What is LeadBoston?
LeadBoston meets organizations’ demand for more inclusive leadership by equipping mid- to senior-level professionals with the knowledge, skills, and network to propel their leadership and their organization’s success. During this unique, 11-month program, participants explore barriers to inclusion through facilitated dialogue, expert speakers, communication modules, and peer learning. Our experiential learning approach focuses on the inner workings of Boston, trends and systemic issues that impact the city’s social and economic vitality, and inclusive leadership. It provides an unparalleled opportunity for in-depth learning about complex issues, equipping participants with the knowledge, tools, and analytical skills necessary for effecting meaningful change in the workplace.
Who participates in LeadBoston?
Since 1991, LeadBoston has competitively selected more than 1,000 individuals as LeadBoston participants. Representing the gamut of Boston’s professional, racial, ethnic, faith, and gender diversity, LeadBostonians are typically leaders with 15 to 30 years of experience and who have the ability to influence change within their organization. Participants are sponsored and financially supported by their employers. LeadBoston is not an introductory workforce training program, and participants are required to have professional experience prior to participation.
How do I apply for LeadBoston?
Applying for LeadBoston is easy! Just fill out our convenient online application. Here, we’ll ask you to provide some information about who you are, how you identify, and why you are interested in being part of LeadBoston.
Applications for the Class of 2025 are reviewed on a rolling basis. Admission is competitive, so applicants are encouraged to apply early. Apply or refer a colleague at ywboston.org/leadboston-apply.
Professional development with a purpose
LeadBoston is unique among mid- and senior-career leadership programs due to its experiential learning approach and cohort-based structure. Over the course of the 11-month program, participants will experience:
- Meetings with policymakers, corporate leaders, and academics
- Visits to Boston’s civic institutions, schools, health centers, corporations, correctional facilities, and neighborhoods (subject to COVID-19 safety guidelines)
- A candid exploration of Boston’s inequities and how local leaders can make a difference
- Bonding and networking with a class of around 40 professionals representing the gamut of Boston’s professional, racial, ethnic, faith, and gender diversity
Participants spend the year building skills that enable them to analyze the root causes of diversity, equity, and inclusion challenges faced today. The program culminates with a commitment and development of a project that will drive equitable change within the participants’ organizations and communities.
The program includes a combination of in-person and supplementary virtual components to provide a flexible yet impactful experience for participants.
Click here to check out the Class of 2024!
Johana Muriel Grajales
I am grateful and humbled to be part of the LeadBoston experience and the alliances that will enable us to continue to make an impact.
Jae Williams
Conversations during our program days have been thought-provoking and have also opened an incredible network of people that I am confident will come together with me to make Boston an even better home for many more amazing people.
Reggie Smalls
I went through LeadBoston when I was a Sales Representative at National Grid. I grew up in Boston and thought I knew the city pretty well, but my LeadBoston experience showed me so much more about our neighborhoods. It gave me a better perspective as I went back to work in various parts of the city.
Colin Stokes
In a culture that normally does whatever it can to avoid looking at racial inequality, LeadBoston is an essential corrective. Of the many insights I gained in LeadBoston, the most essential one may be this: that significant change will only come when leaders break across the artificial boundaries of ‘sector’ and ‘field’ and instead name the entrenched boundaries of race and class that affect people’s lives every day.
Gary Morton
LeadBoston is the ideal opportunity for development and connection with the Boston community that most professionals aren’t able to receive. It is a networking opportunity where one is able to connect with other professionals who are like-minded and want to give back to the community. It is a great opportunity for grounding professionals in Boston.
Allison Picott
LeadBoston is an eye-opening opportunity for a person to not only learn about Boston, but about themselves. What are the challenges that Boston and its residents face and what role do you, as a leader and community member, play in perpetuating or resolving these problems?
Martha M. Walz
LeadBoston helped me to understand Boston, its neighborhoods, and its people in an entirely new way. That knowledge provides a strong foundation for me as a civic and political leader.
Susan Stenger
LeadBoston opens your mind to issues and points of view to which you otherwise would not have been exposed, opens doors to places you otherwise would never go, and opens your heart to people and communities you otherwise would not know.
Lisa Goldblatt Grace
LeadBoston has been an incredible opportunity to build what I hope to be lasting connections across what so often divides us – sectors, race and ethnicity, issues – among folks who share a fervent desire to make our communities better.
Sundip Arora
Graduating from LeadBoston was such a refreshing experience, not only because the program exemplifies what true inclusive leadership is all about, but it also challenges our core beliefs around social justice – whether in our communities or workplace. I’m grateful for its lasting impact on my growth as a leaders and consensus builder.
Thaddeus Miles
I was skeptical of participating in LeadBoston because I’ve done this work for over twenty years. Turns out, I did have a lot to learn. I learned about myself and how I can more effectively impact areas I care about – health, housing, social justice, to name a few. It’s the best self-development and network building I’ve done in the past ten years.
Building a network of socially responsible leaders
LeadBoston has been graduating socially responsible leaders for over 30 years and its robust alumni network is over 1,000 local leaders strong. Alumni are offered timely events including panel discussions, social gatherings, and professional development workshops. Alumni and their employers benefit from lifelong access to this unique network. Some of our alums include:
Corporate
Wendell K. Chestnut, Senior Vice President, Bank of America
Peter DeBruin, Vice President, State Street Corporation
Holly Laurent, Senior Vice President, Fidelity Investments
Doug Banks, Editor in Chief, Boston Business Journal
Maura Banta, Director, IBM
David Carrewyn, Global Creative Director, Converse
Mark Michalowski, Partner, Holland & Knight LLP
Tom Burrow, Vice President of Digital Brand Commerce, Reebok
Marcita Thompson, Vice President, Fenway Park Tours, Boston Red Sox
Regina Pisa, Chairman Emeritus, Goodwin Procter LLC
Darryl Settles, Owner, Darryl’s Kitchen
Government
Nam Pham, Assistant Secretary of Business Development at the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development, MA
Kenneth Green, Chief of MBTA Transit Police
Stephanie Pollack, MA Secretary of Transportation
Matteo Urella, Program Manager, Strategic Communications, National Grid
Andrew Peck, Undersecretary of Public Safety, Executive Office of Public Safety and Security
Nonprofit
Wendy Foster, President and CEO, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Massachusetts Bay
Chien-Chi Huang, Executive Director, Asian Women for Health
Stephanie Lovell, Executive Vice President, Blue Cross Blue Shield
Wanda McClain, Vice President, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Benjamin Perkins, Vice President, American Heart Association
Charlie Rose, Senior Vice President, City Year
Stephen Chan, Vice President of Strategy and Operations, The Boston Foundation
David Waters, CEO, Community Servings