Aspiring CEO Cohort '26 - '27

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The CEO Experience

Agenda

Program Cost

Cost

FAQ's

Prepare for the seat before you sit in it.

A transformative executive leadership experience for senior leaders preparing to step into the Chief Executive Officer role and lead organizations with vision, courage, clarity, and results.

Created by CEOs. Led by CEOs. Built for Aspiring CEOs.

Participants learn directly from sitting CEOs who know firsthand what it means to carry the responsibility of the role—the decisions, the people, the board, the strategy, the pressure, and the possibilities.

The experience culminates with an immersive CEO Leadership Summit in Miami.

Who Is the CEO Cohort For?

Aspiring CEO's | You are actively preparing to pursue a CEO, Executive Director, Superintendent, or comparable organizational leadership role and want intentional preparation for what the seat actually requires.

Senior Level C-Leaders | You already lead significant people, strategy, or functions and are ready to expand from functional leadership to whole-organization leadership.

Proven Leaders | You have gotten results. You bring a demonstrated and documented track record of leading people, improving outcomes, and delivering meaningful results—and you are ready to translate that success to the scale and complexity of leading an entire organization.

Mission Driven Leaders | You believe leadership is about more than getting the title. You want to build an organization where people thrive, students and communities succeed, and mission and results remain at the center.

Community Builders | You want to grow alongside a brotherhood of Black and Latino male leaders who will challenge you, support you, and continue to be part of your leadership network long after the cohort ends.

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Cohort Agenda

Know enough to lead the whole organization

CEOs don't have to be the deepest expert in every function. But they have to know enough to lead the experts. The CSGF framework identifies the functional knowledge CEOs need to effectively manage senior leaders, set goals, drive performance, manage risk, and inspire confidence among boards, staff, students, and families.

Throughout the experience, Fellows will strengthen their CEO-level understanding of: Academics & Instruction • Advocacy & Politics • Board Management & Development • Communications • Data & Information • Finance • Operations & Enrollment • Talent

The goal isn't to turn aspiring CEOs into eight different functional executives. It is to help them develop the judgment to ask the right questions, manage the right people, understand the right data, recognize risk, and make sound CEO-level decisions.

Lead. Stay. Rise.

Aspiring CEO Cohort FAQ's

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Aspiring CEO Cohort? The Aspiring CEO Cohort is a transformative executive leadership experience designed for proven senior and C-level leaders preparing to become CEOs, Executive Directors, Superintendents, or comparable organizational leaders. Created by CEOs and led by sitting CEOs, the cohort prepares Fellows to move from leading a function or team to leading the whole organization.

Who is the cohort designed for? The cohort is designed for senior and C-level leaders who have demonstrated a strong track record of leading people, improving outcomes, and delivering meaningful results—and who are intentionally preparing for a CEO or comparable executive leadership role.

Do I need to currently be a CEO to participate? No. This experience is specifically designed for leaders preparing to step into the CEO seat. Participants should already hold significant leadership responsibility and be ready to expand their thinking from functional leadership to whole-organization leadership.

What will I learn? Fellows will develop the skills, mindsets, behaviors, judgment, and functional knowledge required to lead an entire organization. The experience is grounded in the CSGF Charter CEO Excellence Framework and focuses on five core competencies: Leadership Mindset; Vision & Strategic Direction; Talent & Culture Cultivation; Driving Performance; and Communication, Influence & Leading Change.

Will the cohort cover the functional areas CEOs need to understand? Yes. Fellows will strengthen their CEO-level understanding of Academics & Instruction, Advocacy & Politics, Board Management & Development, Communications, Data & Information, Finance, Operations & Enrollment, and Talent. The goal isn't to make Fellows experts in every function—it is to prepare them to ask the right questions, lead experts effectively, recognize risk, understand critical data, and make sound CEO-level decisions.

How is the cohort different from a traditional leadership program?

This isn't CEO leadership from a textbook. Fellows learn through real CEO challenges, executive case studies, simulations, leadership artifacts, peer problem-solving, and candid conversations with sitting CEOs. Participants won't just study the role—they'll practice making the kinds of complex, high-stakes decisions CEOs face every day.

Who leads the sessions? Core sessions are led by or feature sitting CEOs who bring firsthand experience from the role. Fellows will hear candidly about the decisions, challenges, pressures, mistakes, lessons, and realities that come with leading an entire organization.

Will I get opportunities to practice CEO-level decision-making? Absolutely. Fellows will work through scenarios involving strategy, talent, board governance, organizational performance, finance, stakeholder management, culture, and organizational change. Participants will receive feedback from peers and experienced executives while developing their own CEO leadership playbook.

Will the program help me determine whether I'm ready to become a CEO? Yes. A major focus of the experience is CEO readiness. Fellows will identify their strengths, leadership gaps, and experiences they need before pursuing the role and translate those insights into an individualized CEO Readiness & Development Plan.

Is there an in-person component? Yes. The experience culminates with an immersive CEO Leadership Summit in Miami. Fellows will learn alongside sitting CEOs, tackle complex executive challenges, deepen their networks, and apply what they've learned across the leadership competencies and functional areas explored throughout the cohort.

What should I expect from the Miami CEO Leadership Summit? Expect an immersive executive leadership experience—not a traditional conference. Fellows will engage in simulations, problem-solving, CEO conversations, networking, and opportunities to demonstrate their thinking and decision-making. It's a rehearsal for the seat.

What kind of community will I join? Fellows will grow alongside a brotherhood of Black and Latino male leaders who will challenge, support, and learn from one another. The goal is to build relationships and an executive leadership network that extends well beyond the cohort experience.

Why should my organization sponsor me? Organizations build strong CEO pipelines by developing leaders before an executive vacancy occurs. Sponsoring a Fellow gives a high-potential senior leader structured preparation, executive exposure, practice, mentorship, and tools they can immediately bring back to their organization.

How will sponsoring organizations benefit? Fellows will return better prepared to think at the enterprise level, translate strategy into organizational priorities, lead executive teams, partner with boards, navigate ambiguity and change, understand critical organizational functions, influence diverse stakeholders, and make sound decisions across the organization.

What is the cost of the Aspiring CEO Cohort? The investment is $3,000 per Fellow. The $3,000 fee includes the full Aspiring CEO Cohort experience, including programming, learning experiences, materials, access to sitting CEOs and executive leaders, and participation in the culminating CEO Leadership Summit in Miami.

Is travel to Miami included in the program fee? No. Travel to and from Miami is not included in the $3,000 program fee. All other components of the cohort experience are included.

What should I walk away with? Fellows should leave with a clearer understanding of what the CEO role actually requires, stronger executive judgment, greater confidence navigating whole-organization challenges, an expanded network of CEOs and aspiring CEOs, a personal CEO leadership playbook, and an individualized CEO Readiness & Development Plan.

What is the ultimate goal of the Aspiring CEO Cohort? To make sure talented leaders don't have to wait until they're sitting in the CEO seat to learn how to lead from it.

Prepare for the seat before you sit in it.

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

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

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Lead Academic Excellence — Shape what comes next!

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The Journey | The CEO Experience

How the Aspiring CEO Cohort works

This isn't CEO school from a textbook. Fellows learn through real CEO challenges, executive case studies, simulations, leadership artifacts, peer problem-solving, and candid conversations with sitting CEOs. Each experience moves between three questions:

What do I need to know? The functional knowledge required to oversee the organization.
How do I need to lead? The skills, mindsets, and behaviors required of an excellent CEO.
What would I do in the seat? Applying both to the kinds of ambiguous, high-stakes decisions CEOs make every day.

Learn From Sitting CEOs

Every core session is led by or features sitting CEOs. No sanitized version of executive leadership. Fellows will hear directly from leaders doing the job right now about the decisions that worked, the ones that didn't, the tensions they manage, and what they wish they understood before taking the seat.

Practice the Work

Participants won't simply talk about CEO leadership—they'll practice it. Fellows will wrestle with CEO-level scenarios involving strategy, talent, board governance, organizational performance, finance, stakeholder management, culture, and change. They'll receive feedback from peers and experienced executives while building their own CEO leadership playbook.

Build Your CEO Readiness

Throughout the cohort, Fellows will identify strengths, gaps, and experiences they need before pursuing the role—and translate those insights into an individualized CEO Readiness & Development Plan.

Culminating CEO Leadership Summit | Miami

The cohort culminates with an immersive, in-person experience in Miami where Fellows bring everything together. Participants will learn alongside sitting CEOs, work through complex executive challenges, deepen their CEO networks, and demonstrate their thinking across the leadership competencies and functional areas explored throughout the cohort. This isn't a sit-and-get conference. It's a rehearsal for the seat.

Lead. Stay. Rise.

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The CEO Excellence Framework

Learn what the role actually requires

The cohort is organized around the five leadership competencies of the CSGF Charter CEO Excellence Framework. Each competency includes specific skills and the behaviors through which excellent CEOs demonstrate those skills in their day-to-day leadership.

01 Leadership Mindset | Develop the confidence and resilience to pursue audacious goals while leading with humility, integrity, empathy, and a commitment to constant learning.

02 Vision & Strategic Direction | Set a compelling vision, choose the strategies most likely to produce impact, align resources and organizational design, and strengthen your ability to “see around the corner” as conditions change.

03 Talent & Culture Cultivation | Build and lead a high-performing executive team, develop a productive CEO-board partnership, grow talent, and cultivate a strong organizational culture where people can do their best work.

04 Driving Performance | Translate strategy into execution. Learn to build the people, systems, accountability, and problem-solving practices necessary to produce results—and determine when the CEO needs to lead from the “balcony” versus the “dance floor.”

05 Communication, Influence & Leading Change | Communicate a compelling organizational story, build trust across lines of difference, influence diverse stakeholders, and lead people through the difficult changes required to move an organization forward.

Lead. Stay. Rise.

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The CEO Cohort At A Glance

Built for leaders ready to lead the whole organization

Becoming a CEO requires more than being excellent at your current job.

The role demands the ability to set vision, build and lead an executive team, partner with a board, allocate resources, drive organizational performance, communicate with diverse stakeholders, navigate change, and make consequential decisions when there is no obvious answer.

The Aspiring CEO Cohort is designed to help senior leaders begin making that shift—from leading a function or team to leading the whole organization.

The program is grounded in the Charter School Growth Fund CEO Excellence Framework, which draws on interviews and observations of more than 50 highly effective charter CEOs and feedback from more than 200 leaders and practitioners.

Throughout the cohort, Fellows will develop the skills, mindsets, behaviors, and functional knowledge required to lead successfully from the CEO seat.

Lead. Stay. Rise.

The CEO Excellence Framework |
Learn What the Role Actually Requires

The cohort is organized around the five leadership competencies of the Charter School Growth Fund CEO Excellence Framework. Each competency includes specific skills and the behaviors through which excellent CEOs demonstrate those skills in their day-to-day leadership.

Leadership Mindset: Develop the confidence and resilience to pursue audacious goals while leading with humility, integrity, empathy, and a commitment to constant learning.

Vision & Strategic Direction: Set a compelling vision, choose the strategies most likely to produce impact, align resources and organizational design, and strengthen your ability to “see around the corner” as conditions change.

Talent & Culture Cultivation: Study real-world examples and identify the key drivers of effective academic strategic plans.

Driving Performance: Translate strategy into execution. Learn to build the people, systems, accountability, and problem-solving practices necessary to produce results—and determine when the CEO needs to lead from the “balcony” versus the “dance floor.”

Communication, Influence & Leading Change: Communicate a compelling organizational story, build trust across lines of difference, influence diverse stakeholders, and lead people through the difficult changes required to move an organization forward.

"Step into the CEO role and lead with vision, purpose and results."

Why Sponsor A Fellow |
Develop Your Next Generation of Executive Leadership

Organizations don't build CEO pipelines by waiting until the CEO position becomes vacant. The Aspiring CEO Cohort provides high-potential senior leaders with structured preparation, exposure, practice, and executive mentorship before they step into the role.

Organizations sponsoring a Fellow are investing in leaders who will return better prepared to:

Think and make decisions at the enterprise level
Translate vision and strategy into organizational priorities
Lead executive teams and develop senior talent
Partner effectively with boards
Understand organizational finance, operations, academics, talent, data, advocacy, and development
Navigate ambiguity, organizational change, and competing priorities
Communicate and influence across diverse stakeholder groups
Build the judgment required to lead an entire organization