Twelve residents of the south-central Kansas area will be part of the 2025 class of Leadership Kansas, a program put on by the Kansas Chamber and Kansas Chamber Education Foundation.

Forty Kansans will take part in the eight-month program that involves understanding the state's economic, business and political landscape, according to a news release. An alumni committee picked the group from more than 500 nominations, the release said, "ensuring the class reflects Kansas' geographic, ethnic, occupational, and gender diversity."

Sessions will be held in 11 cities with topics on business, education, agriculture, public policy, society health, economic development, and government.

More than 1,600 Kansans have gone through the program since its first class in 1979.