NORTHAMPTON — A city attorney is among the first graduates of a leadership program offered by the Massachusetts Bar Association.

Jesse Adams, who served for seven years on the Northampton City Council, stands among the new program’s 21 fellows who graduated June 20 from the MBA Leadership Academy.

“He’s going to be one of those people who really makes a difference,” MBA President Jeffrey Catalano said of Adams. “We were really looking for people who took an active role in getting things done — these are the folks that we see making a very positive difference in the future.”

He said the inaugural program stems partly from self-preservation on the part of the association. He said interest in leadership appears to be dwindling, so it’s important to foster it.

“We need to create future leaders who are good at building consensus, who are collaborative and compassionate,” Catalano said. The program runs from September to April, with a graduation ceremony in June with Chief Justice Ralph Gants, and is comprised of four central seminars.

In the first one, fellows hear from prominent leaders of all kinds, like Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito and businessman John Fish, of Suffolk Construction. In the second they learn unique perspectives on public service, the third offers guidance on public speaking and the fourth focuses on skills for leading a meeting.

Adams, 39, who was also recently elected to serve as president of the Hampshire County Bar Association in the term beginning in September 2018, said he came away with valuable tools to draw from in future years. In the weeks since graduation he was also appointed to the MBA House of Delegates.

“The whole thing was very motivating and inspiring. It was really useful for me, thinking about the role I’ll be stepping into next year,” Adams said. “And I look forward to other leadership opportunities.”

Amanda Drane can be contacted at adrane@gazettenet.com.

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