The Fountain Hills Leadership Academy (FHLA) is still accepting applicants for its 2025 class.

The deadline to apply is Thursday, May 15, with details and the application available online at ilovefountainhills.org/leadership-academy.

Each year, approximately 15 people are selected for the FHLA, which runs from mid-September through mid-November. This comprehensive experience is a community program offered through the non-profit I Love Fountain Hills and is designed to develop better-informed citizens, according to a press release.

The eight-week course provides participants with an exciting and interactive immersion into the town’s governmental processes, civic and community services, public safety, environmental management and more.

Now entering its ninth year, the Leadership Academy has graduated 115 alumni, many of whom have assumed leadership roles in town government, community volunteer organizations and local businesses.

This year’s Leadership Academy will start with a brief orientation and reception Thursday, Sept. 11, and end with a graduation ceremony Wednesday, Nov. 12. In between, classes will take place every Thursday from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Along the way, participants will meet and engage with community leaders, share ideas about the future of Fountain Hills and learn how they can pursue many opportunities to get involved and give back through their leadership skills.

The program fee is $250 and, upon graduation, participants must commit to help plan the following year’s program.

For graduation, class members work together to create presentations on community initiatives they would like to develop, many of which have come to fruition through the years.

“The growth of this program and the unique experience it offers to participants is truly extraordinary,” said FHLA board member Frank Colella, a graduate of FHLA Class 7 and advisor to this year’s planning committee. “The committee has been hard at work to make this year’s program even better for members of the incoming Class 9, with numerous opportunities to learn and become more involved in the community.”

Residents of Fountain Hills and surrounding communities who have an interest in learning more about their town and getting involved are invited to apply for this extensive leadership information program at ilovefountainhills.org/leadership-academy.

Local businesses and organizations can also get involved by sponsoring the FHLA through monetary or in-kind donations. Sponsorships help cover costs associated with class materials, supplies, facilities, meals and more, ensuring a high-quality experience for every participant. Donations can also be made by going to ilovefountainhills.org/leadership-academy.