The 38th Class of Leadership Texarkana just completed the Opening Retreat held annually at Elliott Lake at Red River Army Depot. This year’s class includes thirty-five individuals selected to represent our community demographics and the diversity of public, private and non-profit sectors that make this community what it is.
The Leadership Texarkana organization and the annual class programs were begun in 1978 to address an issue which community leaders had identified: that there were too few citizens who were engaged in the community business and willing to step up as leaders in working together to ensure our best community. Believing that leadership is the lid on our ability to succeed as a community, the program was begun to meet the need. It was originally a program of the Texarkana Chamber of Commerce, but Leadership Texarkana left that umbrella in 2001 and has been an independent non-profit organization for the past fifteen years.
The purpose of Leadership Texarkana is to engage, equip and inspire citizens from throughout the community to take their measure of responsibility for the community well-being and to step up as leaders in working together for community excellence.
During the 9-month long LT Class program, participants are given a back-stage pass one day each month to understanding the dynamics of our every sector of our community, including context about our opportunities and issues, and firsthand perspectives from the individuals who are in the trenches working on behalf of our community and the leadership required for success. The opening retreat provides the foundation for the year to come, introducing frameworks for leadership applied to community, as well as a wide span of awareness for thinking about the Texarkana USA region, past, present and future, all in the setting of RRAD and its imperative for our community’s future.
Go to LeadershipTexarkana.com for additional information about the organization.
