Leadership Sandoval class of 2024 graduates with pride

Haven House celebrates new pet shelter

Haven House, a shelter for domestic violence survivors, celebrated the addition of its pet s…

ARCA Organics celebrates rejuvenation of pathway

Corrales' ARCA Organics celebrated the revitalizing of some of its gardens June 12 with a ri…

Early Learning Preschool gets makeover and celebrates with ribbon cutting

After 41 years in Rio Rancho, Early Learning Preschool on Southern Boulevard celebrated a ma…

The 31st class of the Leadership Sandoval Program graduated Aug. 8, and the pride at each of the leadership groups' projects was unrelenting.

This year, three groups graduated as Rio Rancho Regional Chamber of Commerce partners and members looked on to witness their success.

"We're really excited that you're here today to celebrate the 2024 Leadership graduation class, our 31st class. Our very first class was in 1993. We're really excited about this group. The program continues to grow every year, and we have over 640 graduates so far," chamber President and CEO Jerry Schalow said.

Leadership Sandoval is its own entity as a 501c3 organization. According to Schalow, it raises its funds, it counts on partnerships and it counts on sponsorships similar to other nonprofits in the community.

According to the website, Leadership Sandoval is made up of people committed to enhancing the quality of life in Sandoval County by improving their knowledge of the community and increasing their leadership effectiveness. Associates develop and refine their leadership skills through an intense, 10-month educational experience.

During the program year, these participants explore current challenges facing Sandoval County and learn how to become agents of change. Upon completion, these new members become a part of a network of graduates who keep in touch with each other as they serve on boards and committees across the county.

Sandoval County Commissioner Dave Heil recalled some of the alumni.

"This is always such a great event to participate in and watch all the people who have gone through this program," he said.

County Manager Wayne Johnson expressed his appreciation of all the hard work the groups did.

"I'm grateful to see all of the graduates and all the supporters of Leadership Sandoval. Leadership is an important part of any organization, and that's one of the things that we try and do at Sandoval County. I think, if you talk to our commissioners, it's an important part of what they expect of their employees is that they become leaders, not only within the organization, but in their community," he said.

He was proud that Jeff Stow, an employee of Sandoval County, was one of the graduates.

Next, Mayor Gregg Hull addressed the crowd, saying he didn't know how many parts to a community there were until he ran for mayor but that he came to understand how tightly knit it was.

"Leadership Sandoval County is the community raising families in the communities supporting nonprofits or just going to church in the community. It is really their opportunity to get that broader view of what everybody is contributing to make Rio Rancho and Sandoval County — and ultimately New Mexico — the best it can possibly be," he said.

PNM's Seth Muller explained that the program participants were required to find a nonprofit to help.

The three projects this year were at Haven House, where the team "For Pet's Sake" created a space for pets belonging to domestic violence victims; ARCA Organics, where "Team Pivot" landscaped its front lawns; and Early Learning Preschool, where "Rio Innovators" refurbished its space.

Brianna Moreno, who was the lead for "For Pet's Sake," explained the project:

"Of being introduced to Haven House through Seth Mueller, they had extreme needs to house more pets for the domestic violence victims that they were taking in. Pretty much what our project entailed was building a pet sanctuary," she said.

Team Pivot was represented by Brian Sailer. "It was a big project," he said.

Lastly, Sara Osuski, who led Rio Innovators, was excited to share the preschool project.

"They had not really made any updates to the interior of their school since they started," she said.

After that all three teams graduated and got to take home a swag bag.

Graduates

• Rio Innovators: Sara Osuski, Victoria Alvarez, Brianna Cordova, Larry Davis, Shelarie Ethredge, Matt Smith, Michael Thomas and Raquel Whitlock.

• For Pet's Sake: Brianna Moreno, Isaac Baca, Joel Coleman, David Decker, Amanda Lewis, Veronica Sanders, Jeff Stow and Travis Suazo.

• Pivot: DeeVonda Batres, Stephany Moore, Haley McFadden, Brian Sailer and Phillip Walck.

For more information on Leadership Sandoval, visit rrrcc.org/leadership/.