“Camelicious.”
No, this is not about tasty caramels, it is indeed about camels. Beyond that, it is really about an educational leadership development experience that is helping rural Kansas leaders expand their skills, relationships and global knowledge.
Jill Zimmerman is president of the Kansas Agriculture and Rural Leadership program, or KARL for short. A K-State and KARL program graduate, Jill was an extension agent and later executive director of the Kansas FFA Foundation. She was on the executive team of Eastern Kansas Agri-Energy in Garnett before being named president of the KARL program in 2017.
KARL is a privately-funded, two-year leadership development program for up to 30 individuals across Kansas. The program is headquartered on the campus of Kansas State in Manhattan. It began 33 years ago, under the guidance of the founding board members, the late professor Barry Flinchbaugh, and the program’s first president, Jack Lindquist of Manhattan.
“The purpose of KARL is to take a group of thought leaders who are already committed to their purpose — be it for agriculture, rural communities, or the general needs of Kansas — and provide them a learning experience through which they create a bond that allows them to be change-makers,” Zimmerman said.
“Leaders need to be lifelong learners,” she said.
