LEADERSHIP ACADEMY BOARD MEMBERS

ACADEMY PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

The Fountain Hills Leadership Academy is a rewarding program that extends well beyond the initial weekly class sessions and progressively leads to becoming a part of the growing Alumni Community. Each year, the Academy accepts only 15-20 candidates. Throughout the program, each participant is expected to be fully committed and fulfill the following requirements:

• Actively participate in the initial 8-week course.  Classes are held once per week, generally 8 am to 1 pm, but may go longer. With the exception of illness or family emergency, absences are generally not permitted.

• Conceptualize, research and present a Project that identifies a solution for an area of our community that may be improved.  Projects may be done individually or as teams with fellow program participants.

• Volunteer to assist—as a team—with the annual Poinsettia Tree project, an FHCCA fundraiser, including promotion, sales, resource coordination and project execution.

• Lead, plan and carry out —from beginning to end—the entire Leadership Academy experience for the next year’s incoming class.  This will include a series of planning meetings, starting shortly after graduation and continuing through November of the following year.  All class members will automatically become a part of the Planning Committee responsible for overseeing and coordinating the next Leadership class including:

  • Establishing the weekly class schedule

  • Proctoring class sessions

  • Coordinating speakers

  • Engaging sponsors

  • Managing the entire program experience from the candidate’s application to graduation

• Maintain an annual membership in the Fountain Hills Cultural and Civic Association (FHCCA) also known as iLoveFountainHIlls.org

Once accepted in the program, you will receive a welcome letter from the Leadership Academy Board of Directors.  To register for the Leadership Academy program, payment of a non-refundable $250 tuition fee is required. The fee covers an initial year of membership in FHCCA, the Leadership Academy program materials and also partially offsets other class related costs.

THE ACADEMY SESSIONS MAY INCLUDE:

• Sanitary District & Environmental Stewardship

• Know Your Town Government

• Fountain Hills Schools

• Public Safety

• Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation

• Business Development & Fountain Hills Times 

• Local Non-profits, Youth & Senior Services

• Cultural and Civic Engagement

At graduation, either working in teams or individually, participants present a project based on what they’ve learned throughout the eight week program and propose what they would do to improve our community. Past projects have included addressing wrong-way drivers on Palisades Blvd, creating an arts district in the downtown, recognizing outstanding students, enhancing public transportation services for employees who don’t live in town, and more.