KINGMAN – The City of Kingman is proud to announce that six supervisors from the 911 Dispatch Center have successfully completed and graduated from a specialized nine-week leadership development program created through a partnership between Mohave College, ARIZONA@WORK, and the City. The grant-funded program was designed specifically for emergency communications personnel, reflecting the unique scheduling, operational demands, and high-pressure environment of a 24/7 dispatch center.
The class met weekly for guided instruction led by Ruth Hellams, whose leadership expertise and teaching approach received unanimous praise from participants. Hellams tailored the curriculum to the realities of a 24/7 emergency communications environment which include high stress, rapid decision-making, and a workforce balancing heavy workloads with community expectations. “All of the graduates consistently praised Ruth’s ability to connect leadership concepts directly to dispatch work,” said Krista Toschlog, Kingman’s Human Resources Director. “A strong internal culture directly supports the service we provide to the community. This program gave our dispatch supervisors practical tools to strengthen that culture and guide their teams effectively.”
Supervisors demonstrated remarkable dedication throughout the nine-week course. Many attended sessions on their days off, while others came straight from shifts exceeding 13 hours. Despite the demanding schedule, each participant remained committed to learning new leadership skills, focusing on communication strategies, coaching techniques, conflict resolution, and methods to support team well-being.
The program concluded on December 9, when each graduate delivered a short presentation on their key takeaways, outlining how they plan to apply their new skills to foster a supportive, high-performing, and resilient Center.
These leadership investments are especially significant as communication centers nationwide face a 25 percent vacancy rate, contributing to burnout and high turnover across the profession. Against this backdrop, the City of Kingman recently reached full staffing in its Dispatch Center for the first time in nearly a decade.
“I can’t recall a time, in recent history, that this department was ever fully staffed,” Amy Kennedy, the 911 Communications Manager, stated. “With a fully staffed center and a strong leadership foundation, we are better equipped to serve the residents of Kingman when they need us most.”
