SPRINGDALE -- The city is experiencing an uptick in millennial age leaders, which some people say can be a double-edged sword by bringing new points of view but also a lack of experience.
Mayor Doug Sprouse said this is the first time he has seen this level of leadership involvement from young people since taking office Jan. 1, 2009.
Web watch
To learn who is on the Springdale City Council, go to springdalear.gov, hover over “City Council” in the list on the left side of the screen and click on “City Council Members” in the menu that appears. To see who is on various Springdale commissions and boards, go to springdalear.gov, hover over “Commissions/Boards” in the same list and click on an option in the menu that appears.
Source: City of Springdale
Payton Parker, 26, is the newest and youngest commissioner on the Springdale Planning Commission. His first meeting was in March. He said he pursued the leadership position because he wanted to get involved and give back to the community. Parker grew up in Springdale and cares about the city, he said.
Millennials are between the ages of 19 and 35, according to Pew Research Center.
The list of millennial leaders in Springdale stretches across many areas, including: Joe Rollins, 34, principal of the Don Tyson School of Innovation; Tiffany Selvey, 35, manager of Mill Street Market; Dusty Graham, 35, member of the Springdale Housing Authority board; Charles Gaines, 28, member of the Springdale Planning Commission; Melissa Reeves, 29, director of public relations for Springdale; and Irvin Camacho, 24, who is running against Jeff Williams for District 89 state representative.
Millennial Leaders
Sprouse said the work on parks and trails, as well as downtown revitalization, helped trigger an increase in young people taking on leadership roles.
Misty Murphy, executive director of the Downtown Springdale Alliance, agrees downtown revitalization is a trigger. She explained when a city creates something that resonates with a segment of the population, those residents want to have input.
Before downtown revitalization, there wasn't a lot happening in the city for young people to attach themselves to.
Murphy, 37, is a former reporter who covered Bentonville for the Benton County Daily Record for a couple of years before leaving the newspaper in 2013. She said reporting on Bentonville's downtown renovation inspired her to get involved in public leadership.
Young leaders bring a voice that needs to be heard, Sprouse said.
"They bring a perspective that we all need to consider," he said.
Parker is interested in the downtown area and in making the city more walkable. He said he hopes to offer a different point of view and learn about the Planning Commission's process.
The age range of commissioners is 26 to 68, said Denise Pearce, city clerk. Besides Parker and Gaines, the rest of the commissioners range from 43 to 68 years old.
Sprouse is 59. The age range of Springdale aldermen is from 45 to 71, Pearce said.
Ages of the Fayetteville City Council members range from 32 to 76, said Pam Ferguson, human resources assistant for the city.
The average age of aldermen on the Rogers City Council is 58, said Thomas Dunlap, human resources director for the city. The age range is from 38 to 78.
The eight aldermen on Bentonville City Council represent several decades as far as their ages, Mayor Bob McCaslin said. The age range is from 32 to 71, according to Ed Wheeler, human resource manager for the city.
Pros and Cons
Murphy spoke about being on the edge of the millennials and Generation X. People in Generation X are between the ages of 36 and 51.
She said her age allows her to provide a different perspective and collaborate with the different generational groups.
As a leader, Murphy doesn't bring to the table the experience of living through numerous crises and problems, she said. She explained this is why it's important for young leaders to have mentors.
One drawback to young people in leadership positions is that lack of experience, said Don Zimmerman, executive director of the Arkansas Municipal League. Their ideas may have been tried before, and there may have been problems with those attempts. It's good to have a mix of younger and more experienced leaders so those who are more experienced can provide guidance and wisdom, he said.
Parker spoke of lacking knowledge about the politics of the Planning Commission and the history of things commissioners may have tried that have or haven't worked. He said it's important to be humble and open-minded.
Bob Arthur, 58, has been on the Planning Commission since 2010. He described the two youngest commissioners as having sharp minds.
"They look at things differently, which I think is a very positive thing," he said.
Younger leaders also have less experience in life, Arthur said. Perspectives can change or broaden as people gain experiences.
"We've experienced more things in life in general," he said. "They just haven't lived long enough, if that makes sense."
Springdale is fortunate to have young people stepping in, Zimmerman said. Young people attaining leadership roles shows their commitment to the city's future, he said. They also bring new ideas and enthusiasm.
McCaslin, however, said anyone who gains a leadership position will have fresh ideas. He also said it takes a while for anyone to learn the rules and laws about what they can do with taxpayer money.
A Larger Trend
Increased involvement from younger people is not confined to Springdale, said Mike Harvey, chief operating officer for the Northwest Arkansas Council. He said there seems to be "something percolating" in every city in the region.
The next generation of leaders is mentioned in the council's Greater Northwest Arkansas Development Strategy for 2015-17. As an objective for regional stewardship, it states, "Cultivate the next generation of leaders in Northwest Arkansas by promoting citizen engagement on boards, elected positions, and leadership training."
Established leaders are getting younger family members involved, Harvey said. He gave the example of the some of the founders of the council encouraging their children to get involved, such as the Simmons and the Walton families. The younger generations involvement shows they are here for the long haul because they are investing in their communities.
Job openings are created for millennials and Gen-Xers as baby boomers move out of the workforce, Harvey said. This translates into leadership roles in the community because it allows people under the age of 50 to be cultivated.
"I think it's just a natural progression of things," he said.
People in the baby boomer generation are ages 52-70.
The two biggest reasons young people try to attain leadership roles is to develop a skill set and the ability to have a say, said Krissy Durant, membership services senior director for Junior Chamber International. The group is a nonprofit organization that helps young people implement positive change. The organization has a membership base between the ages of 18 and 40.
These reasons have changed over the years, Durant said. In the past they wanted recognition and the title.
Ana Aguayo, 27, said she needs to be a strong voice to make changes.
"I wanted to have a seat at the table," she said.
Aguayo is the associate development officer at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. She is on the boards of the Northwest Arkansas Young Professionals and Fayetteville Underground. She grew up and lives in Springdale.
Aguayo is an alumnus from J.O. Kelly Middle School and visited last month to speak to students about her life and how she got to where she is today. She stood in front of a full classroom and explained she moved with her family from Mexico to Springdale when she was 8.
She attended the University of Arkansas, earned bachelor's degrees in journalism and international relations, led marches, got a work permit, lobbied in the nation's capital, interned for a U.S. congressman and worked for former Gov. Mike Beebe as an external affairs liaison. Aguayo plans to start working toward a master's degree in business administration this fall.
Aguayo advised students to find out what makes them happy, get out of their comfort zones, build positive relationships, make a road map for where they want to go and be persistent when it comes to their dreams.
Chamber Programs
Local chambers of commerce have long provided training to grow community leaders.
Perry Webb, president of the Springdale Chamber of Commerce, said the increasing number of young leaders emerging in the community show a "spirit of volunteerism."
The Springdale Chamber has two leadership programs: Junior Leadership and Leadership Springdale.
Junior Leadership, a program for ninth-graders at Shiloh Christian School and in Springdale School District's four junior high schools. Officials at the schools select about 40 students each year for the free program.
Leadership Springdale is for employees of the chamber's members. Between 20 and 30 people go through the program each year. The Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce runs Leadership Fayetteville and the chambers in Rogers-Lowell, Bentonville and Siloam Springs collaborate for Leadership Benton County.
Northwest Arkansas Emerging Leaders is a program out of the Rogers-Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce that has more than 40 events annually. The group has more than 700 members and is managed by a board of 20.
The Fayetteville chamber's Teen Leadership Experience is for juniors at Fayetteville High School and Haas Hall Academy. It started in 1999 and takes 25-30 students per year. The chamber is set to begin Washington County Teen Leadership Experience in September and is for juniors in Lincoln, Prairie Grove, Farmington, West Fork, Greenland and Elkins. It will admit 60 students annually.
The Bentonville/Bella Vista Chamber of Commerce is also set to start a new student program. The Young Entrepreneurs Academy will start in November with 25 students ages 11 to 18.
NW News on 05/09/2016