Leadership Academy Program Overview

To be eligible to apply, interested participants are not required to hold membership in ANCOR. However, applicants must:

• Be a full-time employee of an organization that delivers services to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
• Have a minimum of five years of experience working in the field of disability supports.
• Have a minimum of one year of supervisory experience.
• Submit their application prior to the published deadline.

Application Review Process

To ensure fairness, consistency, and multiple perspectives, each Leadership Academy application will be reviewed by a multi-perspective panel using a structured, transparent process. Generally speaking, that process will adhere to the following steps:

1. Applicant Pool Division: The Director of Education will randomly divide the full applicant pool into two groups for initial review.
2. Review Panel Development: Five-person review panels will be created, with each panel to include the Director of Education, the Senior Advisor to the cohort for which applications are being reviewed, two members of the ANCOR Foundation’s Leadership Development Work Group, and two additional volunteer reviewers.
3. Scoring: Each application will be scored by at least two members of the five-person panel to which it is assigned.
4. Core Leadership Review: Each application will be reviewed by the Director of Education and the cohort’s Senior Advisor.
5. Final Scoring: Each application will have received four scores from the process above; these scores will be added together to create a composite score that will be used to guide final selection decisions.

Selection Process

A cohort of 20 to 30 members will be constructed based on a holistic review of applications.

The Director of Education will prepare a list of recommended candidates for admission. This list will be informed not only by composite application scores, but also by:

• Strength of the overall candidate pool
• Geographic diversity
• Agency type and services provided
• Agency size
• Years of professional experience
• Alignment with the Foundation’s mission and values

If the recommended list includes fewer than 25 candidates and there are other qualified applicants on the cusp of the selection, the Director of Education will support the Foundation Director in reviewing those candidates and making recommendations to the Foundation Director. The Foundation Director may select additional applicants for inclusion, for a total cohort size of no more than 30.

The Foundation Director will submit the final proposed cohort list to the ANCOR Foundation Board of Directors for approval.

For applicants seeking admission into the 2026-2028 cohort, enrollment fees are as follows:

• ANCOR members: $3,000
• Others: $4,000

Upon the completion of virtual orientation, no refunds shall be awarded.

Professional Learning Seminars

Seminars will be presented by subject-matter experts and cover the following topics:

• History as Strategy: Executive Leadership in I/DD Services
• Navigating Today’s Policy & Funding Landscape
• Innovating Within the Lines: A Change Management Approach for Compliance-Driven Systems
• The Tension at the Top: Navigating Conflict in Senior Leadership & Strategic Relationships
• Steady Leadership in Crisis: Building Trust, Resilience & Readiness
• Decoding the Numbers: Financial Fluency for Executive Leaders
• From Idea to Impact: Communicating for Influence in I/DD Leadership
• The Executive Mindset: From Doing to Leading

Culture Circles

Culture Circles are an integral part of the Leadership Academy experience and are rooted in:

• Dialogue, not lecture
• Problem-posing, not passive learning
• Hope, humanization, and collective empowerment

Culture Circles are not training sessions. They are peer-led spaces for reflection, connection and action.

Mentorship

Each Leadership Academy participant will be matched with a dedicated mentor from the ANCOR membership network. These one-on-one relationships are designed to provide:

• Guidance in navigating leadership challenges
• Motivation and encouragement
• Emotional support and accountability
• Role modeling from experienced leaders in the field

To be eligible for graduation, Leadership Academy participants must earn 66 hours in their quest to complete the program. These hours will be earned as follows:

• ANCOR Foundation Leadership Academy mentorship (20 hours)
• ANCOR Foundation Leadership Academy seminars presented by subject-matter experts (9 hours)
• ANCOR Foundation Leadership Academy Culture Circles (9 hours)
• Self-directed learning experiences (8 hours)
• Community service (10 hours)
• Capstone project & presentation (10 hours)

Qualifying self-directed learning experiences include:

• Conference Plenary Sessions
• Conference Breakout Sessions
• Seminars
• Webinars

Qualifying community service: We recognize and value the many ways individuals contribute to the ANCOR community and the broader I/DD field. This might include, but is not limited to:

• Serving on a committee of ANCOR or the ANCOR Foundation
• Acting as a reviewer for ANCOR’s DSP of the Year Awards
• Contributing content to one or more of ANCOR’s publications
• Volunteering at ANCOR Connect.

This is NOT an exhaustive list, and applicants are welcome to include additional service examples that align with ANCOR’s mission of advocacy, inclusion and leadership.