Cultivating Leadership Training Series: Module 7

Managing Internal Communications

Welcome to Module 7 of our Cultivating Leadership Training Series. During this module we will discuss how to manage your organization's internal communications.

Internal Communication is vital to the function of any organization or business, whether managed for profit or as a nonprofit. Breed organizations are no exception. In this module, we will discuss the importance of internal communication to every program and function of an organization and how a great internal communication plan, brought together by the staff, board, and volunteers of an organization, can be critically important to the long-term survival and expansion of, not only your organization, but also your breed.

The Cultivating Leadership Initiative helps breed associations, clubs, and registries establish and achieve high standards of operation for longevity and continued success. Thriving organizations save more livestock and poultry. The Cultivating Leadership Training Series also aligns with general best practices and is especially beneficial to officers and leaders of breed associations and clubs.



Banner photo of a Hog Island sheep courtesy of Peter Kasmala


Your Instructor


The Livestock Conservancy
The Livestock Conservancy

This course is taught by Judy Brummer, Jim Cheskawich, Becky Mahoney, and Brittany Sweeney.

Judy Brummer has been involved in the Rocky Mountain Horse Association (RMHA) for more than 10 years. She has served on several committees, as a Director of Examiners, and as President for 6 years. She also assisted in the establishment of the Rocky Mountain Horse Foundation and became a member of their board. Judy has traveled across the United States and overseas as a representative of the RMHA and the Rocky Mountain Horse, and was inducted into the Charles Kilburn Society, an honorary society recognizing individuals who have made a significant contribution to the RMHA and the Rocky Mountain Horse breed.

Jim Cheskawich grew up working part time on a nearby farm in Southwest Pennsylvania. He is the immediate past president for the Samoyed Club of America and served 5 one-year terms as president going back to 1999. Jim has also been treasurer and a board member for the Samoyed Club of America; quartermaster and adjutant for the VFW Post (a 501c18) in Woodland, WA; treasurer for the SCA Foundation (a 501c3); and founding President for the Rex of White Way Samoyed Memorial Library (a 501c3). He also served for nearly 30 years in Federal HR as HR Director or Personnel Officer for 3 different agencies in the Federal Government. He currently works for NIH as a contractor.

Becky Mahoney has been breed registering St Croix Hair Sheep and American Guinea Hogs since 2014 for both the family freezer and for quality breeding stock. She rescued the rare lost line of guinea hogs known as Hesters and is the conservator of their genetics, working to disseminate them to other committed breeders of AGH. She is a regular column contributor to the American Guinea Hog Association newsletter, Curley Tales, writing about home butchering and use of the whole hog.

Brittany Sweeney is the former Communications Manager at The Livestock Conservancy. She is now a Marketing Coordinator at North Carolina State University and a freelance Marketing and Communications consultant. She has a background in journalism and more than a decade of experience in the communications industry.

The Livestock Conservancy is America's leading non-profit dedicated to saving rare breed livestock and poultry from extinction.


Frequently Asked Questions


When does the course start and finish?
The course starts now and never ends! It is a completely self-paced online course - you decide when you start and when you finish.
How long do I have access to the course?
How does lifetime access sound? After enrolling, you have unlimited access to this course for as long as you like - across any and all devices you own.
What if I am unhappy with the course?
We would never want you to be unhappy! If you are unsatisfied with your purchase, contact us in the first 30 days and we will give you a full refund.
What is the Cultivating Leadership Initiative?
The Livestock Conservancy launched the Cultivating Leadership Initiative to help breed associations, clubs, and registries establish and achieve high standards of operation for longevity and continued success. Thriving organizations save more livestock and poultry. Components of the Cultivating Leadership Initiative include a Breed Organization Accreditation Program, Breed Organization Training, and Pedigree Registration Services. These programs are available to breed cubs, associations, and registries as optional services. Organizations may adopt whichever building blocks are most needed to address their own situation.

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