LeadNY opens applications for leaders in food, agricultural sectors

A New York leadership development program is accepting applications for its next class of leaders in the food, agriculture and natural resources sectors of the Northeast.

LeadNY, a training program for mid-career professionals, provides intensive one- or two-year programs to improve leadership skills, self-awareness, issues analysis, critical thinking and civic engagement, according to a news release.

Based at Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the program links Cornell leadership and global development expertise with real-world training to help professionals maximize their potential in their careers and their community-based impact in the Northeast.

Applications are due June 1 and are now being accepted at the LeadNY website.

“LeadNY has been developing next-generation leadership across the Northeast for decades, and we are thrilled to start recruiting our next class,” executive director Larry Van De Valk said in the release. “Given the unprecedented changes and challenges facing our society today, we need effective leaders now more than ever.”

This year’s cohort will be the 19th class in the program. Most of the curriculum will be delivered through in-person seminars with rigorous safety and health protocols in place. A return to in-person gatherings and in-state travel is expected by this fall when the new class begins, and eventually a return to out-of-state travel in 2022.

To make the program more accessible to people affected by the pandemic, tuition has been reduced 25% to $1,800 for the year. Additional tuition assistance made possible by sponsors is usually available for those who need it.

Select candidates will be interviewed in June, and final selection decisions will be made in July. After a brief virtual orientation in August, the class members will begin their normal seminars in late September or early October. A tentative calendar is available on the website.

Participants who successfully complete the first year of the program, Leadership Fundamentals, can apply for the second-year program, Lead Fellows. Fellows from class 19 will join fellows from class 18 beginning in the fall of 2022. This combined cohort offers additional opportunities for networking and out-of-state travel, including seminars in Ottawa, Canada; Washington, D.C.; and an international study destination. Previous classes have visited countries including Kenya, Vietnam and Chile.

For more information, contact program coordinator Terri Denman at 607-255-7907 or tld1@cornell.edu.  Applications are at www.leadny.org.