Cultivating today's leaders to serve tomorrow's community
Leading Self, Others, and the Community
Who we are:
Leadership Marshall County is the center of leadership innovation in the county engaging and building bridges across multiple and diverse sectors among all generations to create opportunities for personal and professional growth.
What we do:
Leadership Marshall County cultivates emerging and existing community leaders and builds leadership skills in participants to be a value-add to their organization and to the county as a whole.
Elevate 28 Leadership Projects
Elevate Class 29
Focused Leadership
FOCUSED LEADERSHIP
LEADER SELF-MANAGEMENT
Leaders become more effective by enhancing self-awareness and self-regulation. Self-awareness includes understanding their own strengths, blind spots, and styles.
LEAD AND EMPOWER
Leaders become more effective by knowing when to provide direction and when to empower others to make their own decisions.
LEAD THE TEAM | COMMUNITY DANCE
Leaders become more effective by enhancing their ability to be systems thinkers that can read and respond to the rhythms and patterns of their teams/communities.
Meet Our Directors
Matthew Celmer – Program Director
A South Bend native, Matthew Celmer has lived and worked in Marshall County for the past 10 years. He received his bachelor’s in Communication Studies from Loyola University Chicago and his master’s in Liberal Studies from Indiana University South Bend. He has been Director of MoonTree Studios at the Center at Donaldson for the past eight years and part-time instructor at Marian University’s Ancilla College for the past five. Serving for One Marshall County since 2019, Matthew currently sits on the Executive, Governance, and Quality of Place Committees. He has leadership training from the American Red Cross, Americorps, Fetzer Institute, Deeptime Network, National Youth Leadership Conference, and International Student Leadership Institute. A graduate of LMC Class 29, Matthew continues to work with former LMC Director, John Yeager on his Courage Keepers leadership program.
Thomas Kinnaird – Emerge Program Director
Thomas originally hails from east central Indiana, from a Plymouth-sized town called New Castle. He moved to Mishawaka to attend Bethel College, where he graduated in 2007 with a major in Biblical Studies and a minor in music. After graduation, he decided to try substitute teaching and fell in love with working in the public school system. After working a couple years as a special education aide in Mishawaka schools, he went back to Bethel to earn an elementary education license and was hired to teach 4th grade at Webster Elementary School in Plymouth. He taught there for 6 years and then made a switch to work in the mental health field at Bowen Center, where he worked for 6 years–4 years in a Skills Coach role and 2 years in various roles aimed at improving the systems of care in Marshall County for individuals experiencing incarceration and substance use disorder. In August 2024, Thomas accepted the counselor role at Culver Elementary School, bringing together his passions for public education and mental health. He has worked with kids and teens in various settings for over 20 years and has developed passion for character and leadership development. Thomas is very excited to be co-leading the LMC Emerge program.
Michael Delp- Emerge Program Assistant
Michael Delp is a dedicated lifelong resident of Marshall County. He graduated from Plymouth High School in 1994 and went on to earn a bachelor’s in mathematics education from Taylor University in 1998. Michael returned to his alma mater, where he devoted 25 years to serving his community as a math teacher, coach, and administrator.
As a coach, he guided numerous PHS athletes to championship success, including multiple state-level appearances across various sports. He furthered his education by obtaining a master’s degree and Administrative Licensing from Indiana Wesleyan University.
In his role as a school administrator, Michael co-launched the award-winning Weidner School of Inquiry, a Project-Based Learning Environment at Plymouth High School. Following in his grandfather’s footsteps, he became the school’s Athletic Director, where he navigated the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and successfully increased the PHS athletic office annual funding by nearly $50,000. This effort enabled all Plymouth Community School students to attend athletic events for free.
Recently, Michael transitioned from public education to the private sector, taking on the role of Utility Team Leader & Trainer at ITAMCO, which is a world class Gear Manufacture right here in Marshall County. He is very excited to collaborate and co-facilitate with Thomas Kinnard to nurture the next generation of community leaders through the LMC Emerge program.
Meet Our Committee Chairs
Leadership Marshall County’s Committee Chairs are energetic and dynamic professionals who set the strategic direction of the organization. They are Alumni/ae of the program and each member serves in the ongoing operation of LMC.
Allie Shook – LLN Executive Director
Allie, a Class 26 alumni, grew up in Plymouth, Indiana and attended Plymouth Schools and Indiana University Bloomington for undergrad. She moved back to Plymouth after graduating from IU and presently still live here. She is the Executive Director of Marshall County Lifelong Learning Network. Allie also serves on the Marshall County Board of Health, Plymouth Community School Corporation School Board, and Discover Plymouth. She says, “Participating in LMC was a great experience for me. It allowed me the opportunity to meet and network with others and learn about how I could better myself in all facets of life.”
Megan Rogers – LMC Committee Chair
Megan, a Class 27 alumni, grew up in South Bend and has been a Plymouth resident for 8 years. She is the Northwest Region Volunteer Supervisor for SHIP (State Health Insurance Assistance Program), an organization that is grant funded to provide free and impartial Medicare assistance. She covers 11 counties and work with around 90 SHIP volunteers. Besides LMC, Megan serves as a volunteer guardian advocate for an individual in a Marshall County nursing home. She is also the Marshall County Area Director for the Aging Connections networking group. Megan says, “Being part of LMC has opened my eyes to different ways to be involved in the community, gotten me out of my comfort zone, and allowed me to learn more about other professions than just what is in the social services realm.”
Eric Ferguson – LMC Marketing Committee Chair
Eric, a Class 28 alumni, grew up in Marshall County and currently resides in Plymouth, Indiana. After college Eric started working at Teachers Credit Union, now Everwise Credit Union. He has had many different roles over the 20 plus years, but his current role is Business Operations Officer. Eric also serves as Treasurer for the John Glenn Building Trades Corporation. Eric states “Leadership Marshall County helped me grow as a leader and make so many great connections in our community. I enjoy being part of the board to ensure that future generations have this unique opportunity.”
Jennah D. Fairchild – LMC Alumni Committee Chair
Jennah, a Class 28 alumni, grew up in Culver where her family farms. After High School, Jannah went on to study Ag Business Management at Purdue University. Currently she works at The First National Bank of Monterey as an Ag/Commercial Lender. Jennah is very involved with the Culver Lions Club events around Culver. She is looking forward to expanding further into Marshall County with her involvement with LMC.