Building leaders from the ground up. . .

It’s a short phrase, but one that is central to all that we do here at Neighborhood Leadership Institute. It speaks to both who we aim to work for, and how we choose to go about that work. 

First, we recognize that leadership talent is not limited to only those who hold high-level positions. Leadership can be found in every location where people interact, from the neighborhood corner store to the corporate corner office. We all desire to have some positive influence on the world around us; it is to that desire that Neighborhood Leadership Institute is dedicated. As our organization’s founder, Don Slocum, put it, “We serve everyone from G.E.D’s to Ph.D’s.” If you have a desire to sharpen your ability influence your family, your neighborhood, and the world around you, you can find a program here at the Institute that can serve you.

Second, we recognize that self-development and personal growth is the cornerstone of leadership. In the development of self, we can both understand ourselves better, and become clearer about how our uniqueness can contribute to the lives of others.

Leadership demands both character and skill, and it’s through the process of training and working with others that both are cultivated. This is our work: the Institute is dedicated to being a place where the seed of leadership can be watered and nurtured to its full flourish. That’s why training and sharing with others is a key element of all that we do.

From teaching neighborhood residents through our flagship, Neighborhood Leadership Cleveland, to our mentoring of young people through our True2U partnership, to training neighborhood women on how to help others to keep their babies safe through year one, among others, we remain dedicated to making Greater Cleveland more inclusive and successful at serving its own by building leaders from the ground up.

—Kevin McDaniel, Executive DIrector