Lakeland Business Guide 2019 Chamber Guide_2019 | Page 72

CHUCK McDANAL Leadership Lakeland’s current chair-elect played a pivotal role in her leadership and eventually led her to lead this year’s class and serve as the chair of the Lakeland Chamber of Commerce. “[Leadership Lakeland] is a part of who I am now and how I got here. It’s not just another management training program,” says McDanal. “It connects you in a meaningful way to other leaders in your class, and to your community. It touches your life and changes you.” McDanal is chair-elect for the upcoming Leadership Lakeland class and looks forward to giving back to the program that has greatly enriched his life. He looks forward to seeing “the city again with a new perspective and to have an opportunity to give back what the Chamber’s program gave to me. I can only hope that my time as chair allows me to have an impact on people the way mine did, and the way Michelle is doing now.” Leadership Lakeland has become an established program that intentionally invests in each leader that has the privilege of going through a class. With each new class, participants are not only given deeper understanding of what exists within Lakeland, but how they can play a valuable role in its continued growth. As Battle says, “We have something special, and I believe that our city is rapidly growing and improving due to unified leaders that come through this program.” 72