Leadership Charlottesville

Dear Leaders Lab and Leadership Charlottesville Community,

I’m writing to share an important update about the Chamber’s leadership programming.

After thoughtful discussions between Chamber staff and our Board of Directors, we have made the decision to bring back our signature program, Leadership Charlottesville, in the fall of 2026. This means 2025 will be the final year for our current leadership development program, Leaders Lab.

While we’re fortunate to have many partner organizations offering professional development opportunities, there is a need for a program that offers participants a broader understanding of our community with a focus on civic engagement and leadership, board service, and social responsibility. That’s what Leadership Charlottesville has historically delivered, and we’re excited to bring it back for a new generation of civic leaders.

I want to extend my sincere appreciation to the Leaders Lab program directors, Ann Marie Hohenberger and Heidi Billington, founding partner Frank Dukes of the Institute for Engagement and Negotiation at UVA, and our program partners - Center for Nonprofit Excellence and Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service - for their dedicated leadership and collaboration over these past three years.

There are nearly 100 Leaders Lab alumni who will be welcomed into the Leadership Charlottesville alumni network, which now includes more than 1000 members. We look forward to engaging Leadership Charlottesville alumni throughout the revitalization and relaunch of both the program and the alumni association.

If you’re an LC or LL alum interested in being part of the Leadership Charlottesville Advisory Committee, send me an email at andrea.copeland@cvillechamber.com.

I encourage you to stay connected with the Chamber as we’ll be sharing more details on LC in the future.

Sincerely,

Andrea D. Copeland, IOM, CCM, LC ‘13
President & CEO
Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce