The James P. Shannon Leadership Institute's mission is to nurture the creativity and vitality of community-serving leaders from all sectors. The Shannon Institute provides a structured, challenging, and supportive opportunity for these experienced community leaders to clarify the purpose of their work and the core values they want that work to exemplify, to enhance their focus and effectiveness, and to increase their sense of fulfillment. The result that the Institute achieves is purposeful and effective leadership with a renewed commitment to community service.
The Institute was founded by James P. Shannon in 1992. Read more about our history.
Participants go through the Shannon Leadership Institute as a part of a cohort of around 20 people. Each cohort stays together for the full length of the program, allowing relationships between cohort members to deepen over time. Staying together as a cohort helps to create the trust necessary for participants to do the deeply personal work of considering and acting on their values.
Cohorts are constructed to be intentionally diverse in a variety of respects: sector, experience, race, gender, and so on. Participants draw on the diversity of perspectives and experiences that their cohorts offer as they do the deep work of personal reflection and development.
Participants work with a variety of facilitators, including Shannon alumni, staff, and consultants. Each cohort works closely with a lead facilitator who stays with them throughout the year and is their primary point of contact with the Shannon Institute. Shannon alumni often report that the relationship they create with their facilitator is one of the most important elements of their Shannon experience.
Shannon cohorts spend time together away from their daily lives, giving them space and time to focus on themselves, their values, and their goals. The immersive nature of these retreats helps participants to “embrace the pause” that they create for themselves as they go through the Shannon Institute.
Participants in the quarterly program go on four retreats together throughout the year; bi-monthly program participants go on two retreats and gather as a group four additional times between those retreats.
Each Shannon Institute cohort includes about 20 program participants and is intentionally diverse in regards to experience, race, gender and more.
The full cost to participate in the Shannon is $6,000 for the year, inclusive of room and board, ground transportation between retreat facilities, and all programming. We understand that not all participants can contribute the full cost of the program, and we are committed to ensuring that the Shannon Leadership Institute is accessible to all who find value in it.
To that end, we offer a flexible tuition program that invites participants and the organizations they serve to contribute between $3,500 and $6,000. For people and organizations for whom the $3,500 minimum contribution is prohibitive, we also have a scholarship pool funded by donations from our alumni. Scholarships are reserved for participants with the greatest need.
If you are considering applying, please do not allow the cost of the program to cause you to hesitate. For additional information about program costs or to start a flexible tuition conversation, please call Shannon Institute Director Damon Shoholm at 651-280-2496 or email him at damon.shoholm@wilder.org.
The [Shannon] provoked important self-examination and simultaneously fostered a renewed commitment to the importance of community and service.
We often hear from Shannon alumni that they would love to help other leaders in our community gain clarity of purpose, values and alignment. With this as a focus, we are seeking contributions from alumni and friends that will help us meet the needs of this year’s participants. Our goal is to raise $15,000 by June 30.
The James P. Shannon Leadership Institute supports community leaders in the Twin Cities and around the country as they work toward purposeful and effective leadership and a renewed commitment to community service.
James P. Shannon Leadership Institute participants can choose from two program formats: bi-monthly cohort or quarterly cohort. 2019 program dates and times are listed below for each format.
We don’t need your resume or list of accomplishments.
We’re interested in why you are applying to the program and what you will do with it!
No longer accepting applications for the 2019 program year.
Want to apply for 2020? Speak to our staff.