Submitted
The Council of State Governments West, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization serving Western state legislators of both parties in 13 western states, has selected Rep. Vince Leach (R-Dist. 11) as a participant in its prestigious training institute for lawmakers in their first four years of service.
The purpose of the Western Legislative Academy is to build excellence and effectiveness in state legislators in the western region.
Admission to the Western Legislative Academy is very competitive and is based on commitment to public service, desire to improve personal legislative effectiveness, and interest in improving the legislative process. Out of 105 applicants from throughout the West, 44 state legislators were selected as members of the Western Legislative Academy Class of 2015.
The Western Legislative Academy will convene Nov. 30–Dec. 3 in Colorado Springs, Colorado, for three and a half days of intensive training in subjects such as legislative institutions, ethics, communications, negotiations, time management and leadership. Faculty is drawn from academia, former military and the private sector. A highlight of the training is an afternoon at the U.S. Air Force Academy working on personal assessments and team building.
Leach is the vice chairman of the Committee on Appropriations at the State House of Representatives and also serves on the Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Committee and Rural and Economic Development Committee. He represents Legislative District 11 and lives in SaddleBrooke. Leach is a Vietnam veteran and has more than 35 years of sales and executive business management experience, and is an active member of Catalina Foothills Church.