Program Components

Program Overview

The Presidential Leadership Fellow program is a 32- week developmental experience designed to bolster leadership competencies. The program utilizes the the Lominger competency framework, which is widely used in leadership development. One of its most practical contributions is the “Development Trilogy”—the idea that people grow through a combination of:

• Experience (70%)
• Exposure (20%)
• Education (10%)

The first half of the program focuses on foundational leadership development through interactive seminars and workshops, participation in the asynchronous Modern Leadership course, assigned readings, and a variety of self-assessments and reflective writing experiences. These components encourage Fellows to deepen their understanding of leadership theory, emotional intelligence, authentic leadership, and organizational effectiveness while reflecting on their own leadership identities and growth areas.

In the second half of the Fellowship, participants transition from theory to practice through individualized executive coaching and immersive placement within a host unit across the university. Fellows will have the opportunity to contribute to a meaningful university project while receiving mentorship and guidance from the host unit supervisor. This experiential component allows participants to apply leadership concepts in real-world settings, build relationships across divisions, strengthen institutional knowledge, and develop practical skills that support innovation, collaboration, and long-term leadership success at William & Mary.

70 % - Experiential Learning (Education in Action)

• Fellows will have the opportunity to actively participate in immersive rotational assignments across host units, applying leadership skills in real time. 
• Fellows will take initiative in projects that challenge problem solving, strategic thinking, and cross-functional collaboration skills. 
• Fellows will deliver tangible contributions to host units (e.g., reports, proposals, events, process improvements) that advance institutional priorities. 
• Fellows will engage in reflective practice, documenting key lessons, barriers, and breakthroughs for personal growth and program evaluation. 

 20% - Developmental Relationships (Exposure)

• Fellows will be assigned to a department on campus to work on a meaningful project, while having the opportunity to shadow their Unit Leader and participate in departmental meetings, providing cross-training and exposure beyond their current role. 
• Fellows will cultivate strong mentoring relationships with senior leaders, peers, and colleagues.
• Fellows will have the opportunity to meet and interview W&M senior leadership, providing the ability to learn more about diverse leadership styles. 
• Fellows will have the opportunity to engage in individual executive coaching sessions to further cultivate their leadership styles and career progression. 
• Fellows will be able to learn from their Fellowship Cohort, representing different areas of the University.  

10% - Formal Education (Education)

• Attend seminars, workshops, and values based learning sessions provided through the Fellows Curriculum.
• Complete assigned readings, assessments (e.g., Hogan, MBTI, Life Values) and reflection papers.
• Fellows will engage in the Modern Leadership Course- is a professional development program designed to help emerging and established leaders strengthen their leadership identity. The course combines self-paced learning modules, leadership assessments, reflection exercises, mentorship, and practical action planning to help participants apply leadership concepts directly to their professional roles.