Could you be a future leader in Fountain Hills?

The Fountain Hills Leadership Academy is kicking off its 2017 class to educate potential new local leaders. This comprehensive experience is sponsored by the Fountain Hills Cultural and Civic Association as a means to better inform select citizens about the community.

The eight-week course is an intense immersion into the town’s governmental processes, civic and community services, public safety and environmental management. Fifteen residents will be chosen for this second class, which runs from Sept. 13 through Nov. 9.

“We are excited about this Leadership Academy and the ongoing possibilities with regard to helping groom future leaders and produce better-informed citizens,” said Dori Wittrig, a real estate broker who initiated the inaugural class of 2016.

The idea came from the Vision Fountain Hills workshop and related meetings in 2016. She modeled the program after other successful programs such as Scottsdale Leadership Academy, the Flinn-Brown Academy and others across the country.

Participants are asked to commit to eight weeks of education on Thursdays, from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The course will begin in mid-September and end with a graduation ceremony in early November. Along the way, participants will meet community leaders and share ideas about the future of Fountain Hills.

The general sessions are as follows:

*About Fountain Hills and the Fountain Hills Sanitary District

*Fort McDowell

*The Fountain Hills Times & Public Safety

*Youth & Senior Services

*Know Your Town Government

*Environmental Stewardship and the Chamber of Commerce

*Local Schools

*Cultural and Civic Engagement

“The Leadership Academy represents a strong public-private collaboration involving government entities, businesses, service organizations and many other groups,” said Jenny Willigrod, president of the Fountain Hills Cultural & Civic Association. “Many people don’t understand all the complex issues in our town, along with the behind-the-scenes efforts being done to make this a great community. This Leadership Academy will prepare a citizen to take leadership positions in town on an ongoing basis.”

This year’s committee is made up of the 2016 graduating class under the leadership of Clayton Corey and Vicky Derksen.

Interested participants are urged to apply at the FHCCA website, fhcultural-civic.org. Class participation fee is $100 per student.

Local businesses are encouraged to become sponsors at a cost of $250. Sponsors will be included in one of the class days, get to know the participants, and share information about their business.