Leadership Prince William welcomes their 2018 class in Manassas

Members of the 2018 Leadership Prince William (LPW) class assembled at George Mason University’s Manassas campus for their “send-off” gathering, before heading to the program’s introductory retreat.

LPW is a leadership program specific to Prince William County “whose mission is to inspire and engage adult and youth leaders who want to make a difference in the Greater Prince William Area,” according to their website.

LPW graduate Mary Colgan Finnigan offered some advice to the newest LPW class during the event.

“The best advice I can give you is that once you’re done, you’re really not done. You become a part of this amazing group,” said Finnigan.

According to Finnigan, the 2018 class is diverse, with participants ranging from in their 20s to in their 60s, and residents from Dumfries all the way up to Gainesville.

“Clearly you’re already somewhat of a leader or great leaders already, but one of the things I encourage each of you to do is when you go, keep an open mind. You’re going to learn a lot about yourselves, you’re going to learn a lot about your colleagues that are in your class, you’re going to bond with them,” said LPW program graduate Kris Spitler.

The following are this year’s LPW 2018 class: