Greater Livingston County Chamber Alliance Leadership Livingston

Applications for the 2025-2026 Leadership Livingston cohort are due by July 30, 2026.

Program Information

Apply For Our 2026-27 Cohort!

Download Information to Share with Employers

Program Overview & Purpose

Leadership Livingston is an annual leadership development experience that runs from October through May, focused on cultivating civic-minded leaders throughout the Greater Livingston region. The program equips participants with a deeper understanding of the institutions, sectors, and systems that shape the community’s quality of life. Through a broad range of leadership topics, participants enhance both their personal and professional skills. The program delivers lasting value not only to the individuals involved, but also to their employers and the broader community.

Participant Benefits

Participants attend full-day sessions once a month over the course of six months. Each workshop is designed to strengthen leadership capabilities while providing an insider’s look at the people and places that power the region. Sessions include guided community tours and opportunities to engage with leaders from local industries, government, and nonprofits. Topics include leadership strengths, diversity and inclusion, natural resources, education, workforce development, public services, and more. Graduates walk away with a clearer understanding of how economic development, community well-being, and civic engagement intersect to shape the region’s future.

Ideal Candidates

Leadership Livingston welcomes both established and emerging leaders who are eager to make a meaningful impact in their community. Ideal candidates have a demonstrated commitment to community involvement—or a strong interest in getting involved. The program strives for a diverse cohort, drawing participants from a wide range of industries and sectors including education, healthcare, finance, manufacturing, government, arts, nonprofits, and beyond.

Employer Benefits

Employers who support their team members in participating show a strong commitment to both employee growth and community investment. In addition to enhancing their team’s leadership abilities, sponsoring organizations are recognized as forward-thinking employers who value talent development and regional progress.

Program Content

Each month participants will come together to learn about leadership from each other, community leaders, and the program facilitator. Program content includes the opportunity for self-awareness through assessments such as StrengthsFinder and DiSC; learning about time-management and self-renewal; best practices with organizational culture and employee engagement; managing conflict and using a coach approach; active listening & assertive communication; mentoring others & delegation.

Questions? Please contact the Howell Area Chamber of Commerce 517.546.3920.

Meet Your 2026 Facilitators!

Sherri Richards

Founder and CEO at Rise Consulting

Helping leaders create what’s possible, and equipping them to make it real.

For more than three decades, Sherri Richards has helped leaders and organizations navigate growth, embrace change, and build futures that matter. Her career has taken her from helping build a startup into a $2 billion division to advising more than 1,000 businesses, nonprofit organizations, entrepreneurs, and community leaders. Today, she helps leaders move from ideas to action with clarity, confidence, and purpose.

Sherri is the founder of Rise Consulting and Good Fat Life Media, Executive Director of the National Arab Orchestra, an Adjunct Professor at Cleary University, and Treasurer on several nonprofit boards. Her experience spans the boardroom, classroom, nonprofit sector, and entrepreneurial world, giving her a practical perspective that bridges industries and generations.

A Leadership Livingston alumna, Sherri is known for creating experiences, not lectures. Her interactive sessions blend practical business insight, evidence-based leadership practices, and storytelling to help participants think differently, build authentic relationships, and leave with practical strategies they can apply immediately.

At the heart of Sherri’s work is a simple belief: leadership is built one intentional decision at a time. She invites every leader to begin with one question:

What is possible?

Emily Stone-Aiello

Founder, Whole Mama Michigan

Emily Stone-Aiello, EMBA, MA, is a leadership development strategist, facilitator, entrepreneur, and founder of Whole Mama Michigan. For more than 18 years, she has designed and facilitated leadership and professional development programs that help individuals, teams, and organizations thrive through change.

Emily has partnered with organizations ranging from Fortune 500 companies to nonprofits and educational institutions, designing leadership programs focused on communication, coaching, change management, employee engagement, career development, and relationship-based leadership. Her clients have included organizations such as Uber, SAP, and leading construction firms, where she translated leadership theory into practical workplace skills.

As founder of Whole Mama Michigan, Emily built a collaborative of more than 30 local practitioners to support expecting and postpartum families, reflecting her passion for community building and bringing people together around a shared mission. She serves on the Livingston County Regional Perinatal Quality Collaborative Advisory Board and is an active member of the Brighton Area Chamber of Commerce.

Emily holds an Executive MBA, a master’s degree in Learning & Teaching with Technology from Michigan State University, and a certificate in AI & Business Strategy from MIT Sloan Executive Education. She is passionate about helping leaders navigate today’s evolving workplace by combining timeless leadership principles with resilience, relationship-centered leadership, and the thoughtful use of emerging technologies.

As a Leadership Livingston co-facilitator, Emily is committed to creating an engaging, interactive learning experience where participants build meaningful relationships, strengthen their leadership skills, and discover new ways to contribute to the Livingston County community.

On a personal note, Emily lives in Pinckney with her husband and their blended family of five boys. You can find her cheering on the boys at a football game, attending a yoga class, trying a new restaurant with friends, or sipping coffee on her back deck while planning the week ahead.

Meet Our 2024-25 Cohort

$1,500 Chamber Members

A discount for being a current member of any partner Chambers:
Greater Brighton Area Chamber, Hartland Area Chamber, and/or the Howell Area Chamber of Commerce