The application/nomination period for Cohort 6 is February 1, 2011 to April 30, 2011. Application and nomination forms will be available and must be completed online during that time period. Each applicant must be nominated by their director/CEO.

Nominations presume acceptance on the part of the applicant and imply commitment of the time and funds necessary for the applicants participation should they be selected.

Travel will require attendance at the National Conservation Training Center (NCTC) starting 5:30 pm on Sunday Oct 10, 2010 and ending 10:00 am on Thursday, Oct 21, 2010; and three days in late April of 2011, dates TBA.

Fellows will compete through a selection process for one of 36 spaces each year filling the following slots at the tuition rates shown below:

2 from tribes, ($3,750)

2 from private natural resource conservation industries, ($7,500)

2 from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), ($3,750)

4 from other federal agencies (USFS, USGS, BLM, USNPS, DOD, NRCS, NMFS), ($5,750)

4 from NGOs, ($5,750)

22 from state fish and wildlife agencies, ($3,750)

Each organization may nominate three candidates per year.

The Institute’s costs are underwritten with grants and donations from Keith Campbell, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Weatherby, Pope and Young, Boone and Crockett and many others. This allows each Fellow to have a $16,000 experience for the reduced tuition rates listed above.

Application Package Must Contain the Following Five Items:

1. Nominee application form

2. Nomination letter from organization’s chief executive or chairman of the board of directors

3. Written essay prepared by the nominee describing personal and professional goals and a current leadership challenge (not to exceed two pages in length)

4. Three letters of recommendation documenting leadership potential; one from current supervisor

5. Resume including nominee’s current position description

Fellow Selection Criteria:

The Selection Committee will rank each nominee based on their evaluation of information provided in their application package. The ranking process will consist of: an evaluation of the nominee’s education, work experience, personal and professional goals, writing ability, managerial courage, and letters of recommendation. In addition, the nominee will be evaluated on their potential to lead organizational change, motivate people, build effective coalitions, and deliver results.

The selection of Fellows will be completed by August 1, 2010, and acceptance letters will be mailed, certified return receipt immediately following.

NCLI Program Format:

1. Prework. Three weeks, approximately 2 hours or less per week, of directed reading, analysis, and electronic discussion of Institute selected material. Prework will stretch minds, challenge assumptions, and begin building the high-trust community of Fellows.

2. A 10-day first residency in the fall at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s prestigious National Conservation Training Center in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. Learning is optimized by anchoring the curriculum to the principles of adaptive leadership. Adaptive Leadership™ is the most significant breakthrough in leadership thinking today. Harvard University faculty from Cambridge Leadership Associates provide the course “connective tissue”  linking exercises, case examples, and learning into a cohesive picture for conservation leadership.

A highly interactive mix of learning deliveries provides a strong knowledge and experiential base. Content is presented by world class authors of leadership theory and practice and through cutting edge discussions of case examples facilitated by conservation leaders of incomparable reputation. Recognized experts in historic and current conservation practices challenge Fellows’ critical thinking skills. Case examples specific to conservation issues make for lively, applied discussion and debate.

3. Five months of individual projects follow. Each Institute cohort will be divided into small teams. Each team will function as peer consultants, providing input to other team members on their individual natural resource leadership projects. Projects will address real issues facing the Fellows’ organizations. The Fellows will present their project work and solutions to the full Institute the final weekend in the spring.

4. A 3-day second residency in the following spring brings together current and past Fellows for a truly unforgettable culmination. Projects are presented, experiences are shared, and relationships are cemented.

“The National Conservation Leadership Institute does not discriminate according to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, marital status, military status or any other category protected by applicable federal, state and local laws.”