...for City of Southlake news, business, and community happenings.
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Saturday, December 2, 2023
The Southlake Youth Action Commission was in Dallas on February 4-5, 2023, to attend the Texas Youth Advisory Commission (YAC) Summit, hosted by the City of Dallas and sponsored by the Texas Municipal League.
This annual event provided YACs from across the state the opportunity to attend skill-building workshops, hear from motivational speakers, and share ideas.
While the summit has a serious mission of educating, inspiring, and empowering, it is also built as a fun environment to help connect youth with other youth leaders and city leaders. More than 200 youth leaders and city officials from around the state attended the summit. The Southlake Youth Action Commission was represented by Carroll Senior High School student and SYAC member, Kahna Jain.
The Southlake Youth Action Commission looks forward to participating in the Texas YAC Summit in years to come. The City of Southlake extends a hearty thank you to the City of Dallas and the Texas Municipal League for hosting such an educational and fun event.
Click here to learn more about the Southlake Youth Action Commission and how you can get involved in representing the youth voice of Southlake.
The Southlake Youth Action Commission (SYAC) consists of civic-minded young residents with a passion for learning and giving back to their community.
Each year, young members of the Southlake community volunteer their time to serve on this crucial City board. They learn about local government and share their perspectives as part of the City’s youth. This year’s SYAC Chair, Katy Lin, led the group through various projects. They learned about the CIP process, picked up litter on Shady Oaks Dr. through Keep Southlake Beautiful Adopt-A-Street Program, and participated in a City-wide Intern Day.
A soon-to-be graduate of Carroll Senior High School, Katy Lin, is heading to Cambridge, Massachusetts in the Fall to join the Harvard University Class of 2026! She hopes to pursue a concentration in government with a minor in philosophy. Her future career plans include attending law school and becoming a human rights lawyer for an international NGO!
Katy served on SYAC all four years she was in high school. After last year’s Intern Day, Katy procured a summer internship in the City Manager’s Office, where she got a first-hand view of the City’s strategy.
“SYAC helped me understand the functions of the City and the greater importance of local government. It widened my understanding of how much municipal decisions affect the lives of residents, often far more than state or national politics. Being a part of SYAC has also taught me the importance of service to my community and instilled a passion to continue that wherever I go.” Katy Lin, SYAC Chair.
Congratulations on your acceptance to Harvard, Katy! We’ll miss seeing you around the City this Fall, but we know you have a bright future ahead!
The Dallas Business Journal (DBJ) has released the list of finalists for the 2018 CFO of the Year awards, including Southlake’s very own Chief Financial Officer, Sharen Jackson.
The CFO of the Year Awards recognizes North Texas financial professionals for their superb performance as financial stewards. The nominees were evaluated for their effect on their respective organizations and were selected across eight categories, including, Large Companies, Upper Middle Market, Core Middle Market, Closely held, Non-profit/501( c )(3), Not-for-profit/501( c )(6) and Government.
“Sharen’s superior financial management and leadership have helped to ensure the long-term health and wellness of Southlake, benefitting citizens, businesses and visitors in the community,” said City Manager, Shana Yelverton.
Yelverton also noted how Jackson worked with the City Council to reduce property tax-supported debt from over $100 million in 2002 to $50.5 million in 2018 and decrease property tax obligations for residential property owners. She has also implemented the open OpenGov portal in order to improve financial transparency.
The DBJ’s CFO of the Year criteria include:
• Demonstrated financial growth during the year
• Success in overcoming significant business challenges or barriers
• Examples of team leadership and superior management
• Other factors may include a chief financial officer’s contributions to the community (such as social, nonprofit or charitable giving)
• Demonstrated commitment to the company’s financial best practices and accounting standards, or success as a strategic visionary for the enterprise
The winners will be announced at the CFO of the Year Awards luncheon on Tuesday, November 13.
Visit the Dallas Business Journal for more information about the award and the luncheon.
School’s out for the summer! Now what? Here is a list of all the programs and camp that the City of Southlake Parks and Recreation department offers for teens.
Teen Scene (Ages 12-15): Join our family friendly staff as they take your teenager to some of the most fun and interesting places DFW has to offer. We will meet at Durham Intermediate School where we can shoot hoops, play cards or just hang out and meet new friends before heading out for the day. Only limited weeks are available.
Leadership Development Workshop (Ages 15-22): The leadership development workshop is targeted towards assisting our youth in gaining exposure to principles in leadership, understanding styles of influence and building trust. Through a highly interactive format this workshop supports a more prepared transition into: interviews and internships, leading and participating in group projects, creating and portraying a positive image, and preparing for attending college. Please note the dress is business casual.
If you are interested in signing your teen up any of these programs, you can register online or at the Parks and Recreation office located at 1400 Main St, Suite 210.
For more information please contact (817) 748-8019 or visit www.SouthlakeParksandRec.com
The City of Southlake is committed to developing the next generation of leaders. Over the last six months, 15 Public Safety employees participated in our first DPS Leadership Academy. The course focused on ways to strengthen the skills of class participants from the Police and Fire departments.
Employees who attended the inaugural leadership academy heard from experts who spoke on the topics of Pride and Ownership, Vision and Direction, Leadership and Communication Skills, Customer Service, Strategic Thinking, Employee Relations and Generational Differences, Employee Engagement and Creating the Southlake Culture. Participants also learned about the importance of developing quality leadership and management including how to manage Southlake’s organizational philosophy, culture and values.
One of the keynote speakers, Lewisville Fire Chief Rick Lasky, talked about the importance of really understanding your organizations mission and vision and applying it to everything you do. Sergeant Luna said, “I think that is really an important message and one that encourages individuals to take pride and ownership in their profession.”
Sgt. Luna added, “The course also reinforced the importance of communicating and working together as a team not only within the police department but with the fire department as well especially since we work so closely together and have similar goals.”
During breakout sessions participants discussed how to build on the organizations strengths and how to best mentor and lead the next generation coming up through the ranks. Sgt. Luna said, “That is really key and it’s important to help the next generation of leaders get started on the right track.”
Fire Battalion Chief Trey Porter said the course was very informative and there were many takeaways from the panel of experts in the leadership academy. B.C. Porter said, “One of the biggest takeaways for me was hearing the panel of experts talk about the best practices in leading a diverse group of individuals; and the ability to recognize the different types of generations and generational gaps. Everyone brings different life lessons and experiences to the table — and being able to master and incorporate that knowledge will help me become a better leader.”
DPS Leadership Academy Graduates
The participants and graduates of the DPS Leadership Academy were:
This exciting new program was made possible by a very generous anonymous donation facilitated SDCA.