Forty-nine Texarkana area residents completing the year-long Leadership Texarkana community leadership program were honored by the Leadership Texarkana (LT) organization at the End of Year Celebration the evening of April 26 at the home of Executive Director Ruth Ellen Whitt. The Sponsoring Partner for the event was State Bank.
Through their involvement in Leadership Texarkana sessions this past year, the participants in the program were given frameworks for understanding the leadership required to lead in our community, as well as the challenges and opportunities in the greater Texarkana area surrounding economic development, healthcare, government and courts, quality of life initiatives, public and higher education, media, and the private public and non-profit sectors. They were also challenged to develop and articulate their individual personal plans for taking active service and leadership roles in the community, and to be active agents for bringing together natural partners in working together for progress in Texarkana. Class members were also charged with providing content for the organization’s weekly blasts of “What’s To Love Txk!,” knowing that this knowledge drives community pride and community narrative, which are foundational to our pursuit of community excellence.
During each monthly session of the year, members of the LT Class of 2022 were also challenged through Strategic Doing-focused groups to lead the way as change agents, in maximizing our ecosystem’s capacity to attract, retain and unleash the talent foundational for excellence; at the same time class members were also learning the basics of the powerful and proven Strategic Doing processes for gathering groups in working together for progress.
Specifically, the initiatives the LT Class Strategic Doing teams pursued included:
• Amtrak Station Beautification to ensure community gateway excellence
• goTXK content developed to inform the public about – and to share – community resources
• New networks to promote youth programs in the community
• Workshop to engage youth with Texarkana history
• Fostering goTXK focus through What’s to Love Fun w TikTok and the year-long travels of Mr. Texarkana Wilbur Smith
• New video resources to attract talent to Texarkana
• Foundational plans created for Activated Alleyways Downtown
The annual flagship Leadership Texarkana program has been offered in Texarkana USA for 43 years. The Chamber of Commerce began the Leadership Texarkana program in 1979, however, Leadership Texarkana separated from the Chamber in 2001 and has been an independent non-profit for over twenty years, an evolutionary trend mirrored around the country.
Applications for the coming year’s program for 2022-23 can be found and completed online at LeadershipTexarkana.com; the deadline for application is June 23. It is a competitive application process, with the numbers of participants accepted annually limited in size by meeting logistics. Additional details can be found at LeadershipTexarkana.com.
On Thursday, June 9, LT will host an after-hours recruitment social for Texarkana-area residents interested in applying for the LT Class of 2023.
