Class 34 (2026-2027)
Schedule and Locations for Year 1

October 6-8, 2026: Orientation Session, New Bern*
November 4-6, 2026: Government Session, Raleigh **Note Wed. – Fri. schedule for this session only**
December 1-3, 2026: Education Session, Greensboro
January 11-12 OR January 14-15, 2027 (hold the full week – schedule subject to adjustment to W/Th model for full class): Inclusive Leadership Training, Durham*  
January 21, 2027, 4 – 6 pm: Inclusive Leadership Training Full-Class Reflections (virtual)
February 2-4, 2027: Health and Human Services Session, Greenville
March 2-4, 2027: Economic Development Session, Charlotte
April 6-8, 2027: Environment Session, Asheville
May 4-5, 2027: Planning Meeting/Graduation, Raleigh

*Attendance at all of Orientation and at all components of one Inclusive Leadership Training (two days) is mandatory. Attendance across the remaining sessions must meet the requirements outlined in the Program Protocols included in the application materials.

Application window: June 1 – June 24, 2026

General Session Structure for Class 34

Orientation (October)

  • Tuesday, 2 pm – 6 :30 pm
  • Wednesday, 8:15 am – 4:30 pm plus Class Dinner
  • Thursday, 8:15 am – 2:00 pm
  • Participation in all Orientation content is mandatory. Missing any element of Orientation requires withdrawal from the program with no refund.

 

Program Sessions (November, December, February, March, April)

  • Tuesday tour or activity 2:00 – 4:00 pm (optional).  Start and end times may vary slightly.
  • Tuesday reception 5:30 – 7:00 pm (optional).
  • Wednesday morning and afternoon programming and class dinner.
  • Thursday morning and afternoon programming, adjourning around 3 pm.

All Wednesday and Thursday elements are required.  The LNC attendance policy allows participants to miss a limited number of segments throughout the program year.

Note that the November Government session follows a Wednesday through Friday schedule to accommodate Election Day.

 

Inclusive Leadership Training (January)

The mandatory Inclusive Leadership Training for Class 34 will be conducted in two cohorts on January 11-12, 2027, and January 14-15, 2027. Members of Class 34 will be assigned to a cohort prior to the October Orientation session. Applicants are asked to protect both sets of dates. Each training will run 8:00 am – 5:30 pm each day. Following the two-day training, there will be a 2-hour virtual full-class reflections session facilitated by the Inclusive Leadership Training team on January 21, 2027, 4 pm.

 

Planning Meeting and Graduation Ceremony (May)

  • Reflections Session: 2:00 – 5:00 pm the afternoon before graduation.
  • Required Planning Meeting: 8:00 am – 2:30 pm.
  • Graduation Ceremony: 4:00 – 5:30, reception immediately following.

 

Time Commitment Outside Sessions

Each participant will be assigned to a Learning Team for the program year. Learning Teams schedule 1-hour-long phone calls between each session (monthly from October through May). Calls are optional but encouraged. For some sessions, participants are asked to review materials in advance to enhance the session experience. There are no other requirements outside the scheduled session programming.

Planning Committee Participation for Year 2

Participation in Leadership North Carolina is a two-year commitment. The schedule for the first year is outlined above. Following graduation, each participant is required to serve on a planning committee for one of the five program sessions or play another role in preparing the program for the following class. There is one in-person meeting held the day of graduation. The remainder of the planning, research, and outreach to presenters is done by conference call (approximately one call per month) and email. Planning committee members are expected to attend the session they help plan.

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