Boone County Leadership Academy
Empowering Boone County's future leaders
BCDA’s Leadership Academy is a high-quality training designed to help you hone your potential and prepare you to take on the various leadership roles in our communities.
The Future of Boone County Starts with you
We help develop the future leaders of Boone County and the surrounding areas. From city council members to non-profit volunteers and everything in between. Our goal is to connect potential leaders with local organizations and community groups to continue their efforts that greatly benefit our communities. Since 2021, we have worked with over 30 emerging leaders across Boone County.




About the academy
To discover, encourage, and prepare future leaders to take on the various leadership roles in our communities.
Be a part of helping Boone County grow.
Over the past several years, many local organizations and community groups have struggled to find new leadership and volunteers to be able to continue their efforts that greatly benefit our communities.
Boone County’s Leadership Academy is our way of solving this issue.
At the beginning of the year, selected participants will begin the program with a kickoff event, followed by three training sessions throughout three months led by an experienced leadership development professional.
All participants that complete the required training sessions will graduate from the program in May.
The experience will provide participants with an opportunity to collaborate with people throughout the county, gain new knowledge about leadership development and their own leadership potential. They will then be able to take what they learned from this experience and implement their new skills in current and future leadership roles.
The academy invites any adults living or working in Boone County, or the surrounding area, to apply.
If you are interested in participating, download this form and return it to us by January 25, 2025.
Tuition to participate in the Boone County Leadership Academy is $300.
Participants who complete the Academy and attend all of the sessions will receive a reimbursement of $150 at the conclusion of the program.
Optional Payment Routes:
- Tuition Assistance: If you would like to participate in the Academy but would need some financial assistance, please include a brief letter with your application explaining the reason for this request. (Tuition assistance is dependent upon sponsorship dollars available.)
- Payment Plan: If you would like to participate in the Academy but need to spread out the $300 payment, let Brandi or Dani know so we can set up a payment schedule.
- Employer/Organization Sponsor: If your employer or an organization you’re involved in would like to sponsor your tuition, please have them fill out the information in the application and return the form with your application.
Meet the leaders behind the Emerging leaders Academy

Molly Brummond
curriculum leader
Molly is a 2003 graduate of Nebraska Law. After several years in private practice, Brummond returned to the College of Law in 2010 and, since that time, has served the College in various roles dealing with alumni relations, student life, and communications.
She is one of the principal developers of the College’s Build Your Character program – a program that works to identify leadership and professional skills development opportunities for students that occur both inside and outside of the classroom.
The program has received much national attention, and Brummond has written and presented on the topic for the National Conference of Bar Examiners and NALP.

Brandi Yosten
academy Coordinator
Cultivating leadership skills of young people here in Boone County is such a crucial step in the process of promoting involvement and greater contributions of these individuals’ talents within our community through various organizations to make Boone County the best place to live, work and grow a family.
I believe that the Boone County Leadership Academy accomplishes just that.

Dani O'Brien
academy coordinator
The Boone County Leadership Academy is a great way to get young adults involved in their communities and to get out of their comfort zones. The leadership training that this program offers is unmatched and a resource all young professionals can benefit from. Watching the participants dedicate their time to bettering themselves and this community is inspiring.
I believe that the Leadership Academy is one of the best investments for young adults in Boone County.
2023 Program Series
Communicating with Impact
Every day, we are asked to do more with less. To do so, teams of all shapes and sizes must work effectively and efficiently together to achieve the organization’s mission and vision. Those who are successful in this endeavor undoubtedly can effectively communicate.
In this program series, Molly Brummond, assistant dean of student development at the University of Nebraska College of Law, will present workshops tied to the overall theme “Communicating with Impact.”

Meet the Emerging Leaders Academy Graduates
Class of 2022
This group selected EMT Awareness as their project. They conducted research and interviews with local fire/rescue departments and community members, to better understand the barriers preventing people from becoming an EMT.
They used this information to create marketing materials and a resource page that local departments can utilize to recruit new EMTs. These resources will also be useful for those looking to become an EMT, as all the necessary information they need is readily available and organized by community on the project webpage.
Class of 2021
At the beginning of their Academy, the participants heard from local leaders that worked closely on the St. Edward Community Center project so the group could gain an understanding of how to begin and execute a community project.
This group’s project was to introduce the Bambino app to Boone County parents and babysitters. Upon graduation, the Academy has recruited 96 parents, 45 babysitters, and has had 10 completed bookings!
Graduate Reviews
Hear from past participants
Thank you to our Partners
These sponsors help to make leadership training accessible in Boone County.


HISTORY OF THE EMERGING LEADERS/Boone County Leadership Academy
In 2015, BCDA wanted to spearhead and revamp the county young professionals’ group, which was then known as the Boone County Young Leaders. With a new BCDA Executive Director, Michelle Olson, in place, she was tasked with taking over the existing group as Chairman. A committee was put into place and under new leadership the group underwent a brand change, becoming the Boone County Emerging Leaders, and a strategic plan was put into place in order to secure funding to elevate the group to the next level.