Leadership Temple to Honor Alumni and Graduates at 2025 Banquet

The Temple Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce the 2025 Leadership Temple Alumni & Graduation Banquet, set for Wednesday, May 21, 2025, at the Hilton Garden Inn Temple.
 
This annual event brings together community leaders, program alumni, and the graduating class for a celebration of leadership and service. Originally established by a Class of 2018 Action Team project, the banquet continues to enhance alumni engagement while spotlighting the ongoing impact of the Leadership Temple program.
 
A highlight of the 2025 banquet will be the presentation of the Leadership Temple Distinguished Alumni Award to Jon Burrows, a graduate of the Leadership Temple Class of 1989. Burrows served five terms as Bell County Judge, retiring in 2018. He is a distinguished public servant whose legacy spans decades of civic, legal, and military service.
 
The banquet will also recognize the Leadership Temple Class of 2025 as they complete their ten-month journey in community leadership. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn about the class Action Team project and connect with both seasoned and emerging leaders.
 
Proceeds from the event benefit the Leadership Temple Tuition Assistance Scholarship, an initiative aimed at promoting inclusivity by enabling small business and nonprofit leaders to participate in the program. This ensures the continued cultivation of a diverse and representative cohort of future leaders.
 
Looking back on the 2024 Leadership Temple Alumni & Graduation Banquet that celebrated the accomplishments of the Class of 2024, led by Class President David Shine, Shine Richardson Investment Group of Wells Fargo Advisors, and Curriculum Chair, Tanner Johnson of Central National Bank. The graduates presented their Action Team project, an impactful collaboration with Feed My Sheep and its initiative Elizabeth Farm.
 
Working alongside Feed My Sheep, the class supported the development of Elizabeth Farm in East Temple, a space focused on food access and transitional support. Their contributions included installing a greenhouse, covering an eighty-foot grow house, donating fruit trees and topsoil, and contributing a production plan to support long-term sustainability. The class also helped place a tiny home on the property, offering housing for an individual exiting homelessness.
 
The 2024 Banquet also honored David Nix, Leadership Temple Class of 1988, as the Distinguished Alumni, recognizing his lasting contributions to Temple’s economic and civic development.
 
The Temple Chamber encourages individuals interested in community leadership and professional development to attend the banquet for a glimpse of the program’s impact and opportunities for involvement.
 
The 2025 Leadership Temple Alumni & Graduation Banquet is sponsored by: the City of Temple, McLane Group, Extraco Banks, Johnson Brothers Ford Lincoln, and KPA Engineers.
 
For more information about the Leadership Temple Alumni & Graduation Banquet and registration, click here.