Advanced Leadership Institute

Why ALI?

Advanced Leadership Institute, inspired by the legacy of Carl and Louis Stokes, brings together emerging, established, and experienced leaders across three generations. ALI provides insight into the five Stokes policy areas (education, health, housing, safe communities, and economic mobility) and offers opportunities to develop leadership skills by cultivating cross-sector relationships and encouraging unusual or unexpected collaborations. Mentorship is also a key component of ALI, giving rise to a generation of leaders from diverse backgrounds and areas to assume leadership roles in their workplace, neighborhoods, or individual lives.

Advanced Leadership Institute is for individuals who wish to take a deep dive into the aforementioned five topics and looks to foster collaboration between and among high-level public and private entities through the growing network of ALI Fellows. Most importantly, ALI serves as a platform for visionary thinking to tackle critical community issues by providing the space, skills, knowledge, and connections to elevate the discussion around critical social issues and transform our community.

ALI Senior Fellows
The Senior ALI Fellows are a select group of civically engaged and influential members of the community with a keen interest in mentoring and supporting the development and work of future and current leaders. Senior ALI Fellows will be invited to participate.

Stokes Fellows
Stokes Fellows are individuals with a clear personal vision and considerable leadership experience and responsibility within their organization. The ideal Stokes Fellow comes from the not for profit sector, public sector, or private sector. Applicants will be mid to upper level administrators who demonstrate a strong interest in civic leadership or a commitment to at least one of Mayor Stokes’ five policy areas in their community or workplace.

ALI Junior Fellows
The Junior ALI Fellows are selected from students currently enrolled in Cuyahoga Community College’s Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Scholars Academy by Tri-C faculty and staff in consultation with CLC. Tri-C students, contact Paul Cox, PhD with questions.

Interested in learning more about ALI, email Claudia Owens or call (216) 592-2289 with questions.

• Class of 2025 Schedule

  Opening retreat and Commencement are full-day sessions. All other sessions are 7:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

  Opening Retreat
  October 18, 2024

  Session 1 – Civic Landscape of Equity & Access
  November 15, 2024

  Session 2 – Health
  December 13, 2024

  Session 3 – Housing
  January 17, 2025

  Session 4 – Safe Communities
  February 7, 2025

  Session 5 – Education
  March 21, 2025

  Session 6 – Economic Mobility
  April 25, 2025

  Commencement
  May 30, 2025

• Your Commitment

  Participants are expected at each session.

  Tuition for the Class of 2025 is $1,500 for Stokes Fellows. Senior ALI Fellows pay no tuition.

  Limited financial assistance is available, and CLC will work with successful applicants to ensure tuition is not a barrier. Scholarships are determined via the scholarship application form that will be available on the same dates as the program application.

  There is a non-refundable $10 application fee.

• Application Process

  Applications for the Class of 2025 are open now. There is a non-refundable $10 application fee. Applicants must have the full support of their employer and submit one recommendation as part of the application. Applications for the Class of 2026 will open in 2025.

  Junior Fellows will register directly through Tri-C. Interested Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Scholars Academy students can contact Paul Cox, PhD.

The ALI difference

At the end of each program year, participants indicate their level of agreement with a series of statements before and after the program. The charts below indicate the percentage of participants who agreed or strongly agreed with these specific statements.

I am able to think critically about how relationships between civic assets, issues, and stakeholders impact the health of the community.

I know about Cleveland’s civic assets, issues, and stakeholders.

To learn more about CLC’s evaluation process, visit our Impact page.

To learn more about ALI, email Claudia Owens or call (216) 592-2289.