ULead Class 13 held their graduation Tuesday evening at the Mahony Family Library, marking the successful completion of the program. The event was attended by the graduates, along with their families and colleagues.
ULead (Union County Leadership), technically named the 'Dumas-Edmonds Leadership Union County,' is a 9-month program with a focus on identifying and developing the future and current leaders of the community.
Through a series of tours, sessions and activities, class members build close relationships as they learn about issues that affect the local community, including economic development, local and state government, education, healthcare, and quality of life. With each full-day session, interactive simulations and activities are aimed at showing class members that they can make a difference.
The Class 13 chairmen were Class 12 alumni George Cotterman with the Boys & Girls Club of El Dorado and Micah Wall with LANXESS.
"This is my sixth year being involved with ULead, and it truly is one of the highlights of my job," said Kaitlyn Rigdon, Class Director and Project Manager for the El Dorado-Union County Chamber of Commerce. "This class has impressed me in so many ways over the last year, and it's been a joy to work with each of them."
ULead Class 13 is the second-largest class in the program's history. Rigdon said she was very impressed that the group managed to select a class project during their very first session in March.
Each ULead class is responsible for selecting a community-focused project, and this year's project, "ULead Cares Kits," was chosen to benefit two local organizations. The class kicked off their project by holding a fundraiser, raising over $2,000 through ticket sales. They decided to support the Boys & Girls Club of El Dorado and Turning Point of South Arkansas, as two class members were affiliated with these organizations and they had needs that the class could meet.
Thanks to the class' hard work, they were able to donate over 2,800 items to the Boys & Girls Club of El Dorado by creating 200 hygiene bags for their students. They also donated over 1,600 items to Turning Point of South Arkansas. Special thanks to ULead's program sponsors, LANXESS and Murphy USA, whose support made the program possible.
"My hope is that the class leaves with fond memories and a deeper understanding of leadership and our community," Rigdon said. "I am incredibly grateful to the class chairmen, our sponsors, and the participants for dedicating their time and energy to be a part of ULead Class 13."
Applications for ULead Class 14 will open in January 2025. For more information, contact Kaitlyn Rigdon at the El Dorado-Union County Chamber of Commerce at [email protected] or by calling 870-863-6113.
ULEAD Class 13
Class Chairmen:
- George Cotterman – Boys & Girls Club of El Dorado
- Micah Wall – LANXESS
Class participants:
1. Monique Aaron – Turning Point of South Arkansas
2. Lauren DeFazio – Murphy USA
3. Ahna Edington – Edington's Events
4. Madyson Gafford – Murphy USA
5. Justin Howard – Mystic Grill
6. Deneisa Jamerson – Boys & Girls Club of El Dorado
7. Abby Jones – LANXESS
8. Lynne Kemp – Timberlane Health & Rehab
9. Adrienne Lawrence – South Arkansas College
10. Gaby Layne – Murphy Pitard Jewelers
11. Tommy Lester – Perry's Funeral Chapel
12. Anaya Malone – First Financial Bank
13. Angela Means – SHARE Foundation
14. Quan Moore – Entergy Arkansas
15. Jody Nations – LANXESS
16. Kelsey Smith – Murphy USA
17. Lon Tegels – South Arkansas Regional Hospital
18. Alexis Waldon – SHARE Foundation
19. Rachel Willis – Ideal Construction Co.