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From the N.C. Rural Center

The application period for the North Carolina Rural Center’s Homegrown Leaders training is open for individuals who live and/or work in the following counties in Eastern North Carolina: Beaufort, Bertie, Carteret, Craven, Greene, Lenoir, Pamlico, and Pitt counties.

Homegrown Leaders is a training program whereby participating rural leaders will gain an understanding of the importance of using a regional lens for developing long-term, sustainable solutions to common challenges and for capitalizing on innovative opportunities for growth. Participants will also learn and apply skills needed to address the critical issues of racial equity, adaptive leadership, resiliency, and community economic development. 

“Leadership development has been a core part of our work for more than 30 years,” said NC Rural Center President Patrick Woodie. “And now more than ever, our rural communities need leaders who can connect and collaborate across county lines.” 

Homegrown Leaders, which has previously operated in Western North Carolina, will hold a series of training over the next year and a half, covering a 42-county region in Eastern North Carolina. 

The three-day training will be held in-person July 20-22, 2021 in New Bern, North Carolina. 

“Graduates of our Homegrown Leaders program will join our network of leadership alumni, which consists of members from all 100 counties in North Carolina,” said NC Rural Center senior director of leadership and engagement, Bronwyn Lucas. 

The application period opened on May 13, 2021 and will close on June 11. Applicants accepted into the program will be notified by June 21, 2021. Accepted applicants will be expected to register and pay the registration fee of $250. There are a limited number of scholarships available.

“Our rural communities have changed a lot in the past few months, and our next generation of leaders will have an incredible task ahead of them,” said Lucas. “We know our leadership development work takes on an even more critical importance now, and we are looking forward to connecting, training, and collaborating with leaders in Eastern North Carolina.”

Homegrown Leaders is funded by the Anonymous Trust, North Carolina Community Foundation, Smithfield Foods, First National Bank, North Carolina Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service, and the U.S. Economic Development Administration.