Northeast Leadership Forum Newsletter
AUGUST 2018
Greetings from your NLF Chair, Jim Griffin
Let's Continue to Stay Focused, Engaged and Intentional
 
     School has started, meaning life has returned to its usual flow for most of us. Vacations are pretty much over, with the exception of some last-minute trips over Labor Day weekend. High school and college football kick off this weekend, and hopefully cooler temperatures will follow soon behind. 
    In the midst of summer craziness, we are pleased that NLF has continued its steadfast focus on leadership. Along these lines, we have offered and provided scholarships for participants in each of Northeast Tarrant County's leadership programs.
     Our Heart of North Texas Business Conference is taking shape. The title, "New Horizons - Demystifying the Future Together," promises to be a very enlightening topic. This year's event has moved to the Hurst Conference Center and will be held on Friday, November 16. 
    This month's NLF breakfast was particularly informative, as our panel of Cindy Williams, Don Binnicker and George Cannata addressed both the current state and the future of Child Protective Services. We thank our chair-elect, Vanessa Copeland, for identifying yet another timely topic that addresses a pressing need in Northeast Tarrant County. 
    Below, please take a minute to read about one of our emerging leaders, Corey Fickes, who is a partner in the Linebarger Law Firm. He also serves as a board member for United Way of Tarrant County. 
    Enjoy the unofficial last week of summer, and I look forward to seeing you at our breakfast on October 16, when our program will be "The Entrepreneurial Project for Tarrant County." Our two presenters will be Eli Mercer, the Dean of Technology, Health and Business at TCC NE, and Hannah Behrens, a sales associate at Briggs Freeman Sotheby's. Hannah also works with Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price on the board of Sister Cities International. 
    I want to continue to thank to each of you for your commitment and passion to the region, to NLF and to identifying and encouraging new leaders in Northeast Tarrant County and with NLF. If I can help you in any way, always feel free to reach out to me at (817) 456-7862  or [email protected].   
-- Jim

When someone asks you, "What does NLF do?", this response  invites the person to want to learn more:

"We help develop new leaders and provide valuable connections  to help them succeed. 
We also strive to publicly recognize  the truly outstanding leaders in our community."

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Emerging Leaders Profile: Corey Fickes
     
   Corey Fickes is a partner with the Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson, LLP Law Firm, where he has ten years' experience representing governmental entities. He grew up in Tarrant County, attending school in Grapevine and Southlake, eventually graduating from Carroll High School. 
   He is a member of the Tarrant County Bar Association and is active with several local school districts' education foundations. He also serves on the board of United Way of Tarrant County, where he chairs the governance committee and sits on the executive committee. Corey has previously co-chaired United Way's Education Council and has served as a commissioner for the City of Fort Worth Appeals Board.
    He has attended NLF meetings and events for nearly 15 years and is a familiar face to all of us. Corey earned his Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from Texas A&M, and his Doctor of Jurisprudence from the Texas Tech Law School.
    Corey and his wife Kacey reside in Fort Worth with their two children, Evie and Jack. They attend University Christian Church in Fort Worth.
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August Meeting Focused on Child Protective Services
 
   Our August breakfast program featured three highly respected professionals who deal with Child Protective Services: Cindy M. Williams, Assistant Criminal District Attorney for Tarrant County; Don G. Binnicker, CEO/Executive Director of CASA of Tarrant County; and George Cannata, Regional Director for Child Protective Services of Region 3 West.
    Their presentation shared statistics and stories that helped our NLF audience realize the depth of CPS's responsibilities and the rapidly growing need for its services in our community. Some of the most surprising revelations were: 
* There were 22,000 (No, that is NOT a typo - 22 THOUSAND) intakes of children in Tarrant County last year, meaning child abuse and unsafe living conditions are not uncommon issues 
* There were 5,630 confirmed child victims in 2017 
* Currently, there are 1,100 children in foster care in Tarrant County
* Each month, 55 children move into foster care, with approximately 25% moving in with relatives
* Other communities look to Tarrant County as a positive example because of the high level of cooperation among the District Attorney's office, CASA and Child Protective services
* Tarrant County is piloting a new model of foster care where children are left in their own community and, whenever possible, kept together with their siblings
* An emerging trend in foster care is the potential privatization of services

    Case workers have extremely stressful jobs as they make life-changing decisions that impact vulnerable children. If you know or meet a case worker or foster parent, please remember to thank them for their service. We appreciate Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson, LLP, for sponsoring our breakfast.

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October Breakfast Features "The Entrepreneurial Project"

     We hope to see you at our October 16 Breakfast Meeting, when two outstanding authorities will share how Tarrant County is encouraging the growth of local entrepreneurs. 
    Hannah Behrens has been a Realtor® for 13 years, first at Keller Williams Realty and now at Briggs Freeman Sotheby's International Realty. She is also a board member of Sister Cities International and leads efforts with Fort Worth city leaders to help develop a healthy entrepreneurship ecosystem. 
    Eli Mercer serves as Dean of Technology, Health and Business at Tarrant County College Northeast Campus. He has been Academic Director of a leadership program at the University of Texas at Austin and was Manager of Technology Transfer and Commercialization at IC2 Institute at the University of Texas. He also founded and is a principal in Genesis Consulting and 3D Innovation Labs. 
    We look forward to hearing their insights on how the Tarrant County area is anticipating and reaching the needs of existing and emerging entrepreneurs. 
    Please remember that we meet at the Hurst Conference Center at 1610 Campus Drive. We look forward to seeing you at 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday, October 16. Please RSVP to 817-205-2334 or email [email protected].  

Sponsor:

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NLF Provides Scholarships for Area Leadership Programs

     For the second consecutive year, Northeast Leadership Forum has funded scholarships to pay half the tuition of participants in leadership programs for our area chambers of commerce. 
    "Northeast Leadership Forum helps community leaders network together through our breakfasts, the Heart of North Texas Conference and our annual meeting," says NLF President, Jim Griffin. "We are continuing the program that Bob Golden initiated last year because we want to help identify and educate emerging leaders. We have already seen some leadership program graduates become members of NLF, and we hope that our Emerging Leaders platform will help welcome more of them into the organization."' 
    NLF is partnering with the following chambers in offering scholarships: Colleyville, Grapevine, Keller, HEB, Northeast Tarrant, Northwest Metroport and Southlake. 
    We have also provided a half-scholarship to an NLF member participating in Leadership North Texas, the regional leadership program administered through the North Texas Commission.                            
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Heart of Texas Conference Announces Theme

     The Heart of North Texas Conference has moved to a later date this year, so please mark your calendar for Friday, November 16 -- two weeks later than in previous years. The new date was selected to accommodate our move to the Hurst Conference Center. 
    Entitled "New Horizons - Demystifying the Future Together," the conference will focus on how emerging technologies will change our current and future business models.  Our conference team is finalizing speakers and panels. The luncheon keynote speech is titled "Emerging Technologies and the Internet of Things." Workshop topics will feature a heavy technology emphasis and will address: 
* Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality 
* Cyber security 
* Crypto currency 
* Video surveillance 
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Call for Your Sponsorship Opportunities

     We thank board member RaDonna Hessel, CEO of the Grapevine Chamber of Commerce, for creating the draft of a total sponsorship package that allows members to combine their NLF sponsorships in a single invoice rather than consider sponsorships one at a time.  Once we complete the package, members may combine their sponsorships for any or all of the following events and programs, starting with our Heart of North Texas: 
* Breakfast meetings (four available) 
* Annual Meeting (Date TBD in spring 2019, multiple sponsorships available) 
* Heart of North Texas Conference (November 16, multiple sponsorships available) 
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Continuing to Attract New Members

     We will bring new member applicants to our next board meeting as Northeast Leadership Forum continues to grow. 
    As you interact with established and emerging business and community leaders who impress you, please invite them to our next meeting, which will be the breakfast at the Hurst Conference Center on Tuesday, October 16. 
    Membership is the lifeblood of our organization. If you may know of any prospective members, please click here to access the Northeast Leadership Forum membership application. We want both established and emerging leaders to continue joining our organization to further the dynamic growth of Northeast Tarrant County. 

Mark Your Calendar

  • Tuesday, October 16, 7:30 a.m.: Membership breakfast meeting at the Hurst Conference Center
  • Friday, Nov. 16, 8:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.: Heart of North Texas Conference at the Hurst Conference Center
  • Date TBD: Annual Banquet & Award Luncheon featuring Jim "Mattress Mack" McIngvale
 Fletcher Consulting  | 500 Grapevine Highway, #362, Hurst, TX 76054   [email protected]