We are recruiting people who have a passion to serve Arkansas and their communities to participate in a program designed to teach understanding of public issues and develop expertise in dealing with critical problems facing our state. This call for leadership comes from LeadAR, the Arkansas Agricultural and Rural Leadership Program.

Many social and economic problems face Arkansas communities, especially in rural areas. To help resolve these problems, citizens must show initiative, responsibility, and exercise decision-making. In challenging situations, it is difficult to lead farther than you have gone yourself. Some of Arkansas’ leaders have never traveled beyond their state or national boundary. Throughout our state there are some, but not enough, visionary yet pragmatic leaders: leaders bound by public needs and not political favors; leaders who serve their neighbors by serving their locality, state, and region.

Arkansas is no longer isolated -- its boundaries now extend around the world as national and international forces profoundly affect life in our state. Arkansas is increasingly influenced by decisions made in Washington, D.C., on farm programs or environmental protection; in New York corporate headquarters on employment in Arkansas manufacturing or industrial plants; or in Brussels, London, or Tokyo on international trade and finance.

Any leader whose vision has both close focus and wide-angle perspective is in touch with the changing world which impinges on us more and more. These leaders are not pipe-dream visionaries, but leaders whose shifting perspectives can solve problems and save money in the long run. We believe that these dedicated, passionate leaders can increase their knowledge of resources and improve their leadership skills by participating in LeadAR.