The Leadership Symposium program is co-sponsored by Leadership Park City, Park City Municipal, Summit County and the Park City Chamber Bureau.
The event is a 30-year Park City tradition and has a new leader at the helm. Leadership Park City Director Scott van Hartesvelt took over the program last June after founder Myles Rademan retired. Speaking with KPCW’s Local News Hour Thursday, van Hartesvelt said everyone can get something out of the symposium.
“Whether you just moved here, regardless of where you live in the community, if you care about this community, or you've been here for generations, I think that there's going to be something for you in the program,” he said.
This year’s focus is the power of leadership in community. Van Hartesvelt said the theme was formed after a memorial service for Tina Lewis. Many influential Parkites and leaders attended the memorial, he said, including past mayors and city council members.
They talked about how Lewis was intimately involved in bringing the Sundance Film Festival, arts festivals and the Olympics to the area. She also helped preserve Main Street.
“That struck me like a bolt of lightning that this is our legacy. This is who Park City is, built on the shoulders of leaders who leaned in,” van Hartesvelt said.
In keeping with tradition, the symposium begins with an overview of Park City’s history. Historically, Rademen served as the city’s chief storyteller, but with his departure, van Hartesvelt has passed the torch to Park City Mayor Nann Worel and longtime Parkites Sally Elliott and Teri Orr.
From there, a variety of speakers and panels will share information about Wasatch Back issues, successes and challenges.
They include Summit County Manager Janna Young, who will lead a panel on affordable housing, Park City Community Foundation CEO Joel Zarrow, who will discuss community belonging and High Valley Transit Executive Director Caroline Rodriguez who will discuss transportation.
Summit County Council Chair Tonja Hanson will partner with Oakley Mayor Zane Woolstenhulme to discuss the eastern part of the county. Wasatch County Manager Dustin Grabau will also be in attendance to discuss the Military Installation Development Authority, or MIDA, which oversees development at Deer Valley’s East Village.
The symposium is Feb. 7 at the Blair Education Center from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets are available for $50. Breakfast and lunch will be provided.
