History

Saline Leadership Institute was founded in 1998 by Bill Lavery, Dan Stotz and Gretchen Driskell to help participants learn skills and tools to enhance personal, professional and community development.

Bill Lavery was the CEO of the Saline Hospital, Dan Stotz was the WCC Director of the Small Business Development Center and Gretchen Driskell was a Saline City Council Member prior to becoming the Mayor. Dan obtained a $10,000 grant from Gundar Myron, President of WCC, to fund the development of SLI which was and still is, based on Peter Senge’s Five Disciplines.

The first class, as the classes continue to be, was comprised of community members representing education, commerce, government, business and philanthropies in and around Saline. The members, along with the three individuals named above, worked together to complete the outline of what became SLI.

Each year since then, approximately 18 to 26 participants have enrolled in SLI classes, which have been held every year except one, which was used to update the curriculum. Today there are more than 400 graduates armed with practical communication tools, valuable community connections and the confidences gained through shared learning experiences to be better leaders in their homes, groups, organizations and workplaces.