Leadership Development Programs

Registration for 2026 early and mid-career leadership development programs are open now through February 2026 and will begin March 12, 2026. Programs are offered once-annually and delivered virtually with hybrid opportunities for a national network of participants. Explore program opportunities below and contact recruiting@thepartnershipinc.org to learn more.

Wherever you are in your professional path – Early Career, Mid-Career, Next Generation Executive or C-Suite – The Partnership offers a leadership program for you to be your best and do your best.

Anchored by our globally recognized subject matter experts, exhaustive research, and decades of experience, our leadership programs provide our participants with the tools, resources, and networks to navigate challenges often experienced by professionals of color, delivered through a rigorous curriculum intended to foster career growth for professionals of all backgrounds and across career levels.

You will be trained in true and authentic leadership that inspires both vision and trust. You will be developed with a unique combination of organizational expertise, resilience, innovation, adaptability, and cross-cultural literacy. We believe in your leadership lies the promise of building more innovative, effective, and efficient organizations for the future.

With more than 7,000 talented, successful alumni across the country, our approach to leadership development has been tested – and proven – in the business world time and time again.

The Partnership admits program participants without regard to race, color, religion, sex or sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, age, national or ethnic origin, political beliefs, veteran status, or disability.

The Partnership does not discriminate against any person on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, age, national or ethnic origin, political beliefs, veteran status, or disability in the administration of its leadership development programs, convenings, or its employment policies.

Associates

Registration open

The Associates Program prepares individual contributors and early-career professionals with a transformational curriculum for leadership growth.

The Program provides you with the insights to more effectively navigate corporate culture and develops critical tools for success, including managing up, self-advocacy, and strong peer networks. You will develop a critical framework around your emotional intelligence and influence skills; learn the importance of efficacy and the science of resilience; appreciate your value and build your brand; and strategies for successfully communicating within a global and broadly diverse marketplace of ideas.

Program features:

A full year of monthly all-day sessions incorporating leadership frameworks and real-world application strategies, led by a dynamic and esteemed faculty.
Work with smaller cohorts that provides support and ongoing feedback on key development opportunities.
Access to a national, cross-industry network of peers, mentors and opinion leaders.

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Fellows

Registration open

Developed for mid-level career professionals and managers, this program helps you expand your leadership capabilities and establish greater executive presence.

Designed for professionals and managers with more than five years of experience, the Fellows Program focuses on three core competencies: leadership, relationship, and organizational skills. We place a key emphasis on refining and expanding the communication skills you need to influence your organization more effectively. Personalized assessments allow you to understand perceptions, competencies, and opportunities for professional growth and advancement.

Program features:

A full year of monthly all-day sessions, incorporating leadership frameworks and real-world application strategies, led by dynamic and esteemed faculty.
Personalized assessments to align personal strengths and actionable career opportunities.
Work with smaller cohorts as well as external business mentors for ongoing support and feedback.
Access to a national, cross-industry network of peers, mentors and opinion leaders.

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BioDiversity Fellows

Registration open

Developed for mid-level career professionals and managers in the life sciences and health care industries.

Designed for professionals and managers with more than five years of experience, the BioDiversity Fellows Program supports professionals expand their leadership capabilities and establish greater executive presence. Similar to The Partnership’s Mid-Career Fellows Program, BioDiversity also focuses on three core competencies: leadership, relationship building, and organizational skills. Executive coaching and personalized assessments equip participants with insights to realize leadership capabilities and seize advancement opportunities.

Program features:

Participants are assigned an executive coach for both individual and group coaching sessions.
The program is rigorously focused on leadership skills that will advance careers in the life sciences and health care industries, with monthly faculty-led sessions to empower participants to leverage technical expertise to increase influence and leadership growth.
Participants will also have an opportunity to work in cohorts on a community project that they will design and implement.

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Minnesota Fellows

Registration open

The Minnesota Fellows are a regional cohort within the national Fellows class that provides specialized networking, workshops, and program offerings to support the retention and promotion of high potential leaders in Minnesota.

Started in 2023 in collaboration with the Minnesota Business Coalition for Racial Equity, The Minnesota Fellows Cohort was developed to retain top talent in the region and respond to a gap in professional development opportunities by providing a quality leadership development training to mid-career professionals that are ready to transition from management to strategic leadership roles. The program continues today to support emerging leaders of all backgrounds in the region as part of the rigorous national Fellows leadership development program.

Program features:

A full year of monthly all-day sessions that focus on pertinent leadership topics, led by a dynamic and esteemed faculty.
Personalized assessments deliver insights to determine personal strengths and opportunities and develop actionable career strategies.
Access to a regional and national, cross-industry network of peers and thought leaders.
A curriculum that builds regional economic awareness with attention on establishing industry, peer, and mentorship networks to build and leverage professional influence.

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North Carolina Leadership Accelerator

Registration open

The North Carolina Leadership Accelerator trains rising mid-career professionals to strengthen and expand their leadership capacity. The program is designed to develop leaders in the industries driving the economy of the Research Triangle and Charlotte Regions.

The program provides skill development, high-level executive coaching, and high-touch networking opportunities for rising regional leaders.

Program features:

The North Carolina Leadership Accelerator is for high potential professionals. The program has been designed as advanced training, to hone and upgrade skills so that participants can move into leadership positions through a year of monthly sessions.
Participants are introduced to executive coaches and cohort groups to further explore insights from personalized assessments.
Participants will identify developmental goals at the individual, team and organizational level on which to focus during the program year.
Together with their cohort groups, Executive Coaches and participants will design a cohort coaching schedule and determine a methodology that works for their group’s bonding and learning.

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Next Generation Executive

Registration to open Spring 2026

Designed for experienced professionals ready for the next step in their careers, this program prepares you to act and think like a senior executive.

Our experiential, peer-supported curriculum – taught by academics and industry leaders, including some of the world’s top strategists on culture, identity, and innovation – provides you with the strategic and interpersonal tools needed to accelerate your executive career. Balancing theory with practical know-how in areas such as innovation, global markets, and organizational change, this program will provide you with the toolkit and network to reach the top tier of your industry.

Program features:

Four-day immersion experience.
Five-month leadership incubator with executive coaches and peer supporters.
Capstone leadership retreat where leaders create a unique playbook to lead in their organizations.
Access to a national, cross-industry network of peers and opinion leaders.

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C-Suite

Designed for CEOs, Presidents, and C-suite management committee executives, this program is intended to help leaders go from the C-suite to the Corner Office and Board Room.

The C-Suite Program is your link to a broadly diverse network of leaders at the highest-level of corporate America, as well as leaders from government, academia, and the civic sector. The program is centered around quarterly convenings that foster personal and professional relationships, and encourage dialogue and action on the critical issues impacting the urban community.

It’s a unique opportunity to learn from your peers and some of the region’s most noteworthy thought leaders, make a difference in your community, as well as mentor the next generation of leaders.

Program features:

Quarterly convenings featuring nationally-recognized guests such as Ann Fudge, former Chairman and CEO of Young and Rubicam Brands, former White House Advisor David Axelrod, Boston Mayor Martin Walsh, Harvard Business School Professor Rosabeth Moss Kanter, and former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and First Lady Diane Patrick.
Networking with both seasoned leaders as well as executives new to the region.
Sharing best practices and new strategies with exceptional leaders.
Addressing issues of civic impact