Mission & Values

At The Center for Leadership Innovation (TCLI), our mission is to develop diverse leaders who envision, initiate and share breakthrough approaches to addressing society’s most challenging social issues.

We serve the women and men who are leaders of organizations engaged in community building initiatives (including community organizations, financial institutions, foundations, corporations and government). We also work with those who support the practice of community building through research and innovation.

TCLI translates cutting edge ideas into practical tools, and designs high quality, comprehensive professional growth experiences for practitioners.

TCLI creates program offerings that bring participants the latest knowledge, the most relevant skills and a firm grounding in fundamental concepts and values.

Our Values

At The Center for Leadership Innovation, we believe that:

• The key to a more equitable society lies in neighborhoods and communities and the voluntary organizations that build them up.

• Collaboration between community-based, social change organizations and the major institutions of society is not only desirable; it is achievable in the short term. Leaders of major mainstream institutions are as motivated as community leaders to ignite positive change in their communities.

• Leadership development must be eminently useful, but we know that techniques and training geared only toward immediate practice is dangerous and short-lived without an underlying body of knowledge and a value system that frames and supports long-term innovative change.

• A strong, supportive community is not only the path to a humane society; it is one of the best instruments of learning. Therefore, The Center for Leadership Innovation promotes a strong learning community in all of our programs.

• Meaningful social innovation comes about with leaders who invent new approaches to solving tough social problems and who adapt innovative strategies to their own unique communities.