
The application deadline is March 27, 2026.
Leadership Dayton is a ten-month long educational program for business leaders already acting as servant leaders in our community. The program begins with a two-day retreat to turn a group of individuals into a cohesive network of empowered leaders. Each month one day is dedicated to a specific issue or challenge the greater Dayton area faces. The program ends with a one-day retreat and Commencement Ceremony.
Each program day is a unique experience that cannot be recreated. Because of this, Leadership Dayton has strict attendance requirements. The participant is required to attend, in their entirety, the opening and closing retreats and program days. In addition, the program participant will be required to participate in their class project, which may necessitate additional hours outside of the Leadership Dayton Program time. Participants are also required to attend the Board Match Expo that is held in March each year. Participating in the board matching process is highly encouraged (one-year term). If the program participant fails to meet these obligations, they will be asked to withdraw from the program and the tuition is non-refundable.
Required Time Commitment
Participation in Leadership Dayton is a significant commitment of time and energy, including attendance at all retreats (mandatory) and session days. In addition, the class must complete a community project during which class members will be required to participate on their own time.
Click here to download the letter of commitment.
If you or your sponsoring business / organization are not willing to make the commitment for your participation in this year's class, please exit the application now.
Program Dates
Please review the dates of the mandatory retreats and program days below:
Mandatory Overnight Opening Retreat
August 13 – 14, 2026
Session Days
Participants should allocate from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. for class sessions.
September 9, 2026
October 14, 2026
November 4, 2026
December 9, 2026
January 13, 2027
February 10, 2027
March 10, 2027
April 14, 2027
May 12, 2027
Mandatory Closing Retreat and Graduation
June 2, 2027
Fees:
Non-Refundable Application Fee: $50 (due no later than March 27, 2026)
Tuition for Chamber Members: $3,300 (due no later than July 24, 2026)
Tuition for Non-members: $5,000 (due no later than July 24, 2026)
Please Note: Some browser options may enable you to save or print your application responses. If yours does not, we recommend you save your community service/interest responses to a document on your desktop in case of a malfunction on your end or ours. Please note limited word count for responses.