(Eagle Mountain Casino, Porterville, CA 93257) – Leadership Porterville held its annual Graduation at Eagle Mountain Casino on May 25, 2023, inside the brand new state-of-the-art 2000-seat Event Center. This was the first private event held at the Event Center.
Leadership Porterville an organization that assists the further development of existing and emerging community leaders. For over 25 years, Leadership Porterville has inspired, developed, and connected these leaders to be more involved in the Porterville area.
The Leadership Porterville graduation class featured Eagle Mountain Casino’s very own Marketing and Community Liaison Coordinator, Mistie Webb.
“Leadership is not about a title, it’s about being vulnerable, taking risks and being a team player and working with others to achieve a common goal. It’s about learning who you are as a person so you can better help those around you. You do not need a title to be a leader, you just need to truly care”, said Webb.
Webb said in her speech that the Leadership Porterville program has been an amazing opportunity for her and showed her how important it is for the state, tribal, county and city community leaders to work together and help better the community. Webb started the program as a Marketing Clerk with the goal of networking and graduated as a Community Liaison Coordinator.
Virginia Gurrola, Leadership Porterville Facilitator who is retiring from the position, received a certificate of recognition from State Assemblyman Devon Mathis. Gurrola was also a former Mayor of the city of Porterville.
“All of you are leaders and I can see an abundance of things that you are going to do for the community, and I can rest easy knowing that is going to take place”, said Gurrola.
Leadership Porterville graduates that received recognition on stage were Mistie Webb, Griselda Hurtado, Jared Harness, Shy-La Franco, Jonathan Miranda, Leticia Bradley, Bruce Sokoloff and Ryan Leasure, Duane Cornett and Rosa Guerrero.
“Being a part of Leadership Porterville has improved my community relations outside of the reservation. Leadership Porterville has helped me gain self-improvement to advance my leadership skills and I would like to acknowledge Matthew Mingrone for introducing me to this program”, said Shy-La Franco, Youth Chairwoman for the Tule River Tribe and Human Resources Clerk at Eagle Mountain Casino.
On stage to present as well were Eagle Mountain Casino’s General Manager, Matthew Mingrone, Porterville College President Dr. Claudia Habib, Porterville Mayor Martha A. Flores, Supervisor Dennis Townsend, Porterville City Manager John Lollis, and Irene Ortega.
Leadership Porterville donated $8500 to Alta Vista School to go towards science STEM kits for grades K-3. The funds were accepted by Brandon Chiapa, Superintendent. The funds were raised from the Speakeasy event produced by Leadership Porterville.
For more information on Leadership Porterville and how to sign up please visit: https://www.facebook.com/leadershipporterville/
Eagle Mountain Casino is a full-service casino owned and operated by the Tule River Tribe. The Casino, located at 1850 West Street in Porterville, CA, off Highway 65, next to the Porterville Fairgrounds, is now open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The new property is double in size, growing to over 100,000 square feet, featuring new dining options, 1,750 slot machines, 20 table games, and a 2,000-seat state-of-the-art event center. Guests must be 21 and older to drink alcohol and play on the gaming floor. For more information, go to www.eaglemtncasino.com or call 1-800-903-3353.
