Celebrating 40 Years for Leadership Sacramento, Annual Class Project Program Provides Regional Impact Through Community Service
Every year the Leadership Sacramento program of the Sacramento Metro Chamber Foundation puts out an RFP for applications to be the recipient of their yearlong service project or ‘Class Project.’ With many deserving applicants this year, the Metro Chamber Foundation is pleased to announce Alchemist CDC as the chosen beneficiary of the 2025 Leadership Sacramento Class Project.
Alchemist CDC is a mission-driven organization that connects Sacramento area communities to land, food, and opportunity toward a vision in which all neighborhoods are vibrant, equitable, healthy, and diverse. With a commitment to community development centered on the local food system, they find that each of our programs are not only inextricably linked to one another but also to many issues, policies, and partner organizations throughout the region and across the state.
The project will focus on the Oak Park Sol Community Garden (OPSCG) which has served the Oak Park neighborhood for 15 years. This .27-acre parcel hosts 15 garden plots, an outdoor kitchen and community gathering space, a tool shed, a community composting area, and a perennial pollinator bed. Originally conceived and created as a way to reclaim a vacant lot in a historically underserved neighborhood and turn it into a vibrant space for gardening, food production, and community events, the space is now ready for a renewed focus. The class will look to revitalize the garden space over the course of the year and create new opportunities for programming to flourish.
The Leadership Sacramento program is designed to give participants behind-the-scenes access and exposure to topics, people, and places they may not experience anywhere else. Each month, Leadership Sacramento explores a new subject. Now in its 40th year, the goal for each day is to give class participants a unique experience that furthers their knowledge of that subject, demonstrates the impact the subject has on the region, and provides information and connections to enable immediate community action. The program culminates in the completion of a community betterment project benefiting a local nonprofit. Over the past eight years, the classes have invested more than $1.9 million in local community nonprofits.
“It is incredible to see the impact of this leadership program and to witness the lasting effects on the community through our projects, all while developing the next generation of regional leaders,” said Savannah Fox, Program Manager of the Sacramento Metro Chamber Foundation.
With more than 1,300 alumni of the program, the network of the program is wide-reaching. The program allows participants to meet and network with business leaders from a variety of industries, provides invaluable personal and professional development opportunities, and offers the potential to expand networking connections for participants.
The class is a cohort and moves through the program together throughout the year. The class is chaired by two alumni and every class convening is led by alumni who are subject matter experts on the topics.
The 2025 program is co-chaired by Deputy Chief Adam Green and Captain Jennifer Ligon, Sacramento Police Department, and Vice Chair Kelley Lincoln, Boutin Jones.
Applications to apply to the 2026 program will open September 3, 2025, and can be found on the Leadership Sacramento website at www.LeadershipSacramento.org. There is a $150 application fee and tuition pending admittance into the program. For more information about Leadership Sacramento and/or the Sacramento Metro Chamber Foundation, please visit MetroChamber.org/Foundation.
