Reception held for next Leadership Fort Smith class

 

story and photos by Brittany Ransom
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The newly named 2011-2012 Leadership Fort Smith Class gathered for a reception Thursday (August 11) at the Donald W. Reynolds Cancer Support House in Fort Smith.

Several LFS alumni and other guests were on-hand to celebrate the start of a new year and to officially welcome new class members to the program.

Tom Minton, LFS Alumni Association president, began the evening by welcoming everyone and thanking them for attending. He spoke about his experience with the program and noted that new members had much to look forward to in the coming year. He added that “individuals like you all in this room are what make this community great.”

Following Minton, LFS Director Barbara Harvel thanked the LFS Alumni Association for hosting the reception. She then introduced the 2011-2012 class. As names were called, classmates competed with one another for the best “Hello!” While a few chose more reserved greetings, several members made their presence known by “woo-hooing” or by doing a little dance. Harvel commented on the group’s enthusiasm calling them a “ringer of a class” and expressed her excitement about working with them this year.

Founded in 1987, Leadership Fort Smith brings together community-minded citizens to help expand their knowledge of the region and to further develop their skills as leaders. Each year, 25 individuals are selected to participate in the program. Members are nominated by members of the community and LFS alumni. Each class represents leaders from across the Fort Smith region.

The new class will participate in monthly sessions where they will learn about key issues affecting local business, government, non-profits and education. They will travel throughout the community where they will meet with other leaders and be given the opportunity to discuss problems facing the region and ways to address them.

Link here for a complete list of members of the new class.