Travis Tharp delivers hopeful address to Leadership Livingston’s graduating Class of 2022

“Uncertainty” was the word that first echoed when Travis Tharp opened his address as class speaker for Leadership Livingston.

In Tharp’s words, his group of fellow, local professionals who graduated in the 10^th iteration of the program faced an array of “noise and uncertainty.” He detailed how the ambiguity of he and his classmates’ Leadership Livingston experience took shape as repercussions of the pandemic, Hurricane Ida, and recent economic stress.

“A lot of change in a very short period of time,” he expressed. His class’s first meeting experience in August 2021 had been virtual at the time, yet, as he made notice of, gas and mortgage rates had been lower than what the public now presently faces, a fact he alluded to serve his point.

Only a month later, his group was in person for the first time. He told the story of their name game exercise. The excitement of this experience was unfortunately compounded by the news that his class would not be having an overnight retreat, a well-regarded “night of fun” by former classmates.

In all these moments of back and forth, Tharp expressed that he had the opportunity to learn the community roles of his new colleagues. He spoke in admiration of their responsibilities and influence.

“I can think of no other group of people who I would want to face the uncertainty of this time with,” he began. “You are agents of change, and your desire is to make this world a better place.”

He recounted the fun experiences where Leadership Livingston brought the class, ranging from lunch outings in parts of the parish to lessons of educational and economic impact to inspirational moments that stuck with him. Small nodes of knowledge contained in phrases “like the baton shouldn’t be passed when the founder is ready, but instead when the team is ready” or “vision rarely repeated is quickly forgotten.”

In the final moments of the address, Tharp made the comparison of the Leadership Livingston Program to that of the required reading list of the Marine Corps and how it espouses understanding of the various aspects of our communities.

“I think that when I see an alumnus of the program, they should have a better understanding of how our parish works and why we should be proud to be residents,” he stated. “Together we should use this understanding to better our community.”

And with all the uncertainty expressed in his earlier words, Tharp tied the points of his reflection into a focused mission.

“Together we can create better government, better schools, better communities, but we have to act,” he relayed.

Tharp concluded with questions of whether the parish would be able to prosper in this economic climate, whether the chamber would “drive” this development, and whether he and his now fellow alumnus could continue making a difference.

His answer was simple— “With certainty.”

About the Chamber: Livingston Parish Chamber of Commerce is a private non-profit business association serving the Livingston Parish business community. The Chamber represents thousands of business owners, professionals, employees, and stakeholders. The Chamber is established to serve business, enhance communities, and advance the economy in Livingston Parish.