Emerging Leaders Academy

Format and electronic submission instructions
To ensure review by selection committees, nominations must be electronic and in the required format.

The cover page, nomination letter, nominee’s essay, and curriculum vita must be combined into one document. The file can be either in Word (DOC) or Adobe (PDF) and can be a scanned document. The required order is:

• nomination cover page
• nomination letter
• nominee’s essay
• nominee's CV or resume

When the file is complete, email the file to (email address for 2025-2026 cohort will be added in early 2025) to submit the nomination. The nominations will be housed in a confidential file and the nominator will receive notification of successful submission within 10-15 minutes.

ELA participants are selected based on the quality of their nominator’s letter and the nominee’s one-page essay. Both letters ought to describe the nominee's current leadership position or potential for future leadership development. Strong nominators ought to be familiar with the nominee and their accomplishments and long-term goals. Strong nominees ought to detail their leadership capacity and how ELA will be used as a leverage point in the future, as well as why they are committed to being a part of ELA.  Being admitted to the ELA cohort is a prestigious honor and involves an institutional investment in the cohort member’s future leadership activities. 

For ELA program questions or concerns, contact ELA Administrative Director Katharine Hensley, (515) 294-8823 or khensley@iastate.edu

For technical questions or concerns, contact Tim Grewell, (515) 296-3119, tgrewell@iastate.edu.

Nomination materials for the 2025-2026 cohort will be available in early 2025.

Are cohort members expected to attend every session?

Because of how the program builds on each session, we do ask cohort members to commit to participating in all monthly meetings. Before applying, nominees are advised to check their schedules to avoid any conflicts that would preclude attendance in the planned sessions.

How much time do I need to put in outside of each session?

Time spent outside of each session is contingent upon several factors. Each month there are optional tours to help you get to know Iowa State differently and cohort members also will work in teams to complete a leadership development activity as part of the ELA experience. These can factor into how much time each cohort member spends outside of each session.

What does an average session look like?

Each session delves into significant leadership themes, encompassing topics such as strategic planning, change management, conflict resolution, and more. We usually begin each session around 9:00 a.m. and finish by 4:00 p.m. with drinks and food being provided. A crucial aspect of each session is the opportunity for networking within the cohort and with our speakers.

Arnold Woods, Director of Multicultural Success, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

"ELA gave me a tremendous opportunity to network with peers from around the university and gain a better understanding of how the institution functions behind the scenes. It helped to build my leadership capacity in a dynamic way and I’m grateful to have been a participant."

Rano Marupova, Unit Lead for Instruction Services, University Library

"ELA has left a lasting impact on me. It helped me connect with faculty from different colleges, gain insights into the functioning of various university units, and learn valuable leadership experiences from the senior leaders on campus. Each week, I enjoyed learning about leadership from different perspectives and applying essential skills through hypothetical scenarios. One of the highlights was a group project, which allowed me to better understand the diverse challenges of the newly created ISU Online unit. I find the ELA experience incredibly valuable in my new leadership role!"

Natallia Gray, Ivy College of Business Assistant Dean

"The Leadership Academy was the most rigorous and enriching professional development experience I’ve been a part of. I discovered my leadership style, learned about strategic planning and legal aspects of leadership, and improved my negotiation and communication skills. The collaborations I’ve built extended beyond the capstone project and the Academy. A piece of advice for future participants: seize the opportunity to take optional tours. You won't regret it; they add an extra layer of depth to the overall experience."