ODESSA, Texas (KOSA) – After years of minimal funding, the Young Professionals of Odessa are set to receive a major boost of forty thousand dollars.
The city council voted to grant forty thousand dollars to the program for growth and expansion.
With this funding, the organization plans to enhance professional development opportunities, and recruit new members, preparing them for leadership roles in the community like city council, school boards, and more.
Young Professionals in Odessa started in 2016.
Over time, the organization has grown with the support of the Odessa Chamber of Commerce and their business community.
Chair of Young Professionals of Odessa, Morgan Chelette, said, “We also promote civic engagement, community service, but our main goal is to really get these young professionals connected and connected with the right people.”
Young Professionals of Odessa’s mission is to create leadership development opportunities for younger professionals in the area.
They host multiple ‘lunch and learn’ events throughout the year.
Their most recent event, Odessa Under 40, featured city officials like Odessa Mayor Cal Hendrick and At-Large representative Craig Stoker.
The program invests in Odessa’s future of adults, ages 21 to 40.
She added, “If you’re interested in planning and zoning, parks and rec. There’s tons of different committees within the city that a lot of people don’t know about.”
Young Professionals in Odessa have programs that include young professionals give back, leadership development, social networking events, and more.
These events are tailored to help these up-and-coming professionals get involved in the community and improve their individual development.
“The biggest thing is that a lot of people don’t know where to start. They might have a passion for something, but don’t know where to turn to, to fulfill that passion. And that’s what we hope to do,” said Chelette.
On July 19th the Young Professionals of Odessa are hosting one of their more fun events at The Destination in Midland.
