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Vision Henderson County
Vision henderson county
Since its formation in 1996, Vision Henderson County has become one of the most prestigious programs in Henderson County. Each year, a select group of local leaders learn about what is going on in our business community and how they can make a difference. The program builds community leadership through an in-depth view of the cultural, economic, historic, social, educational, environmental and government assets in Henderson County and connects participants with prominent civic, business and government leaders. The result is that hundreds of alumni have made countless contributions to the community and its quality of life.
Presented by:
The vision Henderson county leadership program is designed to
- Develop a leadership pool of informed, involved and committed citizens
- Enhance communication and interaction among participants to form a network for cooperative community trusteeship
- Experience and understand the diversity of leadership decision-making styles and processes
- Explore issues facing Henderson County, to gain insight on how to formulate solutions and to encourage the team approach to solving community problems and visioning the future
Classes begin with orientation and a one day retreat in August, followed by monthly classes from September to April. Graduation is held in May.
Vision Henderson County is led by Executive Director Gary Heisey. Gary has lived in Western North Carolina for 26 years.
In addition to his role as the Vision Henderson County Executive Director, he is the Executive Director for the Blue Ridge Community College Mission Acceleration Business Accelerator Program, a comprehensive business innovation program designed to assist for profit, not-for-profit and family owned businesses to take them to the next level of success and sustainability.
Ben Kish serves as Associate Director of Vision Henderson County. He holds an MBA from Case Western Reserve University and has participated in Vision programs in both Henderson and Transylvania counties. His leadership development experience also includes Leadership Winston-Salem, the North Carolina Community College Leadership Program, and the Leadership Development Program for executives at Sara Lee Corporation. In addition, he currently teaches Leadership courses at Blue Ridge Community College.
Class day topics include
- History
- Government
- Economic Development
- Law Enforcement/Emergency Services
- Health Care
- Manufacturing
- Education
- Environmental
Deadline for submitting your interest for application in the 2026-2027 Vision Henderson County Program is March 31, 2026.
Vision news
Vision Henderson county alumni association
The Vision Henderson County Alumni Association was founded in 2010 to allow networking and educational opportunities to continue for the alumni of Vision Henderson County and the Leadership Henderson classes of the late 1980’s and early 1990’s conducted out of UNCA.
The Alumni Association hosts quarterly events designed to keep Vision Henderson County Alumni informed on issues affecting Henderson County and available service opportunities. Funds raised from these events support the John L. Boyd Vision Endowment Fund. The fund, established in 2014, helps cover tuition costs for community members who wish to attend the Vision Henderson County Program but do not have finances available. Named for long-time Executive Director, John L. Boyd (pictured), the fund will carry forward his legacy of building community leaders with a fuller sense of critical issues affecting Henderson County, while motivating Vision Alumni to collaboratively resolve them.
Inspiring purposeful leadership by alumni who are passionate and committed to progress across Henderson County.
