It’s us. And I’m good with that.
Leadership Tomorrow is a community-based leadership development program powered by Vermilion Advantage. Class 36 marks my fifth year facilitating this program—and this year, we tried something new.
We launched the Solution Summit: a four-day, design sprint-style workshop where participants identify a complex community challenge, research it in real-time, and pitch solutions to a live audience by the end of the week. It’s fast, it’s hands-on, and it’s designed to stretch both thinking and leadership capacity. We didn’t want learning about leadership—we wanted leaders in action.
Each of the 18 participants joined a small team, choosing to work on one of three critical issues:
Mental health in working adults
Workforce development and employee resiliency
Community perception and unity
They’re not just studying problems—they’re actively working them. Framing better questions, seeking local context, conducting field research, and generating momentum that lasts beyond Thursday’s final pitch.
Eight community mentors—seasoned leaders who know these issues inside and out—have stepped into this space to support, challenge, and guide. They aren’t here to give answers. They’re here to promote deeper thinking, offer real-world context, and keep each team rooted in the realities of our community. Their presence has shaped the tone of this entire experience: serious, grounded, and full of possibility.
We built the Solution Summit to model what effective facilitation looks like in the wild: inspired mentorship, structured creativity, serious inquiry, and intentional collaboration. This isn’t a PowerPoint-and-note-taking kind of week. It’s full-immersion, fast-moving, real-time strategy work. One of my favorite lines from a participant today? “No, the cavalry isn’t coming.”
He’s right. The cavalry isn’t coming. It’s us.
“No, the cavalry isn’t coming.” That’s the refrain we keep circling back to in these rooms—over flip charts and laptops and shared snacks. These aren’t theoretical issues we’re poking at. They are personal, persistent, and deeply woven into the future of our region. What’s inspiring isn’t just that these participants are willing to wrestle with them—it’s how seriously they’re taking the responsibility to do it well.
As the facilitator, I get to hold the wide-angle lens. I get to watch these leaders—some in their twenties, others with decades of experience—step into rooms filled with ambiguity and roll up their sleeves anyway. They’re giving their time, energy, and brainpower to problems no one has solved yet. And they’re doing it with humility, curiosity, and a sense of collective ownership.
By 10 a.m. this morning, on Day 2, these teams had lined up 30 in-person interviews with community leaders. The Mayor. The County Board Chair. Counselman. Superintendents. CEOs. Fundraisers. Executive Directors. Business owners. They made time—on short notice—because someone from this class called and asked.
That’s Danville.
A town where when someone says, “I care and I want to help,” and people show up to meet them at the table.
To the leaders who answered the call: thank you. Your willingness to be part of these conversations—honest, vulnerable, unscripted—is the heartbeat of this experience. These aren’t polished consultants or visiting academics. These are your neighbors, your next board members, your future collaborators. And you didn’t just tell them they mattered. You proved it.
And after today, I’m good with that.
From my seat, it’s been fascinating to watch three separate teams tackle three different issues and somehow circle around the same ideas. Collaboration. Trust. Connection. The way they speak about these challenges feels like someone layered a Venn diagram over their work—different voices, shared roots. Even on breaks, these teams are scribbling ideas and cheering each other on. It’s chaos in stereo—but a kind of chaos I’d happily recreate again and again.
This role—getting to help design this space, guide the process, and watch these teams move from uncertainty to action—it’s a privilege. And it’s a responsibility I don’t take lightly. Leadership is a verb here. And I’m honored to help bring it to life.
So if you’re wondering whether these 18 leaders will make an impact—they already are.
And this isn’t the last you’ll see of them.