Leadership Park City 33 applications open to Summit County residents

The City Tour is a five-day program that provides Leadership Park City participants the opportunity to learn and experience best practices from other innovative communities around the West. Photo: Leadership Park City (Park City Municipal)

SUMMIT COUNTY, Utah — Leadership Park City is now accepting applications for its 33rd class, opening the door for up to 35 community members to join a program with a three-decade history of shaping local leaders. Applications opened July 5 and are available at applyforleadership.com.

Leadership Park City is open to individuals who live and/or work in Park City and Summit County. The program has trained community leaders for 30 years, and its list of more than 900 graduates includes figures in government, business, nonprofit and community organizations.

The program identifies, encourages and trains community leaders through a long-term, group-oriented learning experience. It is patterned after other successful community leadership programs across the country, as well as the Kellogg National Leadership Program.

Each class takes part in monthly workshops covering local and state topics, taught by decision-makers working directly on those issues. Every year, the class, along with elected officials and local stakeholders, also travels to a western town or city facing similar challenges. The trip, known as “CityTour,” includes conversations with local counterparts, tours of area landmarks and businesses, and opportunities to experience the local culture.

Each class also designs and carries out a class project focused on improving the local community. Past projects have left a lasting mark on Park City and the surrounding area.

Graduates often point to the program’s lasting impact, citing the friendships formed, a deeper understanding of how the community works and the leadership skills they developed along the way.

Members of the Leadership Park City team will host an informational open house for prospective applicants from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 3, or from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 8, in the Community Room at the Park City Library.

Leadership Park City welcomes about 35 people each year who see themselves as community leaders. Applicants must live or work in Park City or Summit County.

The one-year program connects participants with the issues shaping local life and the stakeholders who address those issues daily. Along the way, class members build lasting friendships, gain insight into the community’s inner workings and travel to a western mountain town to meet with local leaders there.

Graduates leave the program with a detailed perspective on the community that can help guide their leadership path going forward.

Those interested in joining the more than 900 people who have completed the program can begin the application process at applyforleadership.com.