exper i e nc e e me r g e
TIM DARBY
Darby Law Group, P.A.
CONNECT
]
EMERGELakeland.com
When my wife and
I decided to move
back to Lakeland after
graduating from our
respective graduate
degree programs, we
were questioned by
some of our colleagues.
We were described as
being “different” because
we were committed to
returning to our home
town to begin our
professional careers and
family. This decision was
also ironic in that we
both swore while in high
school that we would
never return because
there was “nothing to do
in Lakeland.” We could
not have been more
wrong.
As I entered the
practice of law,
another unexpected
and amazing journey
began when a friend
suggested that I check
out EMERGE Lakeland.
After attending my first
event and becoming a
member of EMERGE the
following day, the rest, as
they say, is history. Like
with many of my chosen
activities, I jumped in
and immediately joined
a committee and became
as involved as I could in
the organization. One
truth in work and life is
the more you put into
something, the more you
are going to get out of
it, so I went all in. Soon,
I was asked to join the
Steering Committee
and since then I have
had the opportunity to
serve as the chair of the
Marketing Committee,
Membership Committee,
as well as my current
position on the Executive
Committee as Secretary.
I have learned so much
through serving in these
positions, attending
EMERGE events, and
participating in our
exceptional board service
education program,
EMERGE Serves. My
Elder Law practice has
been positively affected
by my participation in
EMERGE, as I have been
able to grow and learn as
a young professional in
Lakeland.
Thanks to EMERGE I
have had the opportunity
to participate in
Leadership Lakeland
Class XXIX (BCE) and
have been exposed to
numerous board service
opportunities, including
the opportunity to serve
as General Counsel
for the Lakeland Area
Chamber of Commerce.
We may have to check
the record books, but
I’m pretty sure I was the
youngest, or one of the
youngest, to serve in
that position, and it was
thanks to my experiences
through EMERGE and
a forward thinking
Chamber Board. As
a young professional,
having the opportunity
to work with and learn
from other Executive
Board members like
Tim Jackson, Mark
Wilson, Dale Dreyer and
Kathleen Munson, was
not simply an honor, but
an extremely valuable
experience that has
benefitted me as I serve
on other boards and
practice law.
If you are a young
professional who is new
to our community, or if
you’ve been around for
a bit and haven’t already
given EMERGE a shot,
get involved, and go
all in. I assure you the
connections you make,
as well as the experiences
you have, will benefit
you personally and
professionally. If you
are a business owner
with young employees,
encourage them to get
involved in EMERGE.
Work with us to
continue our mission of
developing and retaining
young professionals,
so even more young
professionals can
continue to thrive
professionally. This
will surely benefit
our Chamber and
our community.
EMERGE Lakeland is a meaningful networking
organization of dedicated, talented young professionals ranging in age from 21-42 in Lakeland. This
organization is a partnership of the Lakeland Area
Chamber of Commerce and the United Way of
Central Florida.
The mission of EMERGE is to create a venue for
our members to build relationships, develop professionally, become politically aware, philanthropically
active, and contribute to the economic developmen