In honor of the Greenville Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Greenville program producing civic-minded leaders and service projects for five decades, the City of Greenville declared April 3, 2024 “Leadership Greenville Day.”

“All the credit needs to go to the Greenville Chamber and its leadership,” City Councilor John DeWorken said as he presented a proclamation to Chamber President Carlos Phillips. ”I think there’s a real bond among all the participants and leadership, to positively impact Greenville in some way.”

Since 1974, Leadership Greenville has graduated more than 2,400 people who completed nearly 80 community service-based projects. Many projects have played a key role in the development of signature Greenville staples including Falls Park on the Reedy, Heritage Green, Nicholtown Community Center and The Swamp Rabbit Trail.

“For the past 50 years, participants in the Leadership Greenville program have taken up projects that may have seemed small at the time, but they ended up being trees that were planted,” said Phillips. “Those trees are generating significant shade for our community.”

Cheryl Garrison, the Chamber’s director of talent and leadership, added that Leadership Greenville’s impact can be seen through the relationships that have formed between participants who have completed the program.

“The impact from Leadership Greenville is both individual and collective,” said Garrison. “Everyone has a different experience and they’re affected both personally, professionally, but then that allows them to contribute to the community in new and impactful ways. We see their thumbprints all over our community.”

The Chamber plans to hold an official celebration in May.

Applications for the 51st class of Leadership Greenville are open until April 12.