Senator Denise Harper Angel (D-Louisville, KY) is one of 25 southern state leaders awarded a full scholarship to attend the 2011 Center for the Advancement of Leadership Skills (CALS). The leadership program is sponsored by the Southern Legislative Conference of The Council of State Governments and Coastal Carolina University.

CALS, which will convene September 24-28 in South Carolina prepares emerging and mid-career legislative, executive and judicial branch state leaders for their roles in state government. CALS helps train highly skilled, educated and confident state leaders to be even more valuable decision makers.

“Being accepted to attend CALS  — not to mention being awarded a full scholarship — is a prestigious distinction,” said Minority Floor Leader R.J. Palmer II, D-Winchester. “Denise has demonstrated that she is a dedicated and hard working public servant, who represents Jefferson County and all of Kentucky very effectively. After attending this training, Denise will be prepared to be an even more effective leader.”

CALS embodies the Southern Legislative Conference of The Council of State Governments’ mission of championing excellence in state government and providing non-partisan forums for state officials who might rarely cross paths to share ideas. The objective of the program is to enhance the participants’ leadership knowledge through sessions geared to improve competencies in communication, conflict resolution, consensus building and critical decision-making.

Participation by states is rotated to guarantee a manageable class size with applications being accepted annually from 10 of the 15 states in the region. The scholarships cover the cost of tuition, travel, lodging and meals.

“I am honored to be attending CALS, which will allow me to gain additional ideas and insight into many of the issues facing Kentucky, such as additional job creation and 21st century economic development incentives, while networking with other southern lawmakers,” said Senator Harper Angel. “I will bring that knowledge back to share with my colleagues in the Kentucky General Assembly.”

States participating in the 2011 CALS at Coastal Carolina University are South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia and Kentucky.

Senator Harper Angel, who represents the 35th District in Louisville KY, has served in the State Senate since 2005.