Our History

In 2001, philanthropist Bill Graustein asked community leaders two questions: “What is your vision for what you want to accomplish?” and “What gets in your way?”

He spent a year listening to the responses and saw a pattern emerge. He heard people talking about their being, rather than their doing: They longed to be a part of something larger than their own work, to build meaningful relationships and collaborations that would create greater change. They wanted to renegotiate the connection between their hearts and heads; between their sense of self and the role they played in their jobs. And they wanted to connect with others in purpose. They recognized that working alone, they could not create the future they wanted for the community.

CLP grew from these longings and the urgent call to work together in a deeper, more connected way.

Since 2002, our approach and practice have evolved, reflecting what our Leaders have learned from each cohort and our belief in focusing on the here and now. CLP’s generative learning environment has benefitted our process as much as it has the participants. We have become more than a leadership development program. We are an inclusive community of practice whose learning model is adaptive and transformative.