Leadership Carteret

Class days generally run from 8:30 am to 4/4:30 pm, followed by optional class socials on certain days. Breakfast, lunch, water, and snacks are provided. You can expect 2-3 morning sessions and 3-4 afternoon sessions with breaks. Sessions take place at several different sites throughout the day, and students will need to ensure their own transportation between sites. We provide bus transportation on certain days. 

Example schedule for “Beaufort Day” (Schedules are highly subject to change.)

8:30 am: Breakfast at NC Maritime Museum

8:45 am: Presentations from Town of Beaufort government

9:30 am: Presentation from museum staff and Friends of the NCMM; tour museum

10:30 am: Tour Beaufort Historic Site and Old Burying Ground

11:45 am: Lunch

12:30 pm: Tour county courthouse, presentations from county leadership

1:45 pm: Presentations from NOAA and NC Coastal Reserve; tour facilities

3:30 pm: Tour Parker Boats facility

5 pm: Class social at a local brewery (optional)

Yes! Each cohort is divided into 5 groups and assigned a service project to complete during the 12 weeks. Past projects have included: Installing an educational garden for Camp Albemarle nature school students, packing oyster bags for NC Coastal Federation living shoreline projects, and preparing meals for Hope Mission’s soup kitchen or Meals on Wheels. Service projects are taken on in small groups and completed on participants’ own time. Each group presents on their project at graduation.

Are you a local nonprofit interested in hosting a service project? Email the Program Director.

Participants will need to provide their own transportation to the meetup spot every class day, and between stops on most class days. Carpooling is encouraged. The class will use bus transportation when schedules require it.

Although not guaranteed, Leadership Carteret makes an effort to accommodate food allergies and special dietary restrictions when planning menus. This information must be included with the participant’s application for planning purposes. Participants are always welcome to bring their own food or drink.

Participants should expect to do a fair amount of walking on class days. The class will occasionally visit locations that may not fully support users of some mobility aids, eg: an outdoor wastewater treatment plant. Applicants should list accessibility requirements on their application so facilitators can make arrangements where possible. 

Leadership Carteret takes place for 12 consecutive weeks* starting in January. Demand for this course is high, and each class is limited to a about 30 participants. For this reason, participants must commit to attending all 11 classes and graduation.). Unexpected absences due to illness or emergency should be communicated to the staff facilitator and will be excused on a case per case basis.

Class members should also plan to attend a Tuesday evening Kickoff Reception in January and are strongly encouraged to attend the “Last Night Party” on the final day of class. Leadership Carteret is as much a social experience as it is a professional growth opportunity. Many lifelong friendships have started during Leadership Carteret!

*Class may skip a week depending on when Easter falls

Leadership Carteret is as much about creating lifelong connections with other leaders in the community as it is about learning and developing professionally. Missing too many class days takes a toll on relationship building. If you cannot commit to 11 classes this year due to planned vacations or conferences, please hold off on applying until next year. 

We understand that people get sick, injured, or need time to deal with family emergencies. Students should communicate with the Program Director before that day’s class begins to have the absence excused. No show/no call absences will not be excused and may result in dismissal from the program. 

We take names for our waitlist year-round. In the fall, invitations to apply are sent to the first 40 names on the list. Invitations will continue to be sent out in small groups until the application pool is filled. Anyone who did not receive an invitation will be notified and rolled over to next year’s waitlist.

No. The general public may also apply. However, Chamber Membership and involvement are considered during the review process, and must pay the non-member tuition rate. The Chamber is comprised of more than 800 Member organizations. Staff of Member Organizations are considered Members, as are board-level and/or operational-level volunteers of nonprofit Members. Check the directory to see if you are part of a Member Organization.

The Leadership Carteret Steering Committee is committed to creating class rosters that represent a diverse range of career types, industries, and experiences. The committee considers:

• Responses to application questions
• The industry in which you work and the type of work you do
• Volunteerism and/or public service
• Chamber Membership and involvement
• The requirements outlined in the “Before Applying” section above.

Applications are reviewed in late September. We make every effort to finalize the class roster by mid-October. Applicants can reach out to the Program Director regarding their application status.

Absolutely! We keep applications on file for a year. Just let the Program Director know if you would like to roll your application over to the next year. 

Tuition for the 2027 class year is $695 for Chamber Members and $795 for non-members. The amount is subject to change year over year. Tuition is due within 1 week of your notification of acceptance. Unpaid tuition will result in losing your spot in the class. However, we will keep applications on file for one year, and you may re-apply for the next class session if desired. 

Please note: Tuition is not refundable. The tuition amount published above is subject to change based on economic factors. Any changes will be announced when the application period opens.

We are extremely grateful to our loyal sponsors who support this program each year. Their generosity and commitment to our community allows us to lower tuition costs so that small businesses, nonprofits, and solopreneurs can access the program. Learn more about sponsoring Leadership Carteret 2027 here.

We understand that larger institutions especially may have policies that slow down the payment process, and will work with applicants on a case-by-case basis to accommodate them. Contact the Program Director as soon as possible. 

Sponsors make this program possible! Sponsors have the opportunity to speak to the class and hand out materials on their chosen day. Sponsors are recognized in weekly Leadership updates on social media and in the Chamber’s PULSE newsletter.

Check out the 2027 sponsorship levels here or email the Program Director if you have additional questions.