Members of the Greenwood-Leflore County Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Greenwood class followed Leflore County Circuit Clerk Elmus Stockstill through the county courthouse for an educational tour on Tuesday.
The program allows young professionals between the ages of 25 and 40 to develop personally and professionally. This year’s class has 16 participants, said Beth Stevens, the chamber’s executive director.
They split into two groups for Tuesday’s tour, which was set up to give the young professionals in the program a behind-the-scenes glimpse into local government. It began in the circuit clerk’s office and ended with a tour of the police and fire stations, said Lizzie Woodard, the special projects coordinator.
“I’m just here to make sure they don’t get lost,” she laughed at the beginning of the tour. “But Beth also likes us to come along so we know what’s going on in the county and city.”
Justin Blaylock, an employee of Trustmark Bank and program participant, observed, “You get to see a lot of sides of Greenwood that your normal citizen doesn’t get to see every day — a lot of behind-the-scenes working of the government and everything that pushes our economy together.”
Acquanetta Parrott, director of campus life at Mississippi Valley State University, said she wanted to get to know the city better so she can understand and serve the student population at Valley better.
“Since I’m not from here,” the Georgia native said, “it gives me an opportunity to be able to learn and understand Greenwood and its consumers and businesses.”
Stockstill said he wanted the class to gain an understanding of how government works.
“I explained what my role is as circuit clerk and some of the duties we have here,” he said. “I also showed them the new voting machines and explained how those work. They were really happy about that.”
He told the group that “we put you together on my side” — referring to the circuit clerk’s duty of filing marriage licenses — “and here they take you apart,” referring to the job of the chancery clerk to handle filings for divorce.
Applications are open for the 2023 class of the Leadership Greenwood Program, which is one of the longest running leadership programs in the state, according to Stevens. Each interested person must complete an application, which is available on the chamber’s website, and return it to the chamber by Nov. 15 to be considered for one of 15 to 20 spots.
- Contact Katherine Parker at 662-581-7239 or kparker@gwcommonwealth.com.
