Washington,
DC
January 25-30, 2005
Participants
will visit communities, businesses, and organizations that have
faced or are facing issues similar to North Dakota. Participants
will talk with business people, producers, financial institutions,
community and economic development people to gain insight, network,
and get ideas to bring to North Dakota communities and organizations.
Rural Leadership North Dakota Class Studies in Washington, D.C.
Rural Leadership North Dakota members returned
from a recent study tour to Washington, D.C., with a new
appreciation of how the federal government operates.
RLND is a two-year interactive study and travel
program dedicated to producing graduates with the vision and
commitment to lead themselves, their organizations and communities
into the future. One of the program�s goals is to give participants
the tools to effect change in their state.
Twenty-four participants networked with
policy-makers, including North Dakota�s congressional delegation,
Sens. Bryon Dorgan and Kent Conrad and Rep. Earl Pomeroy, and
members of their staffs, during the trip to the nation�s capital.
Pomeroy told RLND class members that they can make a tangible
difference in the state.
�There is nothing magic about leadership,�
Pomeroy said. �It is about caring and working. In North Dakota, it
doesn�t take too many to make a difference.�
During the tour�s second day, participants met
with Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns and numerous U.S.
Department of Agriculture staff members. Johanns
said he understands the family farm.
�I grew up on a small family farm,� he said.
�My heart is there.�
Gilbert Gonzalez, acting undersecretary for
USDA Rural Development, said, �What you are doing is an invaluable
service for communities.�
He added that USDA Rural Development is
available to partner with community leaders to meet a community�s
specific needs. It is one of the few agencies that can build a town
from the ground up � infrastructure, water, broadband and
housing,
he said.
RLND participants also arranged visits with
specific policy-makers on projects with a direct impact on their
communities. Allan Orwick of Michigan and Lori Wagner of South Heart
met with three National League of Cities staff members.
�The meeting was very worthwhile,� Orwick said.
�What I didn�t realize was they were as interested in us as us in
them.�
On the third day, the group traveled to the
National Association of Counties� offices and learned the
organization�s functions are to lobby on issues impacting county
officials and provide education, information and financial services.
Joe Dunn of the association�s Rural Action
Caucus said drafting legislation to deal with methamphetamine�s
impact on rural counties has been an unusual experience.
�We don�t have any opponents to this issue �
that�s unique,� he said. �This is mom and apple pie. The problem is
the money crunch.� He added that everyone agrees the country needs
some comprehensive legislation on enforcement, education, treatment
and protection of children in homes.
The trip also included a tour of the White
House, U.S. Capitol, Holocaust Museum, Library of Congress and
Supreme Court. Several RLND class members said a highlight was
watching the Senate vote to confirm Condoleezza Rice as secretary of
state, and it shattered their preconceptions of how Congress works.
�I knew how the Senate voted,� Rene Johnson of
Watford City said before watching the vote. �They all came in, sat
down and raised their hands to vote.� But that wasn�t what happened.
The senators � people the group normally views only on television �
walked into the room and indicated their vote by a hand gesture,
head movement or word to the individual recording the vote.
�I think it is neat to be involved in the inner
workings of Washington,� said Scott Bullinger of Dickinson.
Several RLND members commented on the power of
the Holocaust Museum and evaluated Adolf Hitler�s abilities to lead.
�The Holocaust Museum, that was a tough day
for me,� said Brent Ekstrom of Lincoln.
�The Holocaust Museum was quite an
experience,� said David Olson of Crosby as he questioned how Hitler
convinced people to follow him. �Hitler was one of the worst
leaders, but he was a powerful leader.�
Some who traveled to Mount Vernon were
surprised to learn that George Washington didn�t covet being a
leader. Don Longmuir of Stanley said they learned that Washington
became a leader not because he declared himself to be one, but
because people sought him out to be a general and then president.
Seminar One --
Discovering Leaders
Within
Seminar Two
-- Communicating
Effectively
Seminar Three
--
Recognizing
Gifts and Differences
Seminar Four
-- Thinking Critically and Creatively
Seminar Five
-- Managing Projects
Seminar Six
-- Understanding Rural Policy
Seminar Seven
-- Study Tour of National Sites
Seminar Eight
-- Understanding the Resource Spectrum
Seminar Nine
-- Affecting Change; The Power of
Individuals Working Together
