The Louisville Urban League is launching a program designed to prepare African American men for leadership opportunities. The Urban Leadership Alliance Seminar (ULAS) is specifically designed as a vehicle through which African American men exhibiting high potential as future leaders are coached, educated and prepared for higher levels of leadership and responsibility within their respective companies.
Beginning in March, an inaugural class of 15 attendees will participate in a humanities-based program with a solid grounding in business. Participants must meet a variety of leadership qualifications, have between seven and seventeen years’ experience in the workforce, and commit to attending all nine sessions over a 12-month cycle.
“We envision the ULAS becoming the premiere leadership enhancement program for African American men in the greater Louisville region,” said Louisville Urban League President and CEO Benjamin Richmond. “Our mission is to accelerate the professional development and career advancement of African American men in business to leadership positions in their company while increasing the number of African American men in leadership positions throughout our community.”
The Louisville Urban League has contracted with SOAR (a subsidiary of the Peer Exchange Network, LLC), a business consulting and leadership development firm that has 19 years of experience in providing a comprehensive curriculum designed for early launch leadership development. Funding for the ULAS program is made possible through an investment of the UPS Airline.
“We have used similar SOAR programs recently to help develop female leaders at UPS, and we are proud to work with the Louisville Urban League on this effort,” said UPS Airlines Human Resources Manager Tom Volta. “We fully support this program and are investing in it for our community and as a vehicle for UPS continuous learning and development as well.”
The inaugural class currently has 14 committed participants from 10 different corporations, including UPS, Humana, LG&E, KU Energy, Kroger, KentuckyOne Health, Horseshoe Southern Indiana, Metro United Way, Yum! Brands, GE, and Norton Healthcare. The objectives of the program are to provide peer-to-peer and small group learning opportunities including gender and race-specific communication. Facilitators will include experienced local leaders, and participants will have the opportunity to self-initiate mentor relationships with area African American leaders.
“We are very pleased to be asked to participate in this program to develop African American leaders for the future. This program is consistent with our Diversity and Inclusion philosophy and efforts to make learning and development opportunities available for all of our employees. The Louisville Urban League is to be commended for working with UPS to develop this program and make it a reality. These graduates will have long lasting impacts in our community for years to come.” Al Cornish, System Vice President Learning and Organizational Development/Chief Learning Officer, Norton Healthcare
Programming includes reading, film studies, dialogue with discussion and analysis, exercises related to the workplace, and tools participants can take with them after each session.
“We anticipate creating an empowered group of high-potential leaders who can advance within their organizations within 2-3 years of completing this program,” Richmond said. “This will increase the number of African American men in upper-management positions, which will in turn grow the peer-to-peer learning community for others interested in becoming leaders.”
“The ‘Urban Leadership Alliance Seminar’ is exactly what the doctor ordered! This initiative is critical to the long-term success of the City of Louisville. The untapped talent that is here is culturally rich and passionate about moving forward in their careers and advancing cities’ goals. This is our opportunity to develop the next generation of leaders, today. I am not only proud, but honored to be working with Ben Richmond and the Louisville Urban League team on this project. Thank you”. A.J. Hubbard, Director of Inclusion and Diversity, Humana, Inc.
Each company may have one or two emerging high-potential members participate. There is a $3,500 tuition fee, which includes all coaching, retreat expenses, reading materials, classroom and licensed materials. Participating companies share in the hosting of a meeting at a location of their choice (a popular venue is the hosting company’s work site).
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