Discover your strengths, elevate your local leadership.
Growing Local: Emerging Leaders is a six-month program designed to help up-and-coming leaders discover and build on their unique strengths so they can make a difference through local boards, commissions and elected positions.
When local leaders thrive, so do the communities they champion. By investing in the next generation of leaders, we empower individuals with the skills and confidence to address the unique challenges and opportunities facing our rural areas. These homegrown leaders understand the local context and are passionate about shaping a vibrant future for their communities. The Growing Local: Emerging Leaders program helps cultivate this vital leadership pipeline for southwest Minnesota.
Growing Local: Emerging Leaders is one part of our larger community engagement work bringing people together with innovative approaches to build vibrant and welcoming communities.
2026 Growing Local: Emerging Leaders Program Sessions
- May 19 – Launching Your Community Leadership (Granite Falls)
- June 23 – The Self-Aware Leader: Reflecting to Rise (Redwood Falls)
- July 21 – Understanding Community, Culture, and Engagements (Madison)
- August 3 – Willmar City Council (Willmar)
- August 18 – Organizing Committees that Work and Navigating Conflict (Pipestone)
- September 29 – Elevating Impact: Leading to Make a Difference (Wanda)
- October 14 – Visionary Leadership, Action, and Celebration (New London)
For more information
Khou Lor
Email Khou or call (320) 583-6579