Two of the Tri-State's own are helping the nation's best and brightest shine a little brighter this week.

Jim Crawford, director of Ohio University Southern's Center for Innovation and Leadership, and Dr. Gary Metcalf from the Ashland, Ky.,-based InterConnections LLC,

a consultant group specializing in organizational change, will spend the week in Charlottesville, Va., teaching "Leadership in Democracy" at the Federal Executive Institute for senior government employees.

"Many of the employees wait for years to come to one of these things. We will teach post-modern leadership. That deals with complexity and ambiguity," Crawford said. "We try to recognize that the leadership forms of the 21st century are different than those from the 20th century. We try to help them cope with the things that are different."

The four-week program focuses on a variety of topics but Crawford and Metcalf will stay focused on this one area during their week.

Plus, they will get a little education of their own, Crawford said.

"It is an opportunity for us to take what turns out to be unique leadership content and market it on a broader basis," he said.

"… As we work with the governmental groups, we will get ideas and concepts that we can bring back to our program here in the Tri-State."