Alumni Level UP Cohort '26 - '27

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Alumni Level UP Cohort

You Got the Role. Now Thrive in It | An executive leadership experience exclusively for NFBLME alumni who have stepped into greater leadership and are ready to do more than survive the seat. Stay whole. Own the seat. Build people. Navigate the system. Deliver results. Lift as you rise. Get the role. Thrive in the role.

You worked for it. You earned it. And now you're in the seat. But getting the role and thriving once you're there are two different challenges. The NFBLME Alumni Level Up Cohort is designed for alumni who are leading teams, schools, departments, functions, and organizations—and want the community, coaching, tools, expertise, and space to become even stronger once they're in the role. This isn't Leadership 101. You've demonstrated that you can lead. You've gotten results. You have a documented track record of impact. Now the work is different. How do you stay focused when everything feels important? How do you navigate workplace politics without losing yourself? How do you manage up—and sideways?

How do you remain unapologetically yourself while developing the judgment to know when to speak, when to listen, and which battles are actually worth fighting? How do you win in your role and against the goals that matter most? And how do you do all of that without sacrificing yourself, your family, your values, or the people you lead? That's Level Up. Because representation matters. And so do results.

The Cohort At A Glance

The Level UP Framework |
Your Next 6 Moves for Thriving in Leadership

01

Stay Whole | Lead Yourself Before the Role Leads You.

02

Own the Seat | Stop Doing Your Old Job From Your New Seat.

03

Build People | Your Leadership Should Multiply Leadership.

04

Navigate the System | Learn the Politics Without Losing Yourself.

05

Deliver Results | Be You. Be Strategic. Dominate Your Role.

06

Lift As you Rise | Make the Seat Matter.

We don't simply want more Black and Latino men getting leadership roles. We want them staying. We want them thriving. We want them winning in their roles and against their goals. We want them getting results. We want them developing other leaders. We want them changing organizations. And we want them doing it without losing themselves along the way.

Representation + Results.

Get the role. Thrive in the role. Change what's possible.

THE GOAL

Why Sponsor An Alum |

Keep Great Leaders. Grow Their Impact.

Organizations invest significant time and resources identifying, developing, and promoting talented leaders. The next challenge is helping them succeed, thrive, and stay once they get there. Level Up helps organizations strengthen and retain proven leaders by helping them:

Sustain themselves through the demands of leadership; strengthen personal organization and focus; manage up and across the organization; navigate organizational complexity and workplace politics; strengthen team culture and performance; coach, develop, and retain talent; make better leadership decisions; execute against measurable priorities; and build stronger leadership pipelines. The return isn't simply a more confident leader. It's a leader better equipped to develop people, navigate complexity, deliver results, and remain in the work for the long haul.

What Organizations Gain:

"When great leaders thrive, organizations get stronger."

Alumni Level UP Cohort FAQ's

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Aspiring CAO Cohort? The Aspiring Chief Academic Officer Cohort is a leadership development experience designed for educators and instructional leaders preparing to lead at the systems level. The program supports leaders pursuing roles such as Chief Academic Officer, Chief of Schools, Regional Superintendent, and other senior instructional leadership positions.

Who is this cohort designed for? The cohort is designed primarily for Black and Latino male educators who have already demonstrated leadership at the classroom, school, or network level and are ready to expand their impact across multiple schools or systems. Ideal candidates include teachers, instructional coaches, department chairs, grade-level leaders, school leaders, and network staff.

What will fellows learn? Fellows develop the skills needed to lead instructional strategy at scale, including:

Understanding the core functions of the CAO role
Building strategic plans and instructional roadmaps
Designing year-long professional development plans
Leading equity-driven instructional systems
Analyzing teaching and leadership through case studies and video study
Learning directly from sitting CAOs and executive leaders

What does the program format look like? The cohort includes four 90-minute virtual learning sessions and a culminating in-person Chief Academic Officer Collaboration Summit. Fellows engage in interactive learning experiences, strategic planning exercises, artifact analysis, and executive leadership case studies.

Is the program virtual or in person? The experience is hybrid. Most learning sessions take place virtually, while the program culminates in an in-person collaboration summit designed to provide immersive learning, networking, and executive-level collaboration opportunities.

What resources do fellows receive? Participants gain access to:

Strategic planning templates
Sample PD scopes and sequences
Reflection protocols and leadership tools
Video clips and executive case studies
Guidance documents used by sitting CAOs
Curated leadership artifacts and implementation resources

Who facilitates the learning? The cohort is powered in partnership with Teach Like a Champion and includes learning from experienced Chief Academic Officers, executive leaders, and senior instructional practitioners from across the country.

Why should schools or organizations sponsor a fellow? Organizations benefit by developing leaders capable of driving instructional excellence, strengthening academic systems, building staff capacity, and improving leadership pipelines. Fellows return with practical tools, strategic frameworks, and implementation plans that directly support school and organizational improvement.

What makes this cohort different from traditional leadership programs? Unlike traditional leadership programs focused primarily on theory, the Aspiring CAO Cohort emphasizes practical systems leadership, real-world case studies, executive decision-making, and community. The program blends technical instructional leadership with adaptive leadership development and brotherhood.

How much does the program cost? Standard program cost is $3000, which includes access to all virtual sessions, cohort programming, learning materials, and the culminating summit experience. More registration details can be found on the official registration page.

Is financial support or sponsorship available? Many fellows receive support from their schools, districts, charter networks, or organizations through professional development funding. Participants are encouraged to explore sponsorship opportunities with their employers.

How do I register? You can register here: Aspiring CAO Cohort Registration

Who can I contact with questions? For additional questions about the cohort, registration, or logistics, contact Keith Brooks (KiethBrooks@nfblme.org).

NFBLME

"When great leaders thrive, organizations get stronger."

NFBLME

The Level UP Experience

Leadership development for the season you're actually in.

Level Up isn't built around hypothetical leadership problems. Your role is the curriculum. The experience combines:

Four 2-hour hybrid Leadership Labs
Three individual executive coaching sessions
Dilemma Protocols built around real leadership challenges
Access to experts aligned to your developmental goals and priorities
Learning from senior and C-level NFBLME alumni who have successfully made the transition and thrived
A two-day, in-person culmination during NFBLME Alumni Weekend in Garden City, New York, in May

Every part of the experience is grounded in the real work of leadership. Your goals. Your team. Your boss. Your peers. Your politics. Your decisions. Your results. Your development. Together, we'll wrestle with one central question:

How do I stay whole, lead well, get results, and build something that lasts?

"When great leaders thrive, organizations get stronger."

NFBLME

The Cohort At A Glance

Getting the role was only the beginning.

You worked for it. You earned it. And now you're in the seat. But getting the role and thriving once you're there are two different challenges. The NFBLME Alumni Level Up Cohort is designed for alumni who are leading teams, schools, departments, functions, and organizations—and want the community, coaching, tools, expertise, and space to become even stronger once they're in the role. This isn't Leadership 101. You've demonstrated that you can lead. You've gotten results. You have a documented track record of impact. Now the work is different. How do you stay focused when everything feels important? How do you navigate workplace politics without losing yourself? How do you manage up—and sideways?

How do you remain unapologetically yourself while developing the judgment to know when to speak, when to listen, and which battles are actually worth fighting? How do you win in your role and against the goals that matter most? And how do you do all of that without sacrificing yourself, your family, your values, or the people you lead? That's Level Up. Because representation matters. And so do results!

WHO LEVEL UP IS FOR

Built Exclusively for NFBLME Alumni

ALUMNI IN BIGGER SEATS - You've recently stepped into a new or expanded leadership role and are discovering that succeeding in the seat requires different muscles than getting there.
EXPERIENCED LEADERS - You're already leading significant people, strategy, programs, schools, departments, functions, or organizations and want to become even more effective without sacrificing yourself in the process.
RESULTS-DRIVEN LEADERS - You've demonstrated and documented a track record of results. You're not satisfied with simply holding a leadership title—you want your leadership to translate into stronger people, organizations, and outcomes.
BROTHERS WHO WANT BROTHERHOOD - You want a trusted community of Black and Latino male leaders who understand the complexity of the work, will challenge your thinking, celebrate your wins, tell you the truth, and remind you that you don't have to lead alone.

WHAT FELLOWS LEAVE WITH

Not Another Binder. Tools You'll Actually Use.

Fellows will leave with practical tools they can continue using long after the cohort ends, including:

Leadership Sustainability + Focus Plan
Role → Results → Reputation Leadership Scorecard
Talent Development Map
Stakeholder + Influence Map
Managing Up & Sideways Strategy
Representation + Results Dashboard
90-Day Leadership Experiment
Leadership Legacy Map
Five individual executive coaching sessions
Access to a network of senior and C-level alumni and experts
A trusted peer advisory network of NFBLME brothers

Most importantly, fellows leave clearer about how they want to lead, what results matter most, what needs to change, what battles are worth fighting, and what they need to sustain themselves for the journey ahead.

"When great leaders thrive, organizations get stronger."

NFBLME

The Level UP Framework

Five Moves for Thriving in Leadership

01 | OWN THE SEAT

Stop Doing Your Old Job From Your New Seat.

The skills that got you promoted aren't always the skills that will make you successful at the next level. You earned the opportunity because you've demonstrated that you can lead and get results. But every new level requires something different. Level Up helps fellows get clear about what their current seat actually requires, what only they can do from that seat, and the few outcomes that will ultimately define their success. What should you own? What should you delegate? What should you stop doing altogether? Where are you still operating like the person you used to be instead of the leader your current role requires? The goal is to move from doing more to leading at the right altitude. Focus: Role clarity, leadership altitude, priorities, decision-making, delegation, accountability, leadership presence, and strategic execution. Signature Experience: Role → Results → Reputation

02 | NAVIGATE THE SYSTEM

Learn the Politics Without Losing Yourself.

The higher you rise, the more leadership happens beyond your direct authority. You have to understand power, relationships, personalities, competing priorities, organizational dynamics, and how decisions actually get made. Level Up helps fellows get smarter about navigating workplace politics without becoming someone they're not. That means learning how to manage up effectively. How to influence sideways when the person doesn't report to you. How to build relationships before you need them. How to read the room. How to recognize formal and informal power. How to understand what your boss needs from you while maintaining your own leadership voice. And how to recognize when a challenge is technical—and when something deeper is happening beneath the surface. You don't have to play games. But you do need to understand the game. Focus: Navigating workplace politics, managing up and sideways, stakeholder management, adaptive leadership, influence, organizational dynamics, alliances, power, and change leadership. Signature Experiences: Influence Map + Managing Up & Sideways Strategy

03 | DELIVER RESULTS

Be You. Be Strategic. Dominate Your Role.

Getting into the room matters. What you accomplish once you're there matters too. Unapologetically being yourself doesn't mean saying everything you're thinking. And leadership maturity doesn't mean becoming quiet, agreeable, or somebody else's version of "executive."

Level Up helps fellows find the balance between authenticity and strategy—knowing when to speak, when to listen, when to push, when to let something go, and which battles actually matter. Because every hill isn't worth dying on. The goal is to remain grounded in who you are while developing the judgment to pick the right battles, focus on what matters most, and deliver undeniable results. Every fellow will identify the most important goals and outcomes they are responsible for moving during the cohort. Then we'll work on them. Not hypothetically. Your actual goals. Your actual data. Your actual results. Win in your role. Win against your goals. Dominate your priorities. Not through burnout. Through clarity, focus, judgment, strategy, and execution. Focus: Authentic leadership, judgment, picking your battles, strategic communication, strategy, execution, performance management, goal attainment, continuous improvement, equity, and measurable organizational results. Signature Experience: Representation + Results Dashboard

04 | STAY WHOLE

Lead Yourself Before the Role Leads You.

Leadership can take a lot from you if you let it. The bigger the role, the easier it becomes for everything to feel important—emails, meetings, fires, your boss's priorities, your team's needs, organizational demands, family responsibilities... and somewhere in there: you.

Level Up helps fellows strengthen their personal organization and focus so they can distinguish what is important from what is simply urgent, protect their energy, stay grounded in their values, and focus their time on the work that matters most. This isn't about finding the perfect planner. It's about building the habits, systems, boundaries, and disciplines that allow you to win at work without losing yourself. Focus: Personal organization and focus, emotional intelligence, identity, values, priorities, time and energy management, boundaries, self-limiting mindsets, and leadership sustainability. Signature Experience: Leadership Sustainability + Focus Audit

05 | BUILD PEOPLE. LIFT AS YOU RISE.

Make the Seat Matter.

The higher you rise, the less leadership is about what you can accomplish yourself—and the more it becomes about who is stronger, more capable, and has greater opportunity because you were there. Level Up helps fellows move from being the person who solves everything to becoming the leader who builds people, develops talent, and creates opportunity for others. Fellows strengthen their ability to coach, give meaningful feedback, delegate real ownership, hold people accountable, develop high-performing teams, mentor and sponsor emerging leaders, and intentionally build the next generation of leadership.

Because representation isn't complete when you get through the door. Hold it open. Build another door. Prepare somebody else to walk through it. The goal isn't simply to occupy the seat. Make the seat matter—and make sure more people are ready to sit in it because you did. Focus: Coaching, feedback, accountability, delegation, talent development, sponsorship, mentorship, succession, leadership pipelines, representation, and legacy. Signature Experience: The Talent & Legacy Map

"When great leaders thrive, organizations get stronger."

NFBLME

How the Cohort Works

Built Around the Leadership Challenges You Have Right Now.

You don't need another leadership program telling you what leadership is. You're already doing it. Level Up surrounds proven leaders with the coaching, brotherhood, expertise, practice, and accountability needed to become even better at it.

FOUR HYBRID LEADERSHIP LABS

Four high-impact, 2-hour hybrid experiences built around the six Level Up leadership moves and the real challenges alumni are navigating in their current roles. Sessions combine practical frameworks, case studies, peer consultation, reflection, tools, Dilemma Protocols, and application to fellows' actual work. Participants won't simply learn a framework and move on. Learn it. Apply it. Test it. Come back. Level Up.

FIVE EXECUTIVE COACHING SESSIONS

Every fellow receives five individual executive coaching sessions focused on their leadership goals, developmental priorities, and real-time challenges. Coaching provides a confidential space to go deeper on the issues that don't always fit neatly into a cohort session. A difficult relationship. A consequential conversation. A decision you're wrestling with. Managing up. Prioritizing competing demands. Strengthening your executive presence. Figuring out what's getting in your way. Your role. Your goals. Your coach. Your work.

LEARN FROM BROTHERS WHO HAVE BEEN THERE

Sometimes the best person to help you navigate the next level is someone who has already lived it. Fellows will learn directly from senior and C-level NFBLME alumni who have successfully made leadership transitions, navigated the complexity of bigger roles, produced results, and thrived once they got there. Not theory from someone standing outside the work. Real lessons from brothers who have sat in the seat. What worked. What didn't. What surprised them. What they wish someone had told them. What they had to learn the hard way. And what they would do differently if they could do it again.

ACCESS TO EXPERTS

Every fellow enters Level Up with individual developmental goals and leadership priorities. We'll help connect fellows with experts, practitioners, executives, and resources who can help them make meaningful progress. Need to strengthen financial management? Navigate a board? Improve strategic planning? Build a stronger team? Manage up? Strengthen executive communication? Develop better systems? The goal isn't for NFBLME to pretend to have every answer. It's to help you get access to people who do.

DILEMMA PROTOCOLS | BRING YOUR MESS

Every leader has one. A boss relationship that isn't working. A colleague you can't quite figure out. A high performer with a bad attitude. A team that depends too heavily on you. An initiative that won't move. Organizational politics you didn't see coming. A decision you keep avoiding. A battle you're not sure is worth fighting. Bring it. Throughout Level Up, fellows will use structured Dilemma Protocols to bring real leadership challenges to the brotherhood. Peers will ask questions, surface assumptions, identify patterns, challenge thinking, and help the presenting fellow see possibilities they may be too close to the problem to see themselves. Then comes the important part: Make a different leadership move. Test it in the real world. Come back and tell us what happened. Real leaders. Real dilemmas. Real-time learning.

THE LEVEL UP LEADERSHIP DASHBOARD

Representation + Results

Throughout the experience, fellows will use a simple dashboard to examine six dimensions of their leadership:

SELF | Am I well enough to sustain the way I'm leading?
PEOPLE | Are people stronger because I lead them?
CULTURE | Are people thriving on my team?
PERFORMANCE | Are we producing stronger measurable results?
EQUITY | Who is benefiting from the decisions and systems I lead—and who isn't?
PIPELINE | Who am I developing, sponsoring, and preparing to lead next?

The goal isn't perfection. It's becoming increasingly intentional about who you're becoming as a leader and what is happening around you because of your leadership.

2-DAY ALUMNI WEEKEND

Garden City, New York | May

The Level Up experience culminates with two immersive days together during NFBLME Alumni Weekend in Garden City, New York. This isn't simply the final session. It's where the work comes together.

Fellows step away from the daily demands of leadership to examine their growth and results, work through consequential leadership challenges, learn alongside senior and C-level alumni and other experienced executives, deepen relationships across the NFBLME alumni network, and build their plan for the leadership season ahead. We'll make space for strategy. We'll make space for reflection. We'll make space for hard conversations. And because this is NFBLME, we'll make space for something equally important: Brotherhood. Food. Laughter. Joy. Rest. Connection. We don't just want our brothers leading. We want them well. We want them winning. And we want them together.

"When great leaders thrive, organizations get stronger."