JF Maddox Foundation’s

About the Maddox Leadership Institute

Have you ever considered what it would be like to be a leader in your community? Do you want to find ways to become more involved and connected within your community? If you are ready to work with other members in the community to think big and develop better possibilities for Lea County, the Maddox Leadership Institute may be the perfect fit for you.

The Maddox Leadership Institute is a nine-month, evidence-informed leadership development program that builds individual knowledge, skills, and self-efficacy in aspiring community leaders. The program is taught by faculty from the J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development out of the University of Georgia. The program is skill-building intensive, with special attention to instructional delivery catered to adult learning preferences.

While each session provides ample opportunities for individual self-reflection and growth, what makes this experience unique is the way in which community leadership skills are delivered in conjunction with skill-building. Be prepared, this is not a “listen and learn” kind of experience; rather, participants have the chance to put what they are learning into practice each and every session.

For any questions, please do not hesitate to email Mayra Lovas at mlovas@jfmaddox.org or call at 575-393-6338, ext. 140.

How to Apply

To apply to be a part of the Maddox Leadership Institute, please download the application and submit it to Mayra Lovas via email at mlovas@jfmaddox.org.

It is our goal to provide the participants of MLI with the best experience possible. Additionally, we want to be sensitive to the health and safety of the participants. We will continue to engage with MLI alumni to ensure the network of leaders that have been engaged in our previous cohorts remain active in our community. Please be on the lookout for emails and Facebook posts from Mayra Lovas in the future!

For any questions, please do not hesitate to email Mayra Lovas at mlovas@jfmaddox.org or call at 575-393-6338, ext. 140.

The program application will be available on this site from April to May

Frequently Asked Questions

There is limited space available. We strive to select 24-26 emerging leaders per cohort from diverse ethnic and industry backgrounds.

The program is open to individuals who are 21 years of age or older. However, the program is focused on building the leadership skills of mid-career individuals, meaning that the bulk of participants will likely be in the age range of 27-59.

There is no cost associated with the program, other than the time commitment required to be eligible for graduation.

Each cohort starts with an orientation and retreat (Wed-Fri), this is the most time intensive portion of the program. Followed by monthly sessions that occur on a Thursday.

Orientation – Wednesday:

  • Icebreakers and Housekeeping (3:00pm – 5:00pm)
  • Networking reception (5:00pm – 6:00pm)

Retreat – Thursday & Friday

  • Day 1 – 12:00 pm – 5:00 pm (breakfast & lunch provided)
  • Day 2 – 9:00 am – 5:00 pm (breakfast provided)

Monthly Sessions

  • On a Thursday – 9:00 am – 4:00 pm (breakfast and lunch provided)

Absolutely. When deciding on the cohort, it is important that we select a representative group of the overall community. Therefore a person who is an excellent candidate may not be selected due to the need for the right balance of diversity. If you are not selected, we welcome your application the next year.

Session Topics

This introduction to basic community leadership exposes participants to the concept of exemplary “leadership practices.” Participants self-assess in terms of these practices and explore ways to apply their capabilities collectively to community work. Participants also understand and apply an asset-based approach to community assessment and use this learning to inform organizational planning and program development.

Helps leaders communicate more effectively with others in order to achieve community goals. The initial focus is placed on individual communication styles. Then the concept of “dialogue” is introduced as a tool for developing mutual understanding. Participants are invited to consider how they can move from “talk” to “dialogue” and from dialogue to action.

Participants will learn about cultural competency, diversity, and inclusion. Participants identify their individual and organizational capacity for working with diverse constituencies and learn strategies for working with different population groups.

This session takes a dive into the differences between generations. Participants discuss the positive and negative attributes of generations from the Silent to the Millennial generations. This is a highly interactive session that also demonstrates the strengths each generation has to offer in order to make a community stronger and more resilient.

This is the final session, where participants take time to self-reflect on what skills they have gained throughout the program and where they can put those skills to use in a community leadership capacity. They also get exposed to community organizations such as local government, non-profits, school boards, chambers, etc. to learn more about what their role is and how a participant can get involved.

The Emergenetics® Profile (Emergenetics®) is a behavior and thinking profile that is rooted in the concept that who you are today is the emergence of your behavior, genetic makeup, and life experiences. Emergenetics® provides a clear way to understand this intersection of nature and nurture through the Emergenetics® profile, built on four thinking attributes and three behavioral attributes that every person exhibits.

This session is extremely beneficial, because it provides insights on how to best communicate with people who think and behave differently than what you may be most comfortable with. It also provides an in-depth view into your own thinking and behavior patterns that allow you to understand why it may be easier or more difficult to work with certain people.

Explores aspects of conflict and its implication for communities. Participants will discuss positive aspects of conflict, examine individual conflict management styles and review conflict resolution models.

Participants will develop an understanding of nonprofit leadership and identify personal leadership strengths and growth opportunities. Participants will learn the difference between leadership and management, understand the importance of mission-centered leadership, and gain increased understanding of their own leadership style.

Group dynamics involves participants in activities designed to enhance their knowledge about effective and ineffective groups, various stages of group development, and the differing roles leaders and followers play when they function in groups. They are afforded an opportunity to practice group skills by working together to achieve a common goal. They are also introduced to what motivates people to get involved in their community.

The collaborative decision making prepares leaders with skills to engage community members in decision-making processes that ensure balanced input and engender a sense of shared responsibility. Participants will learn about several decision-making models and share experiences they have had with them. Next, they will learn how to identify stakeholders who could be involved in decision-making and how to conduct a stakeholder analysis. Finally, the participants will learn two group decision-making strategies that can be applied in their own community work.

Conducting effective meetings helps participants gain a better understanding of what contributes to successful and unsuccessful meetings. They review the purpose of different kinds of community meetings and are given an opportunity to refine their skills in planning and leading meetings.

Contact

Connecting with a Program Officer is the best way to start this journey.

Mayra Lovas

Senior Program Officer

(575) 393-6338 x140

About Our Partner

The J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development, a unit of Public Service and Outreach at University of Georgia, is dedicated to strengthening communities, organizations, and individuals through leadership development, training, and education. Founded in 1982, the Institute is named for UGA’s first Vice President for Services, Dr. J.W. Fanning. His legacy of leadership development is embodied in the Institute’s dedication to developing leaders of all ages, in every community, from all walks of life.

Fanning Institute faculty and staff design and deliver programs and services in four primary areas of focus.

  • Community leadership development
  • Nonprofit and professional association leadership development
  • Youth leadership development
  • Mediation and conflict resolution

The Community Leadership Program© at J. W. Fanning helps to develop knowledgeable, skilled, committed, and action-oriented leaders. The curriculum is divided into five modules relevant to community leadership and includes a variety of activities for each session. Each topic has a broad learning objective with specific goals. J.W. Fanning offers information that allows leaders to learn, understand, or clarify issues on a particular topic as well as apply what they have learned. In addition to the core five, other modules are available. Modules may be delivered by J. W. Fanning Institute faculty and staff or by certified Community Leadership Program Facilitators.

The core modules are:

  1. Understanding Leadership
  2. Communicating Effectively
  3. Making Group Decisions
  4. Building Communities Through Collaboration
  5. Leading Community Change

Program Alumni

The first class of the Maddox Leadership Institute (MLI) graduated on April 26, 2018. Since then, there has been graduates representing several industries and four communities in Lea County: Lovington, Hobbs, Eunice and Jal.

MLI alumni are invited to continue to work together through a partnership program with the Hobbs Chamber of Commerce. Alumni also stay connected through a couple different social media platforms that are exclusive to MLI alumni. We are eager to continue to add pictures to this page in years to come.

“I feel more connected to the community. We have a great mix of different people from different entities, in public and private sectors in the program.”

Rosa Aranda

“I love it, it’s been life-changing for me. I have taken what I’ve learned to heart and have changed some of the ways we do things, and I take extra time to learn more about my staff because that is important.”

Jordan Benard

“I feel a greater sense of responsibility to be active in the community through the things I’ve learned and seen some great examples of community leaders.”

Ken Engan

Previous Classes