Judy Augsburger of Mennonite Home Communities of Ohio (MHCO) recently was accepted into the seven-month LeadingAge Ohio Leadership Academy, an innovative collaborative program beginning in January and running through August designed to develop the next generation of leaders in the senior services profession.

The class of the Leadership Academy is comprised of 18 individuals from LeadingAge Ohio members from throughout the state. The first of four two-day modules held around Ohio during the seven-month Academy will begin in February, with the modules held in various locations throughout Ohio. Each two-day retreat will feature personal coaching, interactive site visits to host facilities and ongoing mentorship through assigned course work and online discussion forums. The class will finish the program at the LeadingAge Ohio Annual Conference in Columbus in mid-September.

“This is a very unique, intensive opportunity for me to advance my skills in becoming a leader in the not-for-profit senior services field,” said Augsburger. “I appreciate the opportunity to be part of this unique program and look forward to working with some of the current leaders of our profession in Ohio and in working with my peers in the Academy to prepare to help lead our profession in the future.”

As the Director of Finance, Augsburger oversees all financial reporting for MHCO, which includes Mennonite Memorial Home, Maple Crest, Willow Ridge, Mennonite Home Health Services, Hilty Home, and Hilty Child Care.  Judy has served in this capacity for three years.  She’s earned a bachelor's degree in accounting from Bluffton University and is a Certified Public Accountant.  In addition to LeadingAge Ohio, she is a member of the American Institute of CPAs, the Ohio Society of CPAs, and is currently serving as President of the Lima Chapter of the Institute of Management Accountants.  MHCO is sponsored by five local churches:  St. John Mennonite and Grace Mennonite (Pandora), Lima Mennonite (Lima) and First Mennonite and Ebenezer Mennonite (Bluffton).

Founded in 1937, LeadingAge Ohio is a not-for-profit association representing approximately 400 not-for-profit senior service organizations located in more than 150 Ohio towns and cities, as well as those providing ancillary health care and housing services. Members are sponsored by religious, fraternal, labor, private and government organizations committed to providing quality services for their residents and for older persons in the community at large.