The latest local news, weather and high school sports from the Heartland

OTTUMWA, IOWA -- The first group of participants in the Lead Ottumwa Leadership Academy will convene for the first time Thursday.

The group will meet once a month, with each "class" or meeting focusing on a different aspect of the Ottumwa community. The goal is to teach the participants everything they need to know about city government, county government, local businesses and more, so that by the end of the program next year, they can be prepared to take on leadership positions in the community.

The Legacy Foundation and the academy's executive director have helped create this program to be something that has never been done before.

"My role is just to make sure they have a great experience for the day," said Hollie Tometich, Executive Director of the Lead Ottumwa Leadership Academy. "So from the moment they walk in, I want them to feel like this is something totally new and different. We're not just going to be a bunch of talking heads, it's going to be very interactive and hopefully they all walk away feeling like not only did they learn something about themselves in leadership, but how to use that out in the community."

This year's group of twenty participants consists of a variety of men and women of all ages and of all occupations. The two things they do have in common: they live or work in Ottumwa and they have the drive to become more active in the community.

Applications for next year's Leadership Academy are already being accepted. To find out more, click here.