As a child, Huber watched her father serve on the city council of a Texas suburb. She wanted to get involved in her new community—she just didn't know how.

The solution? Leadership Los Gatos, a program designed to reach community members like Huber and train them for positions with the town.

"I thought it would be a fun way to know how Los Gatos worked and what was involved in being in a small town," Huber said. She joined the program in 2002.

Leadership Los Gatos started three years ago, when the town noticed a rising number of vacancies on its boards and commissions. In an effort to address this problem, the Town of Los Gatos Chamber of Commerce and the town council proposed a series of seminars to provide potential leaders with the tools to serve.

"The hope is that not only will [class members] get involved in the town, but that somehow they will chose to reach out and get involved in the community," said Phil Johnson, program coordinator for Leadership Los Gatos.

So far, the program appears to be working. Since its inception in 2001, a number of Leadership Los Gatos graduates have gone on to fill various positions in town. Alumni include the vice-chairwoman of the arts commission as well as four members of the chamber. Johnson said that he even knows of one alumnus who is contemplating a run for town council in the future.

Alumni credit the program's success to a well-designed course that gives participants an inside look into the town. The program consists of 10 sessions, spaced throughout the year, hosted by different community members and town officials. This year, participants heard from Los Gatos school officials regarding key issues and challenges facing public schools in the area and had a lesson on ethics from Dr. Thomas Shanks of Santa Clara University.

Participants also explore the town, from visiting the landfill to going on a ride-along with Los Gatos Police.

"Before I went through the leadership program, I didn't know what it took to run a town," said Patti Rice, a current class member who serves on the board of the chamber. "It gives you a sense of responsibility, that you should contribute something."

Being a part of the program, Rice said, also provided her with the know-how to get involved in the community.

For those with a background in civil service, the program offered the chance to know town leaders on a more personal level. Alumnus Brenda Hammond said that despite her experience in government, being introduced to people through the program was very helpful. Hammond was working for a county supervisor when she joined Leadership Los Gatos in 2001.

"I know all the people at city hall, the police chief. You meet everyone who is involved in our town functioning," she said.

Like Rice, Hammond also said that the program gave her a new perspective on what it takes behind the scenes for the town to run smoothly.