The Bonita Springs Area Chamber of Commerce announced the graduation of its 18th class of Leadership Bonita. The 2016-17 Leadership Bonita Class graduated on February 3 at a ceremony hosted by Vi at Bentley Village.

Leadership Bonita is a professional development program designed to guide and empower community leaders. Leadership Bonita is proud to boast more than 300 graduates of the program since its inception in 1999. During this year’s nine-month program, Leadership Bonita students took 12, day-long discovery trips for an in-depth look at different aspects of the Bonita Springs community. Topics included economic development, social issues, healthcare, tourism, education and workforce, government, infrastructure and the Southwest Florida region.

The Chamber acknowledges this year’s Leadership Stewards, Bonita Community Health Center, Vi at Bentley Village and Costco-Estero, for their support of the program. The class program co-chairs were Tom Barber, Jay Caudill, Tony Lee and Jim Murphy.

Applications for the 2017-18 Leadership Bonita class are now open. The deadline to apply is April 21 at 5 p.m. The application is available online at www.BonitaSpringsChamber.com and by request from Cindy@BonitaSpringsChamber.com. Interested parties may also call the Chamber at (239) 992-2943 with questions.

2016-17 Leadership Bonita Graduating Class: 

Angela Snyder — Lee Health

Anne Wright — City of Bonita Springs

Beverly Pickens — Star Construction & Restoration

Carrie Reynolds — FineMark National Bank & Trust

Colleen Colligan — Bonita Community Health Center

Craig Barber — Shikany’s Bonita Funeral Home

Craig Momany — Physicians Regional Healthcare System

Erica Sills — Vi at Bentley Village

Jack Pohlman — Wiltshire, Whitley, Richardson & English

James Bogliole — Lee County Office of the Sheriff

Jeff Clarke — The Salvation Army

Jennifer Mayotte — NCH Healthcare System

Jessica DiGiorgio — Wiebel, Hennells & Carufe

Juliana Garcia — Naples Harley Davidson

Katie Schweikhardt — Meals of Hope

Kim Pokarney — Naples Daily News

Kim Droud — Kathleen Wilson, M.D.

Linda Hammer — John R. Wood Properties

Lisa Gendron — Bonita Springs Fire Control District

Mike Kelly — Estero United Methodist Church

Ray Atkinson                       

Ross Dickmann — The Terraces at Bonita Springs

Sean Gibbons — CH2M

Shady Wheeler — TLC Marketing & Creative Services

Shelly Chitwood — CenturyLink