Forts McTaggart Reflects on Leadership Fellowship

SCHOHARIE — Old Stone Fort Director Melinda McTaggart’s time in the Appalachian Regional Commission’s (ARC) Leadership Institute may be over, but the lessons will last a lifetime.

Her time in the program since 2022 has taught her a lot, and built a number of strong connections. The West Virginia University alumn traveled to a number of locations, including a Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, Washington D.C., and a leadership conference in Birmingham, AL.

“The whole thing was just wonderful,” she said.

There were 39 graduates from the program, including three from New York.

McTaggart said that the best part of the program were the people she had a chance to work, who “set the bar for colleagues.” She also called the members “inspired and inspiring.”

Following the program, she received certificates from the ARC, and the University of Tennessee Knoxville.

The number one lesson the museum director took from the lesson was “don’t give up.” She added that while Appalachia may get a “bad rap” culturally, “we have more in common than different.”
The program made her “think about the bigger picture,” including how to use the lessons to improve Schoharie County and the Old Stone Fort.

The connections and knowledge McTaggart gained through the program would be used to grow organizations, tourism, and the “shared story” of the area, she said.

McTaggart also left the program with a “different appreciation for here and the region.,” adding that there needs to be a “sense of pride” for Schoharie County since we “have such a good story.”