A Leadership Program for Flagstaff
Energize and Inform
In 1989 an ad hoc group of 17 individuals representing community diversity were called together by Frank Besnette, Northern Arizona University Vice President, and Jack Duffy, Northeast Division Manager for Arizona Public Service, to develop a leadership program for Flagstaff. With years of civic engagement propelling the group, they felt a real need to energize and inform a greater cross section of the Flagstaff community about contemporary issues and changing civic needs.
The Flagstaff Leadership Program was born.
There were 450 leadership groups in the US, with 17 in Arizona back in 1990. With many models to emulate, the group quickly discovered that no two were alike and each catered to their respective community. From months of in-depth research, the group studied every dimension of leadership, and landed on a vision Jack Duffy, the Founding President explained as:
“The goal and commitment … is community service.”
Leadership Training vs. Issue-orientation
The group took into consideration the possibility of providing leadership training versus becoming an issue-oriented program. The founders decided that FLP would introduce issues, needs, and opportunities for community service – whether they be in serving social service needs, working on city commissions, or serving on private non-profit boards. The group recognized the importance of carefully monitoring the diversity of Flagstaff Leadership to ensure adequate representation for Flagstaff’s diverse communities: its social strata, ethnic complexion, and occupational diversity were to be as fairly represented in the organization as possible.
The Program Then and Now
- In early years, the Flagstaff Leadership Program presented seven issue days per year.
- Today FLP offers a three-day Class Retreat, nine Leadership Education Days (LEDs), a Wrap-up Day, and a Graduation ceremony.
The Organization
The Flagstaff Leadership Program By-laws call for:
- A Board of Directors consisting of 25 FLP alumni and one Community Member at Large to oversee the program.
- Continual board renewal to promote healthy organizational development.
- An Advisory Board that keeps past board members engaged, provides historical perspective, and offers a broad means of recruiting new class members.
The Future
FLP founders had a lot of dreams, looked at what was important and realistic for Flagstaff, and put together an organization that has evolved into a valuable asset for the community and its leaders. FLP continues many of the traditions that began with Frank Besnette and Jack Duffy – FLP has graduated hundreds of community leaders with a greater knowledge and sense of possibility for the future of Flagstaff.