LSA was created in 1975 by The Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce to help identify and develop community leaders and is now considered the premier program for existing and emerging leaders in the Bexar County and surrounding areas. The program, one of the first of its kind in Texas, has graduated more than 2000 participants and focuses on delivering these leaders an opportunity to develop an understanding of the promise and challenges of our community. The program goes beyond personal and professional development and, as its goal, educates and informs these leaders in the vital areas affecting San Antonio, as well as encouraging Chamber Business involvement and Community advocacy. In 1992, The San Antonio Hispanic Chamber joined to be a co-host to the program, enhancing the involvement and diversity of future classes.
HISTORY
For nearly 50 years, Leadership San Antonio (LSA) has helped to shape the future leaders of San Antonio. LSA has graduated CEOs; company presidents; public and private industry executives; academic and military leaders; mayors; and elected representatives at the local, state, and federal levels. This program, one of the first of its kind in Texas, has graduated more than 1,900 participants and focuses on delivering emerging leaders an opportunity to develop an understanding of the promise and challenges of our unique San Antonio community.
This is like no other leadership program in the surrounding area! By taking proven leaders in the community who have passed through the gates of LSA, leveraging their vast and diverse networks and experiences, LSA Class members are promised a year of “firsts”: highlighting areas of great importance to our city’s growth, success, and global impact and engagement. Each class day tackles a slew of issues that range from solutions to homelessness, diving deep into cutting edge developments in education, biomedical research, cybersecurity, military missions, to events and organizations that celebrate our local heritage and culture, travel and tourism, and more. Each LSA class member will meet new ideas head-on, obtaining both personal and professional development!
Through the LSA process, participants gain invaluable insight from present and future decision-makers in both the public and private sectors and are better prepared to lead San Antonio into the future by using a broader understanding of our diverse region. The class members grow together into a tight-knit family – which serves as a great thought generator and positive impact multiplier.
LSA class participants are selected from all segments of the region and a wide variety of industries. Participants are diverse in gender, industry, organizational mission, title, background, and ethnicity, to name a few. LSA Class members demonstrate leadership qualities, show a sincere interest in improving our community, and have a history of holding positions of increasing responsibility within their chosen professions. LSA seeks people dedicated to service and to invest their time and talent in improving and strengthening San Antonio.
LSA is a partnership program between the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce and the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce with the goal of educating and motivating leaders to become involved in the Chambers’ Councils and Committees and spark a volunteer spirit in our local community boards and programs.
I can’t stress enough how valuable the LSA network is. Going through class 40 and then serving on Steering for 45 continues to present opportunities to learn about and serve our community. I’m constantly awed when running into an LSA alum; we share similar experiences and these are the bonds that immediately drop barriers and enable instant connections and friendships.