About Us
Engage. Inspire.
Leadership Prince William is a private, non-profit 501(c)(3) serving Prince William County and the Cities of Manassas and Manassas Park. Our mission is to engage and inspire individuals, organizations, and alumni to enrich the community through collaborative leadership.
Our Programs Inform and Empower
Since 2008, our Signature Program graduates have undertaken leadership roles in business, government, healthcare, education, and human services organizations. They have launched community news outlets, tackled food insecurity, forged public/private partnerships, and impacted the lives of many thousands of individuals. Our programs inform and empower our alumni to make their towns and neighborhoods a better place through collaborative leadership.
They are the conduit through which we achieve our vision of “providing a trusted nexus where diverse leaders gather to collaborate, evolve and strengthen the community.”
Our Values
PASSION: We value people that are driven to engage in the process of making the greater Prince William region the best it can possibly be. Through our programs, we strive to ignite this drive — if not already present — introducing participants to challenges currently facing all aspects of community development as well as the historical successes our community has achieved through collaborations among leaders.
INCLUSIVENESS: We strive to include as many perspectives and experiences as possible in our Signature Program and Emerging Leaders program activities, during class selection, and on our Board of Regents. We believe that our community is stronger when its informed and engaged leadership reflects its demographic makeup.
ACTION: We applaud alumni and stakeholders that glean knowledge and inspiration through LPW experiences and interactions, then apply their new-found knowledge and connectivity to lead local efforts to solve community problems.
2006
Leadership Prince William begins as a collaboration between the Prince William-Greater Manassas (est. 1935) and the Prince William Regional (est. 1955) Chambers of Commerce
The big question: How can the two sides of the County be brought closer together to serve businesses and communities? A community leadership program was proposed, and a task force was created to explore the feasibility of a program to serve Prince William County (PWC) as well as the Cities of Manassas and Manassas Park.
2007
The organization is established as a stand-alone not-for-profit organization offering a 10-month “Signature Program,” designed to assist in preparing existing and emerging community leaders for leadership positions in business, local government and community affairs.
George Mason University, Micron Technology, and Dominion Energy contribute the initial funding needed to establish the program. Governed by a Board of Regents, LPW is “dedicated to the development, enrichment, and collaboration of leaders for the service and unification of the Prince William Community.” An office is established in the Mason Enterprise Center on the George Mason University Science & Technology Campus.
February, 2007
Kathy Ellington is hired as our first Executive Director
June, 2008
The first class graduates from the Signature Program
September, 2008
The second class begins and embarks on the first Opening Retreat at Skyland Resort
2011
Leadership Prince William moves out of the Mason Enterprise Center and in to the offices of the new Prince William Chamber of Commerce (our current office location)
April, 2013
Kathy Bentz, a 2010 graduate of the Signature Program, becomes Executive Director of Leadership Prince William.
JuLY, 2014
Leadership Prince William hosts their 2-week Summer Youth Academy for the 1st time.
April, 2015
Leadership Prince William participates in Comcast Cares Day for the first time
2017
LPW Celebrates 10 years of leadership
January, 2018
Andrea Money is hired as our third and current Executive Director
September, 2018
For the first time since 2009, the Opening Retreat does not take place at Skyland Resort thanks to Hurricane Florence
Fall, 2018
LPW receives a grant from the Potomac Health Foundation to provide significant scholarships for Leaders of Color to participate in the Signature Program. The grant was renewed in 2019 and 2020.
Summer, 2019
The Summer Youth Academy features a new curriculum focused entirely on leadership. This marks the first year that the content does not mirror the adult program.
October, 2020
The Class of 2020 becomes the most racially diverse class ever to graduate from the Signature Program, thanks to our grant from the Potomac Health Foundation providing scholarships for Leaders of Color.
2022
LPW launches their all new Emerging Leaders Program targeted toward adults who are just starting out in their leadership journey and/or those who are being entrusted with leadership responsibilities for the first time.