The Board of Directors of the Flint Hills Regional Leadership Program has acknowledged the completion of coursework and graduation of twenty participants of the 2023-24 program year. Ceremonies were completed at the Liquid Art Winery & Estate, Manhattan.
Executive Director, Jack Lindquist explained how this class experience was different from all others since the formation of the program in 1992, “Being my eighth class, and the thirtieth anniversary year of programing, we discovered the current class of twenty-one found they could work with any combination of team members within this diverse class. Given that, they vastly increased their confidence in collaborative skills. They found and embraced the most important component of true servant leadership and earned the monicker “The Solidarity Class. The class members selected represent the success of collaborations, cooperation, bipartisanship, partnerships, commitment, teamwork, tenacity, and perseverance.”
Board Chair Sarah Keatley introduced closing address speaker Manhattan City Manager Ron Fehr.
“Given that it’s our programs 30th Anniversary, Ron Fehr has seen more growth and has more experience than anyone in capitalizing on and leveraging leadership for economic development opportunities in the region. And regarding that leadership, he is a graduate of the 1994-95 class of the Flint Hills Regional Leadership Program. Ron is also the longest tenured founding organization representative on the board. He has seen the program evolve and mature firsthand.”
Organization treasurer Lindsay Miller shared that 25 program alumni members have made LIFETIME DUES payments of $300, now deposited in the FHRLP FUND at the Greater Manhattan Community Foundation and honored a standout alumnus. “We are proud to honor and recognize inaugural class of 1993-94 alumnus Bruce McMillan, for his lifetime service to the region & contributions supporting the program on his 30th anniversary.”
In response to the recognition event, summary and appreciation remarks were made by peer elected Flint Hills Regional Leadership Program board members Tiffany Cutting & Michaela Joyce. The class project, Restoring Atomic Annie, was announced by class member Dustin Murphy.
The event was underwritten by Corvias Military Living, focused on improving the quality of life at Fort Riley and for our service personnel and civilian support networks that make this region the best place to live, work, raise families and retire to. The program area includes Fort Riley, Geary, Riley, Pottawatomie and Wabaunsee Counties.
Class members that completed the eight-session course over the past six months included:
Holly Boice Junction City GE County Grant Specialist, Flint Hills Regional Council
Tiffany Cutting Manhattan RL County Manager, Varney & Associates CPA's LLC
Israel Epping-Fuentes Manhattan PT County AVP Branch Manager, Bank of the Flint Hills
Vanessa Eymann Fort Riley GE County Leader and Workforce Development Specialist, DHR Fort Riley
Casey Frisbie St. George PT County Director of Public Works, Wamego
Amanda Gnadt Alma WB County Flint Hills Stone, Co-owner & Community Relations Dir.
Natalie Gordon Westmoreland PT County Director of Business Development and Client Engagement, Anderson Knight Architects
Jason Hasby Manhattan RL County Mobilization Plans and Operations Specialist DPTMS USAG Fort Riley
Tracy Henry Alma WB County Executive Director, Greater Morris County Development Corporation
Jennifer “JJ” James Manhattan RL County Public Affairs Specialist, USAG Fort Riley
Jackie Jones Manhattan RL County Security Manager, DPTMS, USAG Fort Riley
Michaela Joyce Manhattan RL County Executive Director Junction City Mainstreet
Jerry Kellum Manhattan RL County Program Analyst, Army DPW
Stephanie Maike Alma WB County 4-H Program Assistant / Office Professional, K-State Research & Extension: Wabaunsee County
Melissa McClure Manhattan RL County Garrison Operations Specialist, USAG Ft. Riley
Dustin Murphy Chapman DK County Investigations Lieutenant, Junction City Police Department
Patricia Pearson Junction City GE County Peer Mentor/Recovery Coach, Central Kansas Foundation
Jason Powell Wamego PT County Deputy Police Chief, Wamego Police Department
Michelle Seibel Manhattan RL County Senior Director of Human Resources, Florence Corporation
Jonathan Sumner Alta Vista WB County Corporal, Wabaunsee County Sheriff's Office
Amanda Webb Manhattan RL County Planning Director, Riley County