Nov. 5, 2020
LeadAR announces new class
By Tracy Courage
U of A System Division of Agriculture
Fast Facts
- Class 19 includes 22 Arkansans from 16 counties
- 500+ Arkansans have participated in LeadAR and hold leadership positions
- Program empowers Arkansans to positively impact communities
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(Newsrooms: With file art from LeadAR’s 30th anniversary celebration at https://flic.kr/s/aHskgX8m3E)
(Download this story in MS Word format here.)
LITTLE ROCK — LeadAR, one of the state’s oldest leadership programs, has a new class of 22 leaders who will spend the next two years learning about issues and opportunities facing Arkansas and strengthening their ability to make a difference in their respective communities.
The two-year leadership program, offered through the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service, has been training community leaders for nearly four decades. A new class is selected every other year.
“Our overall goal is to equip emerging leaders with knowledge and skills they need to make a difference in their communities or organization,” Julie Robinson, LeadAR director, said. “They will learn about issues affecting rural and urban areas of Arkansans and how the state is interwoven, and they will walk away equipped with the tools necessary to catalyze change using strategies that are equitable, empowering, and sustainable.”
Participants will then apply that knowledge to lead projects that can make a positive difference in their communities.
This year’s class members live in both rural and urban areas of the state and work in diverse fields, including agriculture, business, communications, community and economic development, education, government, healthcare, law, politics and other fields.
Class 19 includes the following:
- Srinivasa Bande, president, Sai Strategic Solutions, Inc., Little Rock
- Scott Bass, response and recovery director, Arkansas Division of Emergency Management, North Little Rock
- Jesse Bocksnick, Arkansas 4-H Outdoor Skills instructor, University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service, Little Rock
- Diane Bowman, Lee County Circuit Clerk, Marianna
- Barrett Breeding, controller, Arkansas Electric Cooperatives, Little Rock
- Karyn Coleman, chief of staff, Democratic Party of Arkansas, Little Rock
- Tyler Davis, market president, Diamond Bank
- Shelby Fiegel, director of the Center for Community and Economic Development, University of Central Arkansas, Conway
- Courtney Fisher, director of student services, Arkansas Northeastern College, Blytheville
- Stacey Gorman, director of communications, The Cotton Board, Memphis
- Michal Harris, coordinator of entrepreneurial studies, Shorter College, North Little Rock
- Tiffany Henry, rural director, Conductor, Conway
- Susan Koehler, manager, NWA Land Trust and Benton County Fair, Gravette
- Mark Lambert, director, Commodity Activities and Economics, Arkansas Farm Bureau Federation, Little Rock
- Amanda Lance, director of Hempstead Hall and Workforce Development, University of Arkansas Hope-Texarkana, Hope
- Krista Patrick, business consultant/digital media strategist, K Renee Consulting, Fayetteville
- Brigit Rollins, staff attorney, National Agricultural Law Center, Fayetteville
- Brittany Schmidt, county executive director, USDA Farm Service Agency, Walnut Ridge
- Brian See, Marion County staff chair, UA System Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service, Yellville
- Jennifer Terry, registered nurse and certified case manager, self-employed, Fort Smith
- Hazelle Whited, executive director, Spring River Innovation Hub, Cherokee Village
- Laura Wiles, Perry County election coordinator, Perryville
For the next 22 months, participants will attend two-day seminars every other month in different communities and regions in Arkansas. They will interact with the state’s top industry leaders, practice their policy-making skills, tour communities throughout the state and visit with congressional leaders in Washington, D.C.
The program will culminate with an international study tour to learn how international issues compare to conditions in the United States, and how those issues impact Arkansas.
LeadAR, founded in 1984, was originally modeled after the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s leadership training program. In its 36 years, LeadAR has graduated more than 500 educators, farmers, advocates, bankers, state legislators, quorum court, city council and school board members who are leaders in their communities and states. As a result, there are hundreds of projects that helped improve the local economy, schools or situations for those in need.
To learn more about LeadAR, visit uaex.uada.edu/LeadAr. Follow us on Twitter at @AR_Extension.
About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system.
The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on five system campuses.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
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Media contact:
Tracy Courage
Director, Communications Services
U of A System Division of Agriculture
Cooperative Extension Service
(501) 671-2126
tcourage@uada.edu