Be a part of the BEST CLASS EVER

Cadillac Leadership is a comprehensive program offered by the Cadillac Area Chamber of Commerce as a forum for current and future leaders to gather an awareness of trends, challenges, and issues that face the Cadillac area. Participants learn to anticipate change, act with decisiveness, and lead their communities successfully into the future.

Participants must:

• Live or work in Cadillac or the surrounding area.
• Be willing to fully participate in the program—Cadillac Leadership requires a large time commitment.
• Demonstrate a desire to better understand and improve leadership skills.
• Have interest in community involvement.
• Use regularly check communication platforms including email, Slack, Google Forms, etc.

Cadillac Leadership is an equal-opportunity program provided by the Cadillac Area Chamber of Commerce as a service to the community. Participation is open to both Chamber members and to non-members.

Class Topics/Schedule

Cadillac Leadership begins with a two-day retreat in September. After that, the class meets one full day per month October through June. Program graduation will take place at the Chamber Annual Awards Dinner in June.

Attendance at all class days is mandatory. Class members are also expected to attend the Governor’s Breakfast and the Chamber Annual Awards Dinner and an additional Government Day Trip to the Capital. (Seperate Day than listed below)  The schedule for the 2025-2026 class is below. (Schedule may have some slight adjustments but for planning purposes we try to adhere to these dates.

• Opening two-day retreat: September (September 26th-27th) (Overnight stay is mandatory) (Extreme situations may be discussed)
• Manufacturing Day: October 15, 2025 (Wednesday)
• Education Day: November 19, 2025 (Wednesday)
• Economy Day: December 10, 2025 (Wednesday)
• Media Day: January 21, 2026 (Wednesday)
• Government Day: February 18, 2026 (Wednesday)
• Health & Human Services Day: March 18, 2026 (Wednesday)
• Agriculture Day: April 15, 2026 (Wednesday)
• Cultural Day: May 20, 2026 (Wednesday)
• Closing Retreat 1/2 day: June 17, 2026 (Wednesday)
• Graduation: June 24,2026 (Evening 5PM-8ishPM)

There will be two additional half dates:

Potential Half day in November. (Will know before class starts)

Annual Gov. Breakfast (1/2 day AM in April)

One additional day will be added in 2025 for Capital Day in Lansing. (we will give you as much notice as possible)

*****SCHEDULE SUBJECT TO CHANGE*****

Additional Information:

• Full-day sessions begin promptly at 8:00am and run until 5:00p.
• Dress code at all events is business casual unless otherwise noted.
• There will be field trip options offered outside of the normal meeting day. Participation in field trips, as well as additional Chamber events, is encouraged.

Tuition Pricing

• Tuition for the Leadership Class of 2026 is $1,600 for Chamber members who enroll and $1,800 for non-Chamber members. Upon acceptance to the class, tuition is due in full by the end of September 2025. A limited number of partial-coverage scholarships are available to those in need of tuition assistance.
• Tuition fee payments are final and are not refundable once the applicant has accepted their spot in the class. 
• Tuition due in full by end of September. (Please see tuition discount listed above)

To Know Before You Apply

• Applications are due by Sunday, August 31st, 2025. You will receive confirmation of receipt within 48 hours of sending your application. If you do not receive confirmation, please follow up by email to bmiller@cadillac.org to verify your application was sent correctly.
• Attendance is both mandatory and critical to the success of the program. Absenteeism may result in being dropped from the program. If you are unable to make the commitment, it is not in your best interest to apply at this time.
• Class participants selected and notified of acceptance status in early August; orientation is first week in September.
• Upon acceptance, a headshot, profile information, bio, and completed participation acknowledgement form will be required.