Prestigious LEAD Program Selects Brown

.R. Brown, a senior at Turner Public School (TPS), has been selected to participate in the prestigious Big Sky LEAD Program. Brown is among the fifteen students from across Montana who were chosen. He will travel to Missoula December 4-5 to meet with Montana politicians, University of Montana professors, and nonprofit leaders to build skills for civic engagement. An acronym for Leadership, Engagement, and Development, LEAD is a program focused on empowering Montana's Future Leaders.

Upon hearing of Brown's selection, TPS Superintendent Jenni McAllister stated: "This is a fantastic achievement for both J.R. and Turner School, and we know he will represent us exceptionally well."

While in Missoula, Brown will also get involved in the community by volunteering with a local nonprofit alongside students from around the state. Additionally, he will meet Doris Kearns Goodwin, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author and researcher renown for her biographies of U.S. Presidents. Goodwin has personally known and worked with multiple presidents, giving her an insider's view. LEAD Program Participants will engage with Goodwin to discuss what qualities and actions they wish to see from contemporary leaders.

According to Goodwin, "A thriving democracy demands great leaders who develop humility, empathy, resilience, self-awareness, self-reflection, the ability to communicate, and the willingness to take a risk because the ambition for the greater good has become more important than personal ambition."

To celebrate Brown's accomplishment and to show pride in "one of their own," TPS will hold a school-wide celebration on Monday, December 2, as a send-off before Brown departs on December 3 for his first session.

About his participation, Brown stated, "I am excited to go and join like-minded individuals to discuss issues of mutual interest."

Brown will join Big Sky LEAD in additional meetings on January 8-9 at the state capital in Helena and again on April 23-24 in Missoula.