Snowflake-Taylor Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Charlotte Hatch recently completed a nine-month leadership development program through the Show Low Chamber of Commerce.

The program is designed to help leaders within the White Mountain community develop their potential and nurture their roles of leadership in the community.

The training helps leaders identify some of the problems and opportunities in the White Mountains.

Hatch met and discussed situations with other community leaders, and become familiar with programs in the communities.

She set aside one day a month to participate in a variety of venues, including tours and seminars that made her more aware of what is going on in the White Mountains.

A steering community selected participants who are business and community leaders, and identified participants who would be more likely to use the leadership skills they were taught to benefit the White Mountains. As Snowflake-Taylor Chamber of Commerce executive director and secretary of the Regional Chamber of Commerce, they knew that Hatch would make good use of what she learned.

Topics covered during the training included government, education, health and human services, law enforcement and criminal justice, business and economic development. She was also required to go on a four-hour ridealong with the Snowflake-Taylor Police Department.

“It was very interesting,” said Hatch of her tour of the Navajo County Jail. She saw the differences between the old part of the jail and the new state of the art facility. “We went into high security,” she said. “That’s a very advanced jail.”

“It was interesting to me to see all the facilities we have,” said Hatch, mentioning the jail, the courts and the hospital.

“The hospital has an advanced emergency room,” she noted.

Participants visited the tribes, the pellet plant and Snowflake Power, the Pinetop Sanitation Department, the Show Low Police Department, the Navajo County Courts and city courts.

“We even had a marijuana dispensary class,” she added.

At the Show Low Police Department they visited the firing range, where they had the opportunity to shoot old military weapons, including a machine gun, and Hatch hit the target.

“We visited a lot of areas you don’t usually get to tour,” she said.

A graduation ceremony was held May 23, with many county, city and town leaders in attendance. The keynote speaker was County Attorney Brad Carlyon.

Hatch now serves as president of the White Mountain Regional Chamber of Commerce, a group that includes all the chamber directors in the White Mountains, and is very busy getting ready for the Taylor Independence Day celebration and Snowflake’s Pioneer Day celebration, which is also held in July.