50 years of Leadership Dallas: ‘I have my current job because of LD’

By Catie George, Director, Communications & Storytelling

To celebrate 50 years of Leadership Dallas (LD), presented by Grant Thornton, the Dallas Regional Chamber’s premier leadership development program, we are highlighting a series of alumni to learn more about the LD experience and the program’s impact on the Dallas Region.

April Allen lived in Dallas for several years before joining LD in 2011. However, her experience set the stage for her current role as President & CEO of Southern Gateway Public Green Foundation, a new five-acre deck park over I-35 in Southern Dallas.

“I don’t know that I would have my current job if it weren’t for LD. One of my classmates was working on the Southern Gateway Park project and knowing my passion for Oak Cliff, recommended me for the board,” said Allen. “It was that involvement that led to my eventually being selected as President once the board was ready to hire full-time staff.”

Her current work builds off some of the lessons she took away from LD.

“One thing I learned from my time at LD is that many of the challenges that Dallas faces – from education to transportation to a lack of economic opportunities – all stem from a failure to incorporate community input and values in prior decision-making. Sometimes, this failure was the result of intentional decisions to ignore certain communities, and sometimes, it was just a failure to listen,” she said. “Regardless, in my [current] project, the opportunity to do things in a different way – to seek out community voices and then implement their preferences – has been huge for me. I truly feel like I am righting some wrongs and helping to blaze a new path for how we make decisions in Dallas in the future.”

Allen originally joined LD to broaden her horizons.

“Once I learned more about the program, I realized that it was the perfect way for me to expand my knowledge of Dallas and find ways to make a difference that were outside of the fields I had worked in before,” she said. “Leadership Dallas was incredibly helpful for me to understand all parts of Dallas.”

After spending a year in LD, Allen emerged more knowledgeable and hopeful about Dallas.

“I had a much better understanding of the issues facing Dallas and why those problems have persisted,” Allen said. “But despite my exposure to all of these seeming negatives, I emerged more optimistic than ever about Dallas’s future because I also got to meet and interact with so many people, inside and outside of my LD class, who are working to make a difference.”

Her LD experience led her to discover her desire to directly impact her community.

“[It] led to more roles as a trustee on non-profit boards and managing a local school board campaign,” Allen said. “Leaning into that preference and into my own community and neighbors is what has enabled me to strengthen my roots as a local leader.”

She encouraged others to try LD if they are looking to broaden their own horizons.

“The knowledge you will gain and the people you will meet will continue to impact your career for years to come in ways you cannot even imagine,” Allen said.

Interested in applying to LD? Hear more alumni testimonials and learn how to build a strong application at an upcoming information session.