Looking for Leaders

Chamber of Commerce program helps foster sense of community

Outsiders often suffer from the common misconception that Las Vegas has no community. But ask many longtime residents, and they still hold the mindset that Las Vegas is a small town.

Unfortunately, as in many small towns, it can be difficult for newcomers to connect with our community’s entrenched social networks. Las Vegas compounds this problem by burying its small community within a huge city. However, the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce created the Leadership Las Vegas program 25 years ago to address this problem.

Most residents still have never heard of the program. Leadership Las Vegas has more than 900 graduates, and has led to many community projects being started or strengthened, including DJs for PJs and the Three Square BackPack for Kids food program. “You start to really understand how our community is intertwined,” says 2007 graduate Cara Roberts, director of public relations for the chamber.