Flagship Series

Flagship Application (pdf)| Scholarship Form (tuition assistance - pdf)

Flagship is the core Leadership Anne Arundel program. It includes an intense curriculum of civic information and leadership skills development. Each summer approximately 25-40 individuals are selected for this comprehensive, hands-on, multi-disciplinary study of Anne Arundel County. The class is composed of a cross-section of the Anne Arundel County community, representing our ethnically, socially, economically, and geographically diverse population. Each year’s Flagship program has a different theme.

Meet our 2012 Class Participants

Download our 2012-2013 Flagship Schedule

The nine-month program kicks off in late August with an orientation and reception. Following orientation, participants meet for a full day each month. It incorporates a countywide bus tour and year-end retreat.

Throughout the program, participants gain an understanding of what constitutes leadership as well an introduction to the infrastructure, natural resources and current political issues of Anne Arundel County.

Following September's retreat, participants meet for a full day each month. The program is based on a model that incorporates three key domains for developing community leaders: building community knowledge, developing leadership skills, and gaining a philosophical understanding of community trusteeship.

To build community knowledge, participants are introduced to critical regional issues, meet and discuss issues with leaders from the public, private and non-profit sectors and identify areas of community need and methods required to succeed as community leaders. Sessions focus on the following issue areas:

• Government/Annapolis Session
• Technology/West County Session
• Four Corners Bus Tour
• Health & Human Services Session
• Law & Public Safety Session
• Education/North County Session
• Agriculture/South County Session
• Environment Session
• Cultural Arts Session

The program also provides participants with the opportunity to build upon and practice their leadership skills. They include identifying issues, inspiring a shared vision, challenging the process, modeling the way, fostering collaboration, holding values and encouraging the heart. Woven throughout the program are the philosophical concepts of community trusteeship that value a deep commitment to the community by envisioning a preferred future, empowering others to act, and acting on behalf of the common good for all concerned.

The goal of group projects is to identify a community problem and design and implement an action plan to help resolve the problem. Through the project teams, participants practice their new leadership skills while providing a valuable community service.

A year end retreat is held in June to celebrate the class’ achievements. Many graduates go on to use their leadership skills to serve the community as founders of social programs, board members of non-profit organizations, or elected officials.

Each session is planned by a committee of past LAA graduates. The chairs for each of these committees form a Program Committee, which oversees the Flagship Program. This Program Committee is chaired by a member of LAA's Executive Committee.

Prospective candidates are encouraged to download and submit the complete application and fee. For proper consideration, LAA's Selection Committee suggests applying by May 30th for that fall's class. The program is tuition-based with some scholarship assistance available.

Tuition: $3,500
$2,750 Non-profits (charitable, educational, fraternal and governmental entities) individuals and small businesses (no more than 5 total employees)

For more information on the Flagship Program, contact Eric Edstrom at 410-279-1969 or ericedstrom@leadershipaa.org.

Click here to meet the members of Flagship classes.