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LFS Adult Class of 2026 Application

Be Part of Leadership in the Cedar Rapids Community

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Thank you for your interest in applying for the LFS Adult Class of 2026!

Please carefully review all information below regarding program policies and the application process before starting your application. You may wish to preview the application first and draft responses in another document before copying and pasting into the application in order to submit without losing your work. All application materials must be submitted to Rebecca Sullens no later than 11:59 p.m. April 30, 2025.

Attendance
Graduation from the Leadership for Five Seasons program requires participants to attend at least eight of the ten regular sessions. See below for all 2026 program dates. Attendance is mandatory for the Orientation meeting, Service Project, Mix & Mingle and Retreat. Please check your calendar before applying and, if you are unable to make the necessary attendance commitment, you should not apply at this time.

Application Elements:

*Reference Letters
Two letters of reference are required. One must be from your manager/CEO, as they must agree to
your enrollment in LFS. Please download the reference forms and send them to your recommenders. Upon completion, please instruct your references to email them directly to Rebecca Sullens no later than 11:59 p.m. on April 30, 2025. You will receive a confirmation from Rebecca Sullens when both references
have been submitted.

Tuition & Funding
Tuition in the Leadership for the Five Seasons (LFS) Adult Program includes all educational materials, speakers, food, transportation expenses, and overnight lodging for the retreat. LFS tuition of $2,300 for Economic Alliance member organizations is due in full by July 10, 2025.

Applicants from non-Economic Alliance member organizations may apply. However, if selected, their employer or sponsoring organization will be required to become a member of the Economic Alliance and pay EA membership dues in addition to tuition. Employers or sponsoring organization must be members for the full duration of the program. For example, for those applying for the Class of 2026, the employer or sponsoring organization must be a member of the Economic Alliance for both 2025 and 2026.

Refund Policy: No tuition refunds will be issued unless an alternate candidate can be derived from the selection committee process and substituted prior to July 17, 2025.

Tuition Scholarships: Two full tuition scholarships are available for applicants whose employer is not able to sponsor them. These scholarships are typically awarded to individuals who are self employed, working in non-profit, or for a small business. There is a place on the application form where individuals who wish to be considered for scholarships can indicate their need for a scholarship and why. Thank you to our scholarship sponsors Shive-Hattery and the Vestweber Family.

Selection/Interview Process
All applicants are required to attend an in-person interview with the Leadership for Five Season Adult Program selection committee.  Interview dates for the Class of 2026 will be held May 6-9, 2025.

You will be notified via email with your specific interview date and time on one of these days.  It is required that you interview on one of the specified days (it is recommended to hold those days until your interview date/time is determined). If you are unable to interview on one of the assigned days, we kindly ask that you do not apply for this year’s class. The 2026 class size will be limited to 35 participants.  All applicants selected for the Adult program will be notified via email.  All applications will remain confidential. 

Disclaimer: The Selection Committee for the Leadership for Five Seasons Adult Program is made up of LFS Alumni and the members are known only to the Program Director. The Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance does not have a hand in selecting the adult class participants.

Questions about applications should be directed to Rebecca Sullens. Applicants will be notified when both recommendations have been received and if any portion of their application is missing at deadline.

Class of 2026 Program Schedule

Topic/Day Time 
Orientation (mandatory)  Monday, July 28, 20254:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.  Economic Alliance 
Retreat (mandatory) Thursday- Friday, August 7-8
Dubuque		Depart: 7:30 a.m. August 7
Return: 5:00 p.m. August 8
History Day  Friday, September 127:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. 
Agriculture Day   Friday, October 107:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. 
Non-Profit Day  Friday, November 77:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. 
Arts & Culture Day  Friday, November 217:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. 
Business & Entrepreneur Day  Friday, December 127:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. 
Health & Wellness Day  Friday, January 97:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. 
Economic Development Day  Friday, February 137:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. 
Government Day  Friday, March 67:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. 
Youth/Adult Class Mix & Mingle Wednesday, March 118:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
Education Day  Friday, April 107:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. 
Leadership Update (mandatory)  Tuesday, April 1612:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. 
Class Service Project (mandatory) & Graduation  
Friday, May 8		Project – 7:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. 
Graduation – 6:30 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.