FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 28, 2014
Contact: CSG Media Relations
The Council of State Governments
(859) 244-8246
New Mexico Majority Whip Tim Keller Selected as CSG Toll Fellow
LEXINGTON, Ky.—Sen. Tim Keller, who serves as New Mexico’s majority whip, is one of 48 state policymakers from across the country selected as a Council of State Governments’ Henry Toll Fellow for the Class of 2014.
The 48-person class of 2014 Toll Fellows represent 35 states and Puerto Rico, with 35 serving in the legislative branch, four serving in the judiciary and nine hailing from the executive. A nine-member committee of state leaders, many who are Toll Fellows themselves, reviewed a record number of applications to select the class.
“The Henry Toll Fellowship has a distinguished history of cultivating some of the nation’s top leaders and forging lasting relationships among a special few who serve without fear or favor,” said Tennessee Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris, the 2014 CSG national chair and a 2002 CSG Toll Fellow. “This year’s class is drawn from a very deep talent pool, and each of those selected will contribute significantly.”
The Toll Fellowship Program, named for CSG founder Henry Wolcott Toll, is one of the nation’s premier leadership development programs for state government officials. Each year, Toll Fellows brings 48 of the nation’s top officials from all three branches of state government to Lexington, Ky., for an intensive six-day, five-night “intellectual boot camp.”
“When our public servants can learn from other states and experts around the country, and combine those learnings with all our state’s wonderful uniqueness,” said Keller, “it raises the bar for all policy discussions across New Mexico and increases our ability to thrive.”
The program’s agenda includes a lineup of dynamic speakers and sessions designed to stimulate personal assessment and growth, while providing priceless networking and relationship-building opportunities. While each year’s program is unique, previous programs have included sessions on leadership personality assessment, media training, crisis management, appreciative inquiry, adaptive leadership and much more.
“The Toll Fellowship remains the oldest and most prestigious of all leadership development programs for elected officials,” said David Adkins, CSG’s executive director/CEO. “Its impact is profound and its quality is renowned. As a Toll Fellow from 1993, I know first hand the impact the program has on elected officials.”
Adkins was a 1993 Toll Fellow when he served as a Kansas state representative.
Toll Fellows alumni include U.S. Rep. John Carney, a former Delaware lieutenant governor; U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa, a former Hawaii state Senate president; U.S. Rep. Todd Rokita, a former Indiana secretary of state; former North Carolina Gov. Beverly Perdue and former U.S. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis.
This year’s program will be held Sept. 5-10 in Lexington.
Class of 2014 Link: http://www.csg.org/LeadershipCenter/CurrentTollClass.aspx
Toll Fellows Link: http://www.csg.org/LeadershipCenter/TollFellows.aspx
Toll Fellows Alumni Link: http://www.csg.org/LeadershipCenter/TollAlumni.aspx