(Anchorage) - The Council of State Governments-WEST (CSG-WEST), a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization serving Western state legislators in 13 Western states, has selected Sen. Charlie Huggins (R - Rural Mat-Su/Chugiak) as a participant for its prestigious training institute for newer state legislators. The purpose of the Western Legislative Academy is to build excellence and effectiveness in state legislators in the Western region.

Admission to the Western Legislative Academy is highly competitive and is based on commitment to public service, desire to improve personal legislative effectiveness, and interest in improving the legislative process. Thirty-nine state legislators from Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming were chosen as members of the Class of 2005.

The Western Legislative Academy will convene November 15-18 in Colorado Springs, Colorado for three and a half days of intensive training in subjects such as the legislative institution, ethics, team building, communications, legislative strategies and working relationships, negotiations and time management. Faculty will include the Eagleton Institute's Alan Rosenthal, a nationally recognized authority on state legislatures; Washington, D.C. communication expert Arch Lustberg; and a leading U.S. Air Force Academy trainer in team building. Experienced Western legislative leaders will discuss legislative strategies and working relationships.

Sen. Huggins has served Senate District H for one year, an area that covers rural Mat-Su from the Denali Borough border south to Pt. MacKenzie and the Knik-Fairview area, and from Lazy Mountain/Butte area down to Chugiak. Sen. Huggins, who was pleased to hear that he had been selected as a participant from Alaska, said, "My desire is to be an effective representative of my constituents. I look forward to learning from experienced leaders and national experts with the purpose of strengthening my professional and personal skills in the legislature. I firmly believe my constituents deserve the best".

Funding for the Academy comes from the Colorado Springs-based El Pomar Foundation, which is dedicated to excellence in nonprofit organizations, and from Western state legislatures and corporate sponsors. The El Pomar Foundation also donates the campus for the Western Legislative Academy.

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