Patty VanderWal Selected for U.S. Chamber Foundation Education and Workforce Fellowship Program

Patty VanderWal Selected for U.S. Chamber Foundation Education and Workforce Fellowship Program
 
Fellowship Provides State and Local Business Leaders with Opportunities to Engage Nationally on Critical Education and Workforce Issues
 
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation today announced Patty VanderWal, President of the Prattville Area Chamber of Commerce, was selected to participate in the ninth cohort of its premiere business leadership program. The Business Leads Fellowship Program trains and equips leaders from state and local chambers of commerce, economic development agencies, and trade associations with resources, access to experts, and a network of peers to build their capacity to address the most pressing education and workforce challenges.
 
“It is an honor and a privilege to be selected to be part of the Business Leads Fellowship Program cohort and represent the Prattville Area Chamber of Commerce. I am looking forward to gaining the knowledge and the connections that will enable me to implement strategies and programs to address education and workforce challenges in Prattville and Autauga County. This opportunity to work with other Chambers and Associations across the United States is invaluable and will serve to help me to implement change in the education and workforce pipeline and to be an education and workforce champion in my community,” says Patty VanderWal.
 
 
“We created the Business Leads Fellowship Program in response to the needs of our state and local chamber partners,” says Cheryl Oldham, Senior Vice President of the Center for Education and Workforce. “They, better than anyone, see the critical link between education and economic development, and we are glad to be able to support them as they take on this critical leadership role in their community.”
 
Following a competitive application and selection process, Patty was selected along with 34 other state and local chamber executives, economic development professionals, and association leaders to participate in the ninth class of this program. The eight-month program, consisting of both in person and virtual meetings, will cover the entire talent pipeline, including early childhood education, K-12, postsecondary education, and workforce development.
 
Upon completion, Business Leads Fellows will join the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s dedicated network of over 300 chambers of commerce and statewide associations from around the nation who regularly engage on education and workforce initiatives.
  
For more information on the Business Leads Fellowship Program, visit the program’s website.
 
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