Craig Howell STARTING THE JOURNEY – The members of the Class of 2026 of Leadership Ohio Valley met for the first time Thursday, taking part in icebreaker activities as they begin this year’s program. Leadership is organized each year by the Weirton Area Chamber of Commerce.

WEIRTON – For more than 30 years, the Weirton Area Chamber of Commerce has offered members of the region’s business community an opportunity to expand their horizons and take on greater roles in their workplace and towns.

Thursday afternoon, nine such professionals began their own journey with the kickoff of the 2026 Class of Leadership Ohio Valley.

“This class is a little smaller than usual, but, trust me, it will all work out and you will reap the benefits,” Weirton Chamber President Brenda Mull told the class during a welcome dinner held Thursday at Undo’s in Weirton.

This year’s class, and their sponsoring businesses, include Jordan Allen, Business Development Corp. of the Northern Panhandle; Stacie Applegarth, Summit Salon Academy; Kristi Aulick, West Virginia Northern Community College; Erin Freeman, Be Spa Salon and Yoga; Brittany Holloway, City of Weirton; Christy Nosko, Serra Village Retirement Community; Aulbrey Thompson, WVU Medicine Weirton Medical Center; Danyelle Williams, Miss Tiffany’s School for Young Children; and Carson Yobaggy, Adam DePuglia State Farm.

The class gathered at the Holiday Inn Weirton Steubenville Area Thursday afternoon for a series of icebreaker activities, where they had time to get to know each other, and a True Colors exercise, led by Carole Scheerbaum of the Lee Day Report Center, for an opportunity to get to know more about themselves through the personality exercise.

Their first full session will be held today, with the Simulated Society exercise.

From there, the class will meet for a series of five sessions, each focused on a different topic – Health and Human Services; Government; Education; History and Culture; and Business and Economic Development – where they will have a chance to learn more about the communities of the Ohio Valley, and possibly how to get more involved in the fabric of the region.

They also will be required to volunteer six hours of their time in the community, attend one government meeting and one meeting of an area civic organization, and organize and implement a project in service to the community.

Mull encouraged the class to find ways to step outside of the comfort zone, rely on each other, learn from each other, and grow from the experience.

“In the next six months, you’re going to be doing a lot of things, and you’re going to have to work together,” she said, asking them to keep an open mind as they go through the program. “Life offers you that much more when you take that chance.”

They will be assisted through the program by class coordinators Heather Southern of First Commonwealth Bank and Elizabeth Smith of Starvaggi Industries, both members of the Leadership Class of 2025, as well as session advisors Stephanie O’Brien of Madonna High School, Clayton Henderson of WVU Medicine Weirton Medical Center, Hancock County Commissioner Paul Cowey, Crystal Harbett of WVNCC, Paul Zuros of Historic Fort Steuben, and Anthony Clements of the BDC.

(Howell can be contacted at chowell@weirtondailytimes.com)