Leadership Montana: Working to solve problems on a statewide basis by Marjorie Smith Several MSU alums are seeking solutions to Montana's problems as members of Leadership Montana (LM), a new program organized by the Montana Chamber of Commerce. As noted on the LM Web site (www.leadershipmontana.org) the program's mission is to develop a sustainable core of committed leaders who understand the complex issues facing Montana and are willing to listen and learn from each other. The program was developed in response to the growing need for a partnership among Montana's communities, businesses and government. Among the applicants chosen for the first class in the nine-month program are seven MSU alums including Dave Phillips, '68 AgEd '70 M, MSU Extension Agent in Fergus County. "It's been an incredibly interesting experience so far," Phillips said after completing sessions which took the group to Bozeman/Big Sky for orientation, Great Falls to look at agriculture and the military, and Missoula where they focused on education, economics and change. Each session lasts two or three days. Phillips also has appreciated "internal" work. "We're learning to discover the leader within. In order to lead others, we have to know ourselves—our priorities and personalities and how that interplays," he explains. The participants stress the value of working with their Leadership Montana classmates. Gary Griffith, '64 EE, maintenance supervisor for the Bozeman public schools, says, "It introduces you to areas and programs you wouldn't know about otherwise. The best part is getting to know the other people. The group interacts not only during their monthly sessions but in study committees they've formed to examine issues such as education funding or the the supply of electricity." The 38 members of the first LM class represent a wide range of geographic and career backgrounds and includes business people, representatives of city and state government, health care workers, media personalities and educators. There is perhaps disproportionate representation from the banking and financial sectors, but that's hardly surprising with a general perception that Montana's biggest problems are economic. Shelley McKamey, '74 Bus, executive director of the Museum of the Rockies, says she wishes agriculture and K-12 education were better represented, but pronounces herself "pleasantly surprised" that a group of 38 people, most of whom didn't know each other, could coalesce into a community. On the surface there would seem to be little commonality except everyone wants what is best for Montana. And we check our political affiliations at the door. "Being an alum of Leadership Montana and helping shape future classes is the most exciting prospect for me," McKamey says. Participants also value meeting in a different part of the state each time they convene. Griffith says, "It's hard to get a statewide feel for the economy or politics when you live in Bozeman where everything is growing so rapidly." "A huge eye opener," says Phillips, "was the scope of the medical research being conducted in Missoula." As a county agent from the agricultural center of Montana, he was surprised to learn about the value-added successes of a sheep ranch near Cascade. It was a revelation to Griffith that the Missoula Children's Theatre has a dozen troupes touring not only in the United States but abroad. Griffith says the group is looking at urban versus rural perspectives in the state. "People live and think and breathe differently in eastern Montana compared to the western part of the state," he says. McKamey agrees. "Every problem is more complex than you thought. But we have a straightforward goal: How do we turn out the best leaders?" "I'm convinced that real Montanans (and it doesn't matter whether they were born here or moved here last week) are able to meet in the middle on issues because they really care about Montana," she concludes. Other MSU alums who are members of the inaugural class of Leadership Montana include Todd Buchanan, '98 BusMktg, Lyle Hodgskiss, '85 AgBus, Kevin Gordon, '79 Arch, and Leslie Schmidt, EX '89.