Photo: Leadership Charleston Class of 2018.

The Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce recently celebrated the graduation of the Leadership Charleston Class of 2018. For more than 44 years, Leadership Charleston has been identifying and developing leaders in our community, producing more than 2,000 graduates who have become leaders in local, regional, and global industries, legislative appointments, and civic stewardship.

The mission of Leadership Charleston is to identify and motivate emerging leaders and to develop their leadership potential by introducing them to the realities, opportunities, and challenges of our civic and business communities. Graduates experience the power of working with other community leaders and organizations for positive growth and advancement of the region.

"It has been an absolute pleasure and delight to be a part of Leadership Charleston this year," said Kaneshi Hart, InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), Class of 2018. "One of my favorite things about the program was the CARTA ride, which was an eye opening experience for me with our public transportation system. The other part of Leadership Charleston I enjoyed was the incredible new contacts and friendships that I made throughout this program. In the future, I hope to be an advocate for the community and a voice in our region to improve the area in which we live and work."

This year's graduates participated in Day of Caring, attended more than 450 public meetings, rode CARTA to experience public transportation availability and services, and participated in a police ride along. These experiential activities aided students' vision of their community from different viewpoints, allowing them to focus on where they can make a positive difference using their unique perspective.

The Leadership Charleston Class of 2018 was sponsored by Kiawah Island Golf Resort, LS3P ASSOCIATES LTD., Pinnacle Financial Partners, and South Carolina Aquarium. 

Leadership Charleston Class of 2018