Leadership Cabarrus

Leadership programs have been a Chamber staple in Cabarrus County since the 1980s. After merging the Cabarrus County Chamber and Kannapolis Chamber in 1998, Leadership Cabarrus has flourished as part of The Chamber, Leading Business in Cabarrus. To date, the program has welcomed more than 700 participants representing 200+ companies! We are most grateful to the alumni who volunteer on the Steering Committee to keep the program vibrant and relevant.

Leadership Cabarrus is a program designed for business and community leaders in mid- to upper-level positions with experience. Goals are to educate and enhance awareness of the assets, resources and needs within the Cabarrus County region. Through a series of monthly class days from September through May, participants are introduced to and examine how leadership in the historical, geographical, educational, economic, governmental and cultural segments work together to perpetuate and advance the Cabarrus County region and its citizens.

The program is also designed to nurture and engage the leadership skills of current and potential leaders that offers a stimulating atmosphere that fosters diverse viewpoints, resulting in innovative answers to the critical questions facing our community. The program’s focus is creating awareness and connecting leaders to the issues; it is not an academic leadership training program but is an excellent professional development opportunity to connect with the Cabarrus County community. Further, the program is not political and does not recommend or advocate partisan positions on public matters.

Program Objectives

• To inspire and identify current and future community leaders.
• To enhance leadership skills and qualities of participants through in-depth views of the county.
• To encourage conversation and communication among present and future leaders.
• To assist those already in leadership roles to increase their access to additional positions of community leadership in an informed and responsible manner.
• To motivate and encourage participants to assume leadership roles in community affairs.
  
  

Program Requirements

• This is an exceptional program requiring dedicated attendance. The program requires a commitment to attend two orientation events in August and nine, day-long (8:00 a.m. – 5 p.m.) monthly sessions, the third Tuesday of the month, September through May. Eight hours of absence is excused, but should time be missed after that, the participant will not graduate from the program, and there will be no refund of tuition.
• These days are rigorous and planned to inform participants as much as possible. This requires total participation by classmates with no distractions. If you have responsibilities that may keep you from this commitment, this program may not be a good fit for you. The days' agendas are full of information with some days requiring extended periods of sitting and other days requiring lots of movement.
• Application to Leadership Cabarrus is open to people who live or work in Cabarrus County, with priority consideration and placement given to Chamber members. All applicants will be notified of status by the end of July.
• Applicants must have the full support of the company or organization by which they are employed, with the applicant’s supervisor aware of the time required away from work for the program.
  
  

*Class of 2026 Dates

All program days are 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

• August 20 - New Class Mixer (5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.)
• August 27 - Orientation (8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.)
• September 16 - History of Cabarrus County
• October 21 - Local Government
• November 18 - Law Enforcement and the Courts
• December 16 - Economic Development
• January 20 - Communications and the Media
• February 17 - Education and Workforce Development
• March 17 - Health and Human Services
• April 14 - Tourism and Sports
• May 19 - Quality of Life

*2026 program dates are firm, but content may vary.

The class is also responsible for the creation and completion of a class legacy project that benefits the community and will require additional time outside of class days.

Application Instructions

• Applications must be submitted online through the Chamber’s website, Cabarrus.biz. Additionally, all applicants must have a letter of recommendation submitted on their behalf to Barbi Jones at bjones@cabarrus.biz by June 27, 2025.
• Limit answers to the word-count provided.
• Final candidates will be selected based on highest application scoring and an interview with a Leadership Cabarrus alumni panel. Chamber members are given priority placement and consideration.
• Selected applicants will receive an acceptance notification by the end of July, after which tuition payment of $1,250 is required by August 15, 2025. Non-Chamber member tuition payment is $1,750, subject to availability.
  
  

Selection Criteria

The Leadership Cabarrus class is selected based on the following criteria (Chamber members receive priority consideration and placement):

• Demonstrated ability to set and achieve personal and professional goals.
• Demonstrated personal commitment to the Cabarrus County community.
• A commitment to the time required by the program.
• A commitment to be a responsible and engaged participant, including the class project.
• Announced candidates for public office may not “campaign” and/or use class time to promote their candidacy in any way.

Leadership Cabarrus is a competitive program and submission of an application does not guarantee placement. All applications are reviewed by the Leadership Cabarrus Steering Committee, comprised of program alumni who work closely with the program to continually update the days to make sure they are relevant and meaningful. Applications for the 2025-2026 class must be received by Friday, June 27, 2025 at 5 p.m.

 APPLICATION PORTAL IS OPEN

For more information about this program, please contact Barbi Jones at bjones@cabarrus.biz and follow Leadership Cabarrus on Facebook. 

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