08/28/2025
WE'RE BACK! INFESTATION AT THE LEADERSHIP ACADEMY?
COMMENTARY WORTHY OF FRONT PAGE-LEFT RUINING THIS TOO?
Reported by An Anonymous Alum 8/28/25
The Leadership Academy Has Issues?
I wasn’t surprised to learn that the Fountain Hills Leadership Academy, now in its ninth year, was experiencing some behind-the-scenes turmoil.
The next incoming class begins their program in September and goes for 2 months through mid-November. Each year, the previous class is charged with planning the next year’s program. But word has it that an internal coup took place whereby one of the planning members, along with support from the Leadership Academy Board chairperson, ousted the co-chairs of the current planning team. This happened when the co-chairs questioned transparency in the new class selection process. Apparently, there wasn’t any transparency. And, when they called this out, they were met with resistance that led to their ouster. News spread and almost half of the Leadership Academy Board members that are supposed to oversee the program have since resigned in disgust. Some of the remaining Board, along with some members of the class planning committee, have voiced their concerns to no avail.
Unfortunately – and this has been the case in previous years – the Board of the Leadership Academy operates autonomously with no oversight. It picks and chooses who they want to be on the Board and obviously wants to have control over who gets into each successive class.
This program is widely seen as a grooming experience for future leaders in Fountain Hills. Even our own Township Council has 5 out of 7 elected members who are former graduates. But must the Township Council now question what is truly going on behind the scenes of this program if the integrity is in question? Should the Town of Fountain Hills – not to mention the businesses in town that provide funding for this nonprofit program - support such a program if it answers to no one? I hope the mayor and members of the town council – especially those that are alumni of this program – investigate what transpired and expose those that unilaterally led this coup. Fountain Hills deserves better.
And perhaps investigate we will.
