Emerging Leaders Application Information

Please read below for more information regarding the application process.

In order to be considered for the 2025/2026 cohort, program, and tuition assistance, applications are due no later than April 30, 2025

  • Applications submitted between May 1 and August 31 can choose to be placed on the waitlist for consideration in the upcoming cohort and/or the following cohort year.
  • Submissions between September 1 and April 30 will be considered for the following cohort. 

Once submission requirements are reviewed, please click the link at the bottom of this page to begin the application. 

If you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact marquise.mckine@leadermont.org, or call (301) 881-3333.

EL Application Requirements

In order to be considered for program acceptance, an applicant must:

  1. Be a rising leader within their organization or industry and either live or work in Montgomery County
  2. Have the full support AND expressed permission to apply from the organization for whom the participant works
  3. Complete and submit an application for the EL Program
  4. Submit two (2) letters of recommendation

Application Fees

There is a $75 fee to apply to the EL Program.
If you’ve applied for the EL Program in the past, the fee is $25.
Participants will submit their fees with their application

Application fees are non-refundable. 

EL Participation Info

While there is no “one-size-fits-all” approach to program acceptance, Ideal participants are:

  • Professionals early in their careers (typically with 2–8 years of experience).
  • Individuals showing leadership potential who aspire to grow into managerial or leadership roles.
  • Young professionals eager to expand their networks, develop leadership skills, and gain insights into community impact and engagement.
  • Anyone interested in learning about local challenges, community dynamics, and actionable leadership opportunities in a short, focused program.

Attendance Policy

No more than 16 hours of excused absences are permitted in the event of a substantiated emergency or serious illness.  Any participant who has an unexcused absence or who misses more than 16 hours for whatever reason will be asked to withdraw from the program. Attendance at the Opening and Closing Session are mandatory. If you know in advance that you are likely to miss more than 2 of the session dates listed below, you should consider postponing your application until a future year.

Financial Aid

Tuition assistance is available on a sliding scale based on personal income level. If you are interested in applying for tuition assistance please complete the form below and submit it along with the required tax forms when you submit your application. Tuition assistance applications received after the application is submitted will not be considered. 

Your request for tuition assistance in no way influences the selection process and is totally confidential. Each request will be reviewed independent of the selection process and will have no effect on selection.

Tuition assistance forms can be found in the program application and below.  Forms must be submitted with the program application.

Download Tuition Assistance Form

Reference Letters

You will be required to submit 2 reference letters along with your application. Reference letters may come from your supervisor, client, colleague or any non-relative who can speak to your leadership experience and character. Please start thinking about who you will ask to write your reference letters early, so they have ample time to submit their letters and not delay the submission of your application. Please ask the people you have chosen to send their reference letters to you. You will then upload them directly at the end of your Emerging Leaders application. There is no reference letter form or template to fill out.

Session Dates

• Thursday, September 25
• Thursday, October 23
• Wednesday, November 19 (joint session with CORE and Elevate)
• Mentor Mixer: Thursday, December  11 (evening)
• Thursday, January 22, 2026
• NO SESSION: Thursday, February 19, 2026 (LM training room held for project group meetings)
• Thursday, March 19, 2026
• Thursday, April 16, 2026
• Thursday, May 7, 2026

*Opening session is mandatory 

Other Key Dates

Cohort Meet & Greet
Wednesday, August 20

Homecoming
TBD Fall 2025

Graduation
Friday, May 29, 2026

Application Components and Info

The Emerging Leaders application is comprised of the following components:

  • Basic Contact Information
  • Demographic Information
  • Employment & Education Information (alternate option to upload resume instead)
  • Special Awards/Honors
  • Community Service Activities
  • Open-Ended Questions
  • Letters of Reference Upload (2 required)
  • Tuition Assistance Form and Supporting Documents (optional)
  • Signature for Statement of Commitment
  • Application Fee Payment

The time to complete the application can take 30-90 minutes, depending on the resume and open-ended question preparedness. Applications do not need to be completed in one sitting. There is an option to save your progress and return later to complete/submit.

Ready to apply?

Start EL Application

Emerging Leaders Application FAQs

All applicants will be notified whether or not they have been accepted by the end of June.

Yes, but you must hit “save and continue later” at the bottom of the page, otherwise your work will not be saved. The form does NOT auto-save.

Once you hit “save and continue later”, you will be emailed a link to come back to your application. You will want to save the link as this is your only entry to your partially completed application.

Yes. You can download a PDF of the sample application here.