American Council of Engineering Companies of North Carolina Logo

Future Leaders Program

NOMINATIONS NOW OPEN

PROGRAM OBJECTIVES

This program is designed to give participants of all experience levels the opportunity to explore concepts and means by which both personal learning and business performance may be increased. Primary focus is on interactive learning with a select peer group facilitated by both local and national leaders of the business community and A/E professions.
Primary objectives will assist participants to:

  • Increase personal knowledge and skills, business acumen and awareness of the environment in which they practice.

  • Develop a greater self-reliance and confidence based upon a deeper understanding of themselves, the business of engineering and the social, technical, economic, political context in which they, their clients and the public operate.

  • Develop a commitment to life-long learning and be more aware of and inclined to act on their curiosity about themselves and their world.

  • Clarify what matters for themselves and their businesses so that compelling visions, goals & strategies emerge.

  • Develop a strong peer network as a resource for future business challenges.

  • Develop role models for the next generation of leadership in the engineering profession affecting their firms, their associations and their communities.

  • Learn the importance of balancing work and life and how to apply strategies to successfully achieve that difficult balance. Each participant will be given a behavioral analysis in order to reveal the areas in which he or she needs individual focus and development.

An added bonus to the Program is the focus on learning in an interactive environment. Traditional seminar-based learning does not allow for the depth of learning that occurs when the participants are committed to and fully involved in the experience. Therefore, participants will be encouraged to do just that - participate.

Outcome benefits for Program participants include:

  • Additional knowledge of the business of consulting engineering

  • More experience and confidence in a management role

  • More professional value to their firms and to the industry as a whole

  • More personal job satisfaction and the honor of having been selected to participate in this initiative, which demonstrates upward mobility

Outcome benefits for employers who send their employees to the Program include:

  • A return on investment

  • A more reliable and knowledgeable company representative

  • A satisfied employee

  1. Participants must be nominated by a Principal of the firm of which they are employed and should have a minimum of eight (8) years experience in the field. All applicants will be selected on the basis of experience and background. There is a limit of 1 nomination per firm.

    1. Insuring geographic and practice-area diversity in each Future Leaders class is an important goal of the Program, and those factors may be considered when selecting participants.

  2. Participants must attend all sessions in person to graduate from the program. If a session is missed, participants will be given one year during which they can make up a missed session with the next class/year of Future Leaders. If missed sessions are not made up within one year, participants will forfeit all program fees and their opportunity to graduate from the Program.

  3. Participants must attend at least one ACEC/NC Committee Meeting and Event prior to the ACEC/NC Summer Conference.
The Program will consist of seven sessions over the course of seven months. The tuition for the ACEC/NC 2026 Future Leaders Series is $3,000 per person for ACEC/NC members and $5,000 for non-members.
Tuition is due with nominations and will be returned should a nominee not be chosen for the Program or if the class reaches the twenty-person limit. Please contact the ACEC/NC office directly if an invoice is required for processing. All invoices are to be paid by December 1, 2025 to keep the nominee in the class. Once a nominee has been notified of acceptance into the Program, no refunds will be available.
The last session and graduation ceremony will be held at the 2026 Summer Conference in Asheville, NC.
All class participants will attend the entire Summer Conference at no additional cost (Conference registration included in Future Leaders program fee).
Travel and accommodations for all sessions and Summer Conference are the responsibility of the participants.
Professional Development Hours (PDHs) toward the requirements for license renewal will be earned during six of the seminars in the series, for a total of 27 PDH credits. FUEL NC credits will coincide with the agenda.
Note: While ACEC/NC offers Professional Development Credit for this program, it is up to each Professional Engineer to determine if the content is relevant to his/her individual practice and suitable for his/her continuing education.

A strong peer network will develop between the participants and will provide benefits beyond the formal program.
"The ACEC/NC Future Leaders Program was a combination of informative sessions and invaluable networking. My favorite part of the program was getting to know my peers across nineteen other member firms. I am excited to see how our careers progress and look forward to growing alongside such a talented group!"
2025 GRADUATE

SIERRA BROWDER, AICP
PLANNER & NOISE ANALYST
GFT
“ACEC/NC’s Future Leaders Course has helped me grow as an engineer and leader. The carefully tailored topics cover information that really matters to today’s industry leaders. Perhaps more importantly, it offered the opportunity to not only network but build lasting relationships with other future leaders in our industry.”
2025 GRADUATE

TONY LAWS, JR., PE
AREA DISCIPLINE LEADER, BRIDGE
RS&H

Nominations for the 2026 Future Leaders Program is Now Open