How it Works

Leadership Nelson County program requires a two (2) year commitment. The first year as a student and the second year as a leader of the incoming class.

The year starts with a welcoming reception in February followed by an overnight orientation retreat in March. Retreat activities allow class members to explore their ideas for leadership and to ascertain what issues facing our community are most important to them as a class. The overnight experience also includes plenty of time for participants to relax and to get acquainted with fellow class members.

The program continues April through October with full day (8am-5pm) sessions on the second Wednesday of each month. The sessions are conducted by alumni of LNC and will feature expert presentations, panel discussions, and field trips presented by recognized leaders in our community and state. Each day will end with an interactive evaluation of the day’s session in which frank discussions among participants and presenters play an important part.

The LNC program concludes with a graduation banquet in November recognizing the significant commitment of time and interest made by each participant.

How to Apply

Anyone may apply or nominate a candidate. Persons who have strong leadership abilities or feel they have potential to be a strong leader are encouraged to apply. A detailed application must be completed by the applicant and returned to:

Leadership Nelson County
PO Box 792, Bardstown, KY 40004

Applications may be acquired HERE or from a Board Member.

A selection committee made up of LNC alumni reviews all applications and selects no more than 20 individuals to participate in the class. The program is designed not only to encourage interpersonal experiences within the group, but also to break through any existing barriers within our community. Therefore, the importance of selecting a diverse group of participants is essential.

To achieve a representative cross-section of the community, the committee attempts to select individuals from diverse career, educations, political, social, and cultural backgrounds. A balanced group is selected based on the belief that new knowledge and a deeper understanding of the community will result from interaction within the group.

Because diversity is an important quality for the program, it is not unusual for a person to apply more than once before being selected. therefore, candidates who are not selected are encouraged to re-apply the next year.

Tuition Fee

Leadership comes from striving for excellence, dedications to learn and grow, and from a passion for betterment of self and community. The success of the LNC program and its full benefit for each participant requires commitment and participation of every class member.

True leaders are serious about there commitments. With so many applicants and so few spaces, each participant is expected to attend all sessions and to fully participate in each session. In light of this expectation, we ask each participant to sign a statement of commitment to attend each session and if applicable, to provide assurance of their employer’s agreement to the necessary time commitment.

A tuition fee of $400 (payable prior to the reception date) is required from each participate. Tuition is charged to cover the cost of the program.

Traditionally, tuition is paid by the participant’s employer or sponsoring organization. However, individuals may sponsor themselves.