ABOUT

An effective gauge of a community’s health and well being is the quality of the volunteer and civic contributions made by its leaders…those people who serve on boards and task forces, work with community groups and commissions, and serve as elected officials. These citizen leaders must be nurtured and provided with the tools that enable them to be successful and inspires them to be committed and passionate community trustees.

The future of Columbus depends upon a sustainable and renewable source for leadership. And while philosophers have argued over the years on whether or not leaders are “born” or “grown”, the bottom line is that “leadership just doesn’t happen”. It is widely accepted that the selection and training of leaders in a community is too important to be left to chance.

Therefore, the mission of Leadership Columbus is to develop informed and committed leaders through educational programs that empower participants with the skills, knowledge and other tools necessary to resolve the critical challenges and issues of its community.

Today, Leadership Columbus, one of the top five ranked community leadership programs in the country, provides state of the art education and training for emerging and existing leaders in the Columbus area. Since 1974, Leadership Columbus has been the premier training ground to educate, empower, equip and prepare more than 2,000 individuals to come the current and future trustees in and for our community. Leadership Columbus graduates have contributed to the quality of life in Central Ohio by their deeds and actions. In addition to completing more than 200 community projects, Leadership Columbus alumni have assumed positions of leadership in government, banking, business, industry, nonprofit sectors, politics, journalism, education, philanthropy, law, and neighborhood development. In addition, graduates populate the boards of the arts, health care and innumerable other nonprofit organizations in Central Ohio.

Leadership Columbus is committed to assuring a pool of qualified and talented leaders that can assume the reins of leadership and guide our city’s growth in a direction that is rooted in the philosophy of the betterment of the community for all its citizens.

Potential candidates for the program come from across the greater Columbus community and vary in age, background, culture and experience. They should demonstrate a commitment and motivation to serve our community and be interested in seeking major volunteer, elected or appointed leadership roles.

They also should have the potential to shape policy through involvement and to significantly address critical issues in our community through their respective platforms of influence.

Leadership Columbus is a member of the Community Leadership Association, the international membership association for community leadership programs around the world, and has a reputation for being one of the most progressive programs in the country. Leadership Columbus was recently named one of the top five community leadership programs in the country in a longitudinal study administered by the University of Minnesota and the Community Leadership Association.