Leadership Alabama

What Leadership Alabama does

Leadership Alabama is a statewide nonprofit leadership development organization founded in 1989 and headquartered in Montgomery, Alabama (with a Birmingham mailing address). It operates two core programs: the flagship Leadership Alabama program, which recruits a fall class of 60-70 established leaders annually for four two-day retreats across Alabama cities, and the Alabama Leadership Initiative (ALI), launched in 2017 for emerging leaders aged 25-40 with classes of 50-56 participants. Selection is nomination-based and filtered through ten regional councils, Executive Committee, and Board of Directors, with participants drawn from business, government, legal, healthcare, education, and nonprofit sectors.

The organization's revenue model combines individual membership dues ($175 annually), Gold Circle individual donations ($500+), a six-tier corporate giving program (Sweet Home Alabama at $20,000+ down to Magnolia at under $999), and event sponsorships. It reports 679 active paying members (including 217 Gold Circle Donors) and over 1,700 alumni since founding. The organization is governed by a Board of Directors and has 11-50 employees. Corporate donor concentration spans major Alabama institutions including Regions Financial, Protective Life, Alabama Power, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama, Vulcan Materials, Brasfield & Gorrie, and the Poarch Band of Creek Indians.

Leadership Alabama is in its 35th program year (2025-2026), with current Class XXXV in the main program and ALI Class IX planned for 2026-2027. Ashley Kaplan serves as Executive Director (since July 2023), having joined the organization in 2007 and led the 2017 ALI launch; Kate H. Cotton transitioned to Operations and Development Director in July 2023 after serving as Executive Director since January 2018. The organization maintains no disclosed technology platform and operates primarily through in-person programming, a membership directory, and regional event infrastructure.

Name

Leadership Alabama

Legal name

Leadership Alabama

Website

https://leadershipal.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Leadership Alabama is a statewide nonprofit founded in 1989 that runs selective, nomination-based leadership development programs for established and emerging leaders across Alabama's business, government, legal, and civic sectors, funded by membership dues and corporate donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Leadership Development Programs

NAICS

Professional Organizations (813920), Civic and Social Organizations (8134)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Civic Participation & Leadership Development (Voting, Advocacy, Community Leadership) (EDAAADAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Executive Leadership & C-Suite Development (EDABAAAA)

Keywords

• Leadership development programs
• Nonprofit leadership training
• Executive networking retreats
• Community leadership initiatives
• Professional leadership cohorts

Headquarters

HQ city

Montgomery

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership dues from individual leaders participating in the Leadership Alabama program. The organization also receives contributions from Gold Circle Donors (those contributing $500 or more annually).
2. Corporate Donations: Corporate sponsorships and donations at various levels (Sweet Home Alabama $20,000+, Yellowhammer $7,500-$19,999, Camellia $5,000-$7,499, Longleaf Pine $2,500-$4,999, Cahaba Lilies $1,000-$2,499, Magnolia up to $999).
3. Event Sponsorships: Sponsorships for regional events, welcome receptions, and dinearound hosts for each class session across various Alabama cities including Birmingham, Huntsville, Mobile, Montgomery, Auburn, Decatur, and Wiregrass region.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Leadership Alabama is a statewide nonprofit organization that runs cohort-based leadership development programs for established leaders (60-70 per class) and young professionals aged 25-40 (50-56 per class) through four two-day retreats annually across Alabama. Members are selected via nomination based on leadership abilities, career accomplishments, volunteer activities, and demonstrated commitment to the state's future, and participate in issue-oriented forums to build cross-sector networks and address Alabama's challenges. The program is sustained through individual annual dues ($175), Gold Circle donations ($500+), and tiered corporate sponsorships ranging from Magnolia ($999) to Sweet Home Alabama ($20,000+).

Product overview

Leadership Alabama is a nonprofit leadership development organization offering two primary programs: the core Leadership Alabama program (Class XXXV, 2025-2026) for established leaders and the Alabama Leadership Initiative (ALI) for young professionals ages 25-40 (Class IX, 2026-2027). The organization also provides a membership directory, maintains ten regional councils across Alabama, and recognizes individual Gold Circle Donors ($500+) and Corporate Donors across six giving levels. Programs operate through in-person retreats in Montgomery, Birmingham, Huntsville, and Mobile, supported by corporate sponsors and member-hosted regional events.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Leadership Alabama Program Statewide nonprofit leadership development program that brings together 60-70 established leaders each fall for four two-day retreats across Alabama. Participants visit communities statewide to gain mutual understanding of the state's problems and priorities while developing relationships with diverse leaders.
• Alabama Leadership Initiative (ALI) Young professional leadership program for individuals ages 25-40, intentionally limited to 50-56 participants per class. The program focuses on developing emerging leaders across Alabama through sessions held in November, February, and April, building a dynamic network of Initiative members throughout the state. Scholarship assistance is available for participants with financial need.
• Leadership Alabama Membership Directory Online directory of Leadership Alabama program alumni and members, facilitating networking and continued engagement among the organization's 679+ active paying members.
• Regional Councils Ten regional councils across Alabama that review nominations and prioritize candidates for Leadership Alabama classes, supporting geographic diversity in the program and providing ongoing alumni engagement.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,700 citizen leaders developed since founding in 1989
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers17 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Leadership Mississippi: Mississippi statewide leadership development program serving established leaders through retreats and alumni networks—same civic-leadership-within-a-state model.
• Leadership Birmingham: Regional leadership development program serving the Birmingham metro area of Alabama—the most direct local peer operating under the same statewide civic-leadership-development mission as Leadership Alabama.
• Leadership Kentucky: Statewide Kentucky civic leadership development program modeled on the same community-led leadership retreat concept, providing a close structural parallel outside Alabama.

Broad incumbents

• Points of Light Foundation: National nonprofit focused on civic engagement, volunteering, and community leadership development—adjacent mission with similar nonprofit membership/development model.
• Aspen Institute: National policy and leadership organization running the Henry Crown Fellowship and other civic leadership programs; broader portfolio but overlapping leadership-development value proposition.
• American Leadership Forum: National nonprofit that builds communities of cross-sector leaders across multiple states through fellowship-style programs, directly comparable as a broader-scale civic leadership development organization.

Regional players

• Leadership Atlanta: Long-running metro-level leadership program in Georgia; comparable curriculum and retreat structure, but with a regional (Atlanta) rather than statewide scope.
• Alabama Possible (formerly A+ Education Partnership): Alabama-based nonprofit focused on civic and education outcomes; overlaps with Leadership Alabama's state-level civic engagement remit while targeting different programmatic issues.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/groups/leadershipal
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/leadership-alabama
• Instagraminstagram.com/leadershipalabama

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Leadership Alabama