Kevin Barry, Class XXIII – Greater Naples Leadership helped me follow my passion

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After living in Boston for 40 years, my wife, Jane, and I moved to Naples, where we are now full-time residents. I had retired from my career in Boston publishing at an early age and transitioned to the non-profit sector there, where I helped build an organization devoted to jobs training for inner-city young adults who lived on the wrong side of the opportunity divide. It was the most rewarding work I had ever done.

Fast-forward to 2017 — here I was in Naples — newly retired, in a new city, no network and knowing nothing about the landscape of the civic and nonprofit sectors. That’s when a friend said I needed to look into the Greater Naples Leadership Master Class, which offers a deep dive into all things Naples/Collier County. The program consists of nine session days: Naples Past, Present and Future; Environment; Cultural Arts; Human Services; Education; Health Care; Growth and Economic Development; Government; and a special day focusing on the community of Immokalee.

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