Overview

Leadership North Carolina is a two-year commitment. For the first year, participants attend program sessions around the state from October through May. After graduating, they help plan content for the next program year.

The program fee covers session materials and programming as well as meals during sessions. Accommodations and travel expenses are the responsibility of each participant. The program fee for Class 33 is $7,000.

Schedules for the first year of the next two cohorts are provided below.

Class 33 (2025-2026)
Schedule and Locations for Year 1

October 7-9, 2025: Orientation Session, Boone*
November 4-6, 2025: Government Session, Raleigh
December 9-11, 2025: Education Session, Greensboro
January 12-13 OR January 15-16, 2026: Inclusive Leadership Training, Durham* (hold both sets of dates)
January 22, 4 – 6 pm: Inclusive Leadership Training Full-Class Reflections (virtual)
February 10-12, 2026: Economic Development Session, New Bern
March 10-12, 2026: Health and Human Services Session, Charlotte
April 14-16, 2026: Environment Session, Asheville
May 12-13, 2026: 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, 2025

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

October 6-8, 2026: Orientation Session, Boone*
November 3-5, 2026: Government Session, Raleigh
December 1-3, 2026: Education Session, Greensboro
January 11-12 OR January 14-15, 2027: Inclusive Leadership Training, Durham* (hold both sets of dates) 
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

Structure for Year 1: Program Participation

Orientation (October)

  • Tuesday: 2:00 – 6:30 pm
  • Wednesday: 8:15 am – 4:30 pm plus Class Dinner (required)
  • Thursday: 8:15 am – 12:30 pm plus Optional Lunch

Participation in the full Orientation session is mandatory. Missing any element of Orientation requires withdrawal from the program with no refund.

 

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

  • Tuesday tour or activity 2:00 – 4:30 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.

 

Inclusive Leadership Training (January)

The Inclusive Leadership Training for Class 33 will be conducted in two cohorts on January 12-13 and January 15-16. Members of Class 33 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. Participation in the full Inclusive Leadership training is mandatory. Missing any element of the Inclusive Leadership training requires withdrawal from the program with no refund. Following the two-day training, there will be a virtual full-class reflections session facilitated by the Inclusive Leadership Training team.

 

Planning Meeting and Graduation Ceremony (May)

  • Reflections Session: 2:30 – 5:00 pm the afternoon before graduation (optional)
  • Class Gathering: 6:00 pm the evening before graduation (optional)
  • Full-Class Planning Meeting: 8:30 am – 3:00 pm (required)
  • 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 one hour-long phone call 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. LNC may also facilitate optional Class Connections calls each month. There are no other requirements outside the scheduled session programming.

Structure for Year 2: Planning for the Next LNC Cohort

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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