Twenty men and women from seven local companies and government organizations recently completed a 40-hour course in leadership development offered through the Dedman Center for Business Leadership at Sandhills Community College. Graduates earned the designation Dedman Fellow in Leadership from the college's Division of Continuing Education.

Those graduating were Esmaeel Siminpar, Pinehurst Resort; Carol Wright, Town of Southern Pines; Jeremy Jones, Trident Marketing; Tawnia Jones, Pinehurst Resort; Sonia Edis, Ingersoll-Rand; Jim Lynn, Pinehurst Resort; Deborah Thomas, Ingersoll-Rand; Tamara Lilly, Ingersoll-Rand; Laura Parker, Ingersoll-Rand; Dell Crumpton, Bethesda Presbyterian Church; Tracy Ryals, Trident Marketing; Heather Adams, Trident Marketing; Jenny Troyer, Sandhills Community College; Rodney Hardy, Town of Southern Pines; Christina Blakely, Ingersoll-Rand; Mike Bickel, Ingersoll-Rand; Todd Camplin, Pinehurst Resort; Mike Bernard, Modern Woodmen of America; Eric Keuster, Pinehurst Resort; and Michael Cameron, Pinehurst Resort.

Taking place over a three-month period, the institute gave students a well-rounded look at the elements of leadership in corporate and institutional settings.

Participation in the program was made possible through scholarships underwritten by the Robert Dedman Permanent Endowment to Benefit Sandhills Community College, an endowment created by the late Robert Dedman to support programs at Sandhills.

This was the second group to graduate from the program.

A third Dedman Leadership Institute is planned for the fall of 2009.

For more information about this and other programs of the Dedman Center for Business Leadership at Sandhills Community College, contact Alan Duncan, center director at 695-3769 or duncana@sand hills.edu