Now more than ever, we are witnessing the importance of leadership in Colorado. We have seen how we can rally together to respond to a crisis, and it’s inspiring to see our leaders collaborate to take care of our community – Colorado’s Civic DNA™ in action.

At the Leadership Foundation, the health and safety of our community is our first priority. We also understand the value of a network, a support system you can rely on, and working collaboratively when it comes to leadership development. We want to ensure our programs deliver exceptional content and opportunities for personal and professional growth in ways you cannot experience anywhere else.

We have made the decision to delay the start of our programs on a per program basis to ensure we can provide our participants with the most meaningful experience possible and to give prospective participants more time to evaluate their personal and business circumstances.

Applications are open for our upcoming programs: Leadership Denver 2021 class and Impact Denver Fall 2020 class. Leadership Denver applications are due July 8 and Impact Denver applications are due Aug. 4. Both Leadership Denver and Impact Denver will start in September.

We’re also accepting registrations for our summer Access Denver program, Aug. 6-7, and nominations for our Leadership Exchange trip to Atlanta, Sept. 24-26. Our team will assess in-person programs and transition to virtual experiences or postpone start dates, if need be, for the health and safety of our participants.

You, our alumni, are our best recruiters. Refer a colleague for an upcoming program.

Our team is exploring a number of creative ways to allow our participants and alumni to connect with each other and the content that drives our programming. Here are a few opportunities for you to virtually engage this month:

  • Our Virtual Voices Series keeps alums informed and engaged as our community works through this challenging time. We’ve heard from health care leaders, small business leaders, Chamber leadership and education leaders. Join us May 5 to hear from nonprofit leaders and May 14 to hear from leaders from the City and County of Denver’s Denver Economic Development and Opportunity Office. Check our calendar for upcoming Virtual Voices.
  • Connect and share insights on The Network. This social network, built for Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation alumni, allows you to chat, share resources and more. Nearly 2,000 alumni have joined The Network, and they are using it to share resources and best practices as we navigate the coronavirus. Log in and get started.
  • B:CIVIC is empowering organizations and their people to do more for their communities. Representing the leaders in corporate social responsibility, B:CIVIC has launched a COVID-19 resource website to share best practices from companies taking a stand through grantmaking, crisis communications, nonprofit support and virtual volunteering. Join B:CIVIC and Realized Worth’s Chris Jarvis on May 7 to learn about how to create a meaningful virtual employee volunteer program.

Stay well, and we look forward to connecting with you virtually.

Dan Lewis is the executive director of the Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation.