LeadAR has been a part of my life for over 20 years. In the beginning, it gave me an awareness of the importance of community involvement and my place in the larger world around me. LeadAR prepared me for community service and connected me to some of the best resources available. People from both large and small communities gave me fresh ideas and a more complete perspective than my own view of things. Today, LeadAR keeps me in touch with old friends and colleagues and introduces me to new leadership as it develops.

Bruce Martin
Class 3 - Stuttgart
Ag Sales Manager
Ag-Pro Companies

My LeadAR experience was without a doubt the most broadening two years of my life. It gave me a whole new perspective and exposure to issues not only within my community, state and nation, but internationally as well. LeadAR gave me the knowledge and confidence in myself to follow my ambitions in my career in both business and politics. Not to mention the broad network of individuals and friends who I have met and networked with since my LeadAR graduation. It is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Steve Higginbothom
Class 3 - Marianna
Former Arkansas State Senator
Lobbyist

LeadAR successfully linked me to state, federal agencies and a network of leaders from around the state; this network has proved invaluable as I work in both the public and private sectors. The term LeadAR is close to becoming an icon, synonymous with upper echelon leadership development. It's almost a prerequisite for service.

Joe Black
Class 3 - Newport
Senior Vice President
Southern Financial Partners

LeadAR made an impression on my future in many ways. Even though I participated 20 years ago, many of the leadership concepts, networking opportunities, agricultural issues, and projects continue to guide my decisions. Working with an educational group, we developed a program called ScholAR for teachers, administrators, and school board members. The format was similar to that of LeadAR, but the groups participated as teams rather than as individuals. Positive actions for the participating schools resulted from the experiences in the training and the teamwork. I believe that LeadAR will be one of the most rewarding long-term experiences of my life.

Diann Gathright
Class 3 - Mena
Superintendent of Mena School District

LeadAR is the closest thing to a perpetual motion machine I have found in life. The more I have put into the program, the more I have received from it throughout the years. But personal development is only one part of the lifetime benefit to LeadAR participants. Other parts of this lifetime benefit include the education and training received through the series of seminars designed to broaden understanding of Arkansas government. LeadAR also taught participants about the role of media and its effect on public policy, agriculture, and international business, which are all vitally important to Arkansas’ success. Graduation has not been the end of my development. The program opened my eyes to a variety of ways I could be of service, through community involvement as well as state and national committees. We are all put on this earth to make a difference. We choose whether we will make a positive or negative difference. LeadAR gave me the tools to make that difference a positive one by giving me the knowledge and confidence to get involved in organizations that have helped promote positive changes in our communities, our state and our country.

Derwood Brett
Class 3 - Mount Ida
Retired Electric Utility Executive/Community
and state volunteer

For me, LeadAR was not only a tremendous opportunity to build leadership skills and learn more about national and Arkansas issues, but it also begins a life-long opportunity to network among people in this state who all want to make a difference in one way or another. Being part of LeadAR and during the two-year commitment, you will certainly learn from the speakers and opportunities that come your way, but you will equally learn from your fellow classmates, who bring a broad array of experiences and perspectives to the discussions. I highly recommend LeadAR to anyone who wants to make a difference in his or her community.

Lisa Black
Class 3 - Little Rock
Executive Director, Public Education
Foundation of Little Rock