questions about their interest in the program and what critical issues they see for the OBX, commit to dedicated attendance, and pay the $600 registration fee that covers expenses for the 12 or so days they’ll spend together.
Outer Banks Health has been a presenting sponsor of the program since its inception, with other partners such as the North Carolina Aquarium and Outer Banks Community Foundation allowing for scholarships to be offered for those in the non-profit world. Last year, three high school students were included for the first time, and their fees also were waived. Pepsi is another great partner that helps with refreshments at the workshops, Brown says.
The program starts with a two-day retreat at the end of October for the class members to get to know one another and learn more about what’s to come. The sessions then begin in November and run through the graduation ceremony in April. Class members meet on Wednesdays from about 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in fascinating programs put together by Leadership OBX alumni.
“I like to call it the ‘back of the house tour’ of the community,” Brown says. “It’s interesting, because you’ll get people that have lived here forever and are like, ‘I know everything there is,’ and then they go through it and they’re really surprised at what they see and what they learn.”
One of Brown’s favorite days is the Economic Development session and the visit to Wanchese to talk to boat builders and fish house workers.
They’ll swing by the NC DOT Ferry Division operation in Manns Harbor to take in that massive operation and visit the Dare County Regional Airport in Manteo, all the while learning about economic impacts of things beyond mere tourism.
The Oregon Inlet Coast Guard Station is always a fun stop where the class learns more about the operations of this important branch of our armed services and how they work to protect the Outer Banks area.
Photos courtesy of Outer Banks Chamber of Commerce.
The Healthcare day explores Outer Banks Health, the Community Care Clinic of Dare, and places like Peak Resources and Spring Arbor. The session on Government provides insights from elected officials in various towns. Education puts the class members in different school buildings, while Public Safety offers visits to fire, police and ocean rescue crews as well as a stop at the Dare County Detention Center in Manteo.
“Social Issues is always one of the most impactful days,” Brown adds. “We try to expose them to as many of our charitable non-profits as we have so they can understand the mission of those organizations and hear a lot about the issues in the community. Hopefully, the alumni are a good pool of people for these non-profits when they’re looking for board members.”
The Environment session includes visits to the Duck Research Pier, Coastal Federation and aquarium to learn about the Sea Turtle Assistance and Rehabilitation (STAR) program. Tourism day is a big one, of course, with behind-the-scenes visits to places like the Wright Brothers National Memorial and Elizabethan Gardens.
The program also dedicates a day to all things Hatteras and all things Currituck, making it a truly immersive experience into all the challenges and celebrations across the Outer Banks. The graduation ceremony is a breakfast that includes fun awards voted on by the class members before they receive their official framed plaque that marks them as one of the 250 or so alumni of Leadership OBX.
“It’s a great way for them to connect with some of our upper-level guard in the community, learn what they’re doing, the impacts of things,” Brown says. “You want to make them better-informed citizens. When they go to the polls, they’re a better-informed voter because they know more about the issues. They might find a non-profit or a civic group that really speaks to them based on what they’ve learned here. They might even find a different career path based on what they learn or have a calling to be an elected official. You just never know.”
Kay Nickens learned about Leadership OBX from a colleague and graduated in the 2023 class. Given her role as the Public Information Officer for the Town of Duck, it was a no-brainer for Nickens to explore all the programs and possibilities throughout the community.
Learning about one great program after another did, however, prove to be a bit sobering. Yes, Nickens explains – it’s great that there are so many resources available to folks on the OBX. The flip side of that, though, is the realization that so many resources are in such demand for those who call this place home.
“When you think about the Outer Banks, you think about a beach resort, you think about people on vacation, and sometimes I feel like it gets overshadowed that this is a place where people live and work, and with that comes struggle,” Nickens says. “But just the recognition of those issues locally and seeing local organizations and local players come together and do what they can to alleviate some of the stressors to make sure people can live comfortably, it was very eye opening, and it made me proud to be part of a community that does offer so much.”
The great thing about Leadership OBX is that it’s a pay-it-forward kind of program. After learning about the Outer Banks Woman’s Club Angel Tree program, the Town of Duck has sponsored a tree through its office the last two Christmases. An informal school supply drive last fall turned into a mammoth relief effort for Hurricane Helene victims that ended with an 18-wheeler being escorted to the mountains by Duck Police.
Best of all, Nickens was inspired to start her own Leadership OBX-style program in the town called the FLOCK Academy, short for “Fundamental Lessons of Citizen Knowledge” — “I love dad jokes and puns,” Nickens admits with a laugh about the clever acronym. Over the course of six sessions, people get to hear from different Town of Duck officials and take part in activities that help them feel more engaged.
The first sessions were just open to residents. Then the free program expanded to property management company representatives and non-resident property owners. The next FLOCK Academy will be open to anyone now that Nickens is hearing from residents in other towns that they’re interested.
“While it is Duck-centric, we do follow North Carolina laws and statutes, so it’ll be applicable, and there’s definitely interest in people learning about local government,” Nickens says. “Having gone through Leadership OBX, that really gave me the foundational knowledge and the inspiration to empower people, to educate them, and then have them serve in the way they see fit, whether it’s volunteering or running for elected boards or just doing something to give back in the way that feels most satisfying and fulfilling to them.”
Steve Hanf is a former professional sportswriter who has taught the journalism classes at First Flight High School since 2015.
Author: Steve Hanf
Steve Hanf is a former professional sportswriter who has taught the journalism classes at First Flight High School since 2015.
