A 2013 NACADA Leadership Task Force report stated that a leader or leadership is characterized by positions held and roles undertaken that advance NACADA’s mission. They further defined a NACADA leader as "...any member who takes on a formal or informal role of influence to promote the field of advising in support of the strategic goals of the Association. Leadership includes elected and appointed positions, as well as informal roles including but not limited to (for example) influencing the field of writing for a NACADA publication, chairing a Region sub-committee, or serving as a faculty mentor at a NACADA institute."
The requirements for the Emerging Leader applicants for the 2023-2025 Class are:
- At the time of application, must have been a member (general) of NACADA for at least TWO (2) years and must be a current NACADA member - NO EXCEPTIONS. (It is recommended that an applicant have at least 3 years of NACADA membership before applying for this program.)
- Must be able to demonstrate active involvement in the association.
- Must be able to articulate goals for increasing involvement in NACADA leadership and how taking part in the program will support those goals.
- Must be able to articulate how their participation in the program will support the program goal of providing intentional leadership development to members of populations within the NACADA membership who are underrepresented in the association leadership.
- Must agree to a two-year mentorship period, and a total of 2 1/2 years with the program (which includes preparatory assignments over the summer prior to the leader-mentor pairing, which takes place at the program Orientation).
- Must be willing and able to attend monthly online meetings in the Zoom environment during the four months (June, July, August, September) prior to the mentorship period to discuss preparatory assignments and become acquainted with potential mentors. (Date/times will be determined after the class is selected.)
- Must be willing and able to attend the Orientation session, which will be held on-site at the 2023 Annual Conference in Orlando, FL on Wednesday, October 4, 2023. This session serves as the kick-off to the 2-year mentorship period, and as noted elsewhere, a $2000 stipend is provided to Emerging Leaders to assist with travel/lodging/registration costs.
- Must agree to take part in personal and program evaluation and assessment.
Those selected for the program are encouraged to attend the association's Annual Conferences, where on-site networking opportunities will be provided for the current classes. At the Annual Conference which takes place at their completion of the program, Emerging Leaders and their Mentors are recognized for their accomplishment at an Awards Ceremony.

Application Process
The application period for the 2023-2025 Class is January 15-March 15, 2023; for consideration by the selection committee for the 2023-2025 Class, plan to submit your completed application packet by midnight Central time on March 15, 2023 (no exceptions).
The aim of the Emerging Leaders Program is to provide a guided platform to help emerging leaders become active and sustainable leaders within the NACADA organization, with the specific goal of having the leadership reflect the varied identities of the membership. Please keep this specific goal in mind when answering the following three questions. We encourage applicants to begin thinking and preparing application materials well in advance of the deadline. Applicants are required to respond to the following questions (in PDF format):
- How will your involvement in the Emerging Leaders Program support the program goal of providing increased representation from an underrepresented member group in NACADA? NACADA promotes the principle of equity and respects the diversity of advising professionals across the vast array of intersections of identity, which includes but is not limited to age cohort, institutional type, employment role, location, nationality, socioeconomic status, faith, religion, ethnicity, ability/disability, gender identity, gender expression, and/or sexual orientation. Please discuss the areas in which you identify, and expand upon that in your response (i.e. African American faculty member, or LGBTQ+ community college advisor). View some examples of previous Emerging Leader identities HERE.
- Discuss your current and prior involvement with NACADA and detail why you would like to become more actively involved in the association. Explain how you have taken part in events, contributed to research initiatives and/or publications, and/or joined and actively participated in groups. You may wish to include what you are most proud of and/or what your biggest contribution to NACADA has been. We would like to hear about all of your involvement in NACADA, but are most interested in the ones that are most meaningful to you. If you have not had the opportunity to become involved with the organization, please discuss any barriers you feel you have encountered, and how you believe this program could help you overcome those.
- Reflecting on the different NACADA leadership pathways, please discuss ways you might see yourself participating to make an impact in the association as a future NACADA Leader.
Potential Emerging Leader applicants should also plan ahead to secure the following letter of support, which they will need to upload to the online system in PDF format at the time of application:
- Letter from your supervisor / senior administrator that includes their recommendation of your application, demonstrating their understanding that a 2 1/2 year commitment, including Zoom meetings and on-site attendence at one Annual Conference, is required. Please be certain the writer's role is identified in the letter.
SELECTION RUBRIC
If you have questions about this application or the Emerging Leaders Program, please feel free to contact ELP-Advisory Board Chair Meagan Hagerty (mhagerty@umn.edu),
Online Application Submission Process
- Check your NACADA profile/account to be certain your membership (general, not student) is current and of at least two years in length, and that your name, institution, and email address is the same in your account as you will use in your application. All applications must be verified against the NACADA database for eligibility before the submission deadline, and there may not be time to make corrections after the application is submitted.
- Gather the required application materials prior to starting your submission.
- Make sure that the application materials are saved in PDF format.
- Access the Online Submission Portal, which will be available Jan 15 - March 15, 2023 for the 2023-2025 Class.
- Enter a password - this can be simple and you can use the same one for other NACADA award submissions.
- In the “Type” section, select the radial button for Emerging Leaders Program (ELP)
- From the drop-down list under “Category,” select Emerging Leader.
- Be sure to write down your Application Nomination Number and your password so if you have to stop and come back to the nomination form, you can do so easily!
- Enter the information as it is requested. NOTE: The NOTIFICATION section is for you to list those people who you would like notified if you are selected for ELP. We suggest your chancellor/president/provost and your supervisor(s).
- When you are ready, don't forget to hit the SUBMIT button!
- Contact NACADA at nacada@ksu.edu if you do not receive an e-mail confirming receipt of your nomination after you have completed the online submission process. If possible, include the application #.
Selection
Review of applications will begin immediately at the close of the application period, with the goal of having the selection process complete and applicants notified by mid-April.