Safford — Gila Valley Leadership Cohort 17 may be the earliest success of any leadership class to date.
Leadership Cohort 17 celebrated its completion on Thursday at the Graham County Chamber of Commerce’s June Soiree at The Venue on Main, where attendees said two of the cohort’s participants were already new. I knew I was in a leadership position.
Cohort 17 alumnus Desiree Schnell, owner of Josie James, Inc., was elected to the Graham County Chamber of Commerce along with Lois Huntbell, owner of Roycycled Treasures and Cohort 4 alumnus .
Attendees were also privileged to see Cohort 17 graduate Hiram Gray receive confirmation of admission to West Point’s Military Academy from West Point’s 1973 graduate, Dr. Dennis Lowe.
A 2019 graduate of Sierra Vista’s Buena High School and a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Gray recently earned her paramedic certification from Eastern Arizona University. He said he hopes the certification will help the military determine how it will serve.
“I hope we can get a billet for medical use,” Gray said. “I would be happy if they could enroll me in medical school so I could become a surgeon as a trauma surgeon.” . They will decide what I want to specialize in. “
Gray’s appointment to the Military Academy was the result of significant work by Graham County Superintendent John Howard, who first began the process with Rep. Tom O’Halleran of Arizona. After the redistricting moved O’Halleran out of the Graham County constituency and O’Halleran’s loss in the 2022 election, Howard was elected to the House by new Representative Juan Siskomani, representing Graham, Greenlee and Cochise counties. Began working with Congressmen (Republican, Arizona).
Howard was able to secure Gray’s appointment, even though Ciscomani had only been in office for six months.
Cohort 17 has the option of going to Washington, D.C. June 14-17 for its final rally to meet with the Arizona legislative delegation.
Applications for Cohort 18, which begins in late summer, are being accepted by the Graham County Chamber of Commerce.
Editor’s Note: Lois Huntbell is the wife of reporter David Bell. This article was updated on Friday, June 2, 2023 at 5:42pm with additional information regarding Gray’s appointment to West Point.
