Kern Leaders Academy

Kern Leaders Academy is a selective program that extensively trains eight community leaders each year on how to listen to constituents, with a clear understanding of available resources, contacts and vision to put their services forward as a community leader capable of offering creative solutions to the challenges facing Kern County.

I greatly appreciated the program and walked away with tremendous tools and contacts that will support me in my endeavors to be an engaged and informed leader in our community. It was truly a humbling experience to interact and learn from experts in various fields, work alongside passionate classmates and connect with community members on topics ranging from civic engagement to ethical leadership and government finance.

The program gave us the opportunity to break down, analyze and re-imagine the place we call “home.” One of the most powerful sessions, that will stay with me moving forward, was our night tour around Bakersfield because it added a human-layer to the curriculum that drove home many of the goals we had as leaders – to improve quality of life for all Kern residents.

The 2013 Kern Leaders Academy group photo!