Apr 4, 2019 5 min read

In 1998, Greater Washington County Chamber of Commerce and United Way partnered to create Leadership Washington Co. (LWC). Since then, more than 300 local leaders have graduated the class. Their alumni are represented among the top leadership of Washington County area businesses, and 75 percent of them sit on, or have sat on, nonprofit and government boards of directors.

Katie Unger-Chipps is the executive director for LWC with more than five years of experience in the nonprofit arena and 14 years in the pharmaceutical industry, holding positions in analytical account management and team leading. Katie worked for three years as a category development analyst and account manager for Lever Brothers Inc., after graduating from Bowling Green State University in Ohio. She then left the soap industry and worked the next 12 years in the pharmaceutical industry for Pharmacia Inc. and Pfizer Inc.

We found Unger-Chipps at Chicco Bacello in Washington, where she often sets up a portable office and enjoys a hot cup of coffee, and talked about LWC, which will mark its 20th class in September.

What are some of the qualities of a good leader?

I think one of the best qualities of a good leader is the ability to listen. I think another quality of a good leader is someone who is open to the possibility of change. Leadership, to me, is a collective word. There is no “I” in leader. A leader is only as good as the team they build around them.

What is the goal of Leadership Washington County?

Leadership Washington County’s model focuses on transformational leadership, which creates value and positive change in individuals both personally and professionally.

Who is eligible to participate in Leadership Washington County?

LWC participants are mangers, directors, vice presidents and small business owners who are selected from both public- and private-sector businesses operating within the greater Washington County area. Each class has a rich diversity of participants, including those from large companies, small companies, nonprofit and for-profit businesses, government entities and sales and service operations.

How do participants benefit from Leadership Washington County?

LWC not only inspires our class participants to be leaders in the community, it broadens professional networks that expand and create business opportunities. Their three-tiered approach makes LWC unique among leadership management programs. LWC focuses on individual development through strength-based learning to enhance participants’ leadership skills at work and in their personal lives.

What is LWC’s three-tiered approach?

Our program focuses on three areas: leading self, leading business and leading the community. Stephanie Masters, a CliftonStrengths certified coach and organizational development consultant specializing in employee development, leads the participants through nine sessions of strength-based learning to gain a better understanding of self-awareness, self-regulation, and to learn to lead with intent and impact. The participants also interact and network with area business leaders to gain a better understanding of the region’s culture, economics, government, health system and education for current and future development. Finally, LWC has developed a six-part training series to educate participants about the responsibilities of being a nonprofit board member and the importance of getting involved in the community through a community class project.

What organizations has LWC helped in the past, and which nonprofit was chosen this year?

Each year, the class participates in a community class project that positively impacts and supports a Washington County nonprofit organization. This year the 2018-19 class is supporting Dress for Success. Previous nonprofits we’ve selected include Junior Achievement of Washington Co., Legacies Alive, the Washington Citywide Development Corporation – Main Street Project, Blessings in a Backpack, the Greater Washington Food Bank, a youth leadership conference for Washington County High Schools, Women’s & Girl’s Foundation and (we’ve also) developed a curriculum for Coaching Boys to Men in area high schools.

How many participants are accepted into the program annually?

Between 20 and 25 people. We prefer to keep our classes smaller to provide an intimate setting to maximize relationship-building among participants and business leaders.

What has been the response from participants?

Since 2015, we have asked alumni if they would recommend the LWC program to a colleague or peer, and 100 percent of the participants who responded said yes.

Like many of the leaders who have gone through the program, you have used your skills and talents to promote an organization or event that will benefit the community. Can you share yours?

Heart disease is the number one killer among women. I’m a big proponent of the Red Dress program, and for a very short time, I helped with the Red Dress campaign in Pittsburgh. But I do believe in good health, and … I’m currently serving as co-chair for the Washington Health System Charity Ball. I feel passionately about community hospitals, and while I spent a lot of my time in the pharmaceutical industry at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, I truly value the impact of a community hospital. They are economic drivers and provide quality health care to the people they serve. I believe we are very fortunate in this area to have Washington Health System and, in fact, the capital campaign we’re working on right now is to fully renovate the women’s health unit inside WHS Washington Hospital, which includes labor and delivery, postpartum recovery and women-related surgeries.