The History of the West Virginia Leadership Seminar
Planned annually by alumni and volunteers, the West Virginia State HOBY Leadership Seminar is the cornerstone of WV HOBY. The seminar began in 1978 with sophomores from 45 high schools throughout the state in attendance. From these beginnings, the seminar has grown each year to include annually more than 130 Ambassadors.
From its roots at Jackson's Mill, the WV HOBY Seminar has called many places around the great state of West Virginia home. During the 3 1/2 day seminar in the state's capital, Ambassadors interact with state leaders in business, industry, government, and the service sector. The seminar provides many opportunities for ambassadors to enhance their leadership skills by acting as moderators for panels and engaging in intellectual discussions with leaders from the community. Ambassadors also participate in a hands-on community service project to help them realize the personal and social benefits of volunteerism and service.
The WV Leadership Seminar is coordinated annually by the State Seminar Committee. The Seminar Committee is an extension of the West Virginia Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership, Inc., whose Corporate Board oversees the operations of the Seminar Committee, the Community Leadership Workshops (CLEWs), and the WV HOBY Alumni Association. The Corporate Board has responsibility for both fiscal and programmatic operations of the program.
Over the program's history, WV HOBY has reached over 3,500 youths from throughout the state, many who continue to give back to the organization today. Due to these outstanding ambassadors, alumni and dedication volunteers and sponsors, the WV HOBY seminar continues to be a model for other leadership programs, being recognized almost 20 times as an Outstanding Seminar Site by HOBY National. The future of the West Virginia HOBY program is in the hands of our active, ever-growing WV HOBY Alumni Association.
