The application deadline for SKL Class XXXVII was Monday, April 22, 2013. We do not accept late applications. Applications for Class XXXIX will be available beginning in early March, 2014. If you would like to be notified when applications become available next year, please email Linda Kirby, Program Director, at lkirby@indylink.com.
SKL Class Lists
Emerging community leaders have the opportunity to become more effective in their community leadership through the Stanley K. Lacy Executive Leadership Series.
SKL is a program of the Greater Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce designed to help emerging community leaders become more informed about the issues and needs facing Central Indiana, more motivated to get involved in addressing those issues, more connected and more effective in their service to our community.
SKL participants will:
- Learn about the issues facing our community today, explore them in-depth with current community leaders and discover ways to get involved and help affect change.
- Meet the business and civic leaders who have made our community what it is today—and can help you shape and realize your vision for what we’ll become in the future.
- Glean insight into how to be a difference-maker in our community from the community leaders and decision-makers who act as "faculty" for SKL
- Develop positive and meaningful relationships with fellow class members and the class moderator.
- Build a network of community contacts that will be helpful in your future community service efforts.
The SKL class year begins in September with an orientation and a two-day, out-of-town opening retreat. From October through May the class meets for monthly, full-day sessions around the greater Indianapolis area, providing class members an in-depth look at the pertinent issues facing our region. Class day topics include education, government, health and human services, the justice system, diversity, quality of life, economic development and more. In June the series concludes with a second out-of-town retreat and graduation ceremony.
Throughout the class year, class members will work on a class project in small groups to gain hands-on community leadership experience.
Generously funded by The Lacy Foundation, SKL is offered at less than half of what other cities charge for similar programs.
SKL Selection Criteria
Applicants should:
- Be between the ages of 25 and 45.
- Have both a demonstrated interest in community issues and a record of leadership and achievement in significant voluntary community activities.
- Occupy a position of leadership reflecting significant achievement relative to age and experience and providing the opportunity to have significant influence on issues facing our community.
- Have lived in the Greater Indianapolis/Central Indiana area for three or more years and have a likelihood of staying in the area for the foreseeable future.
- Be able to commit to the attendance and time requirements.
SKL selects 25 participants each year, striving to choose a group that reflects the community in terms of gender, racial, cultural and professional diversity.
Applicants must be able to commit to attendance at the orientation, both out-of-town retreats and at least 80% of the monthly class days, as these are mandatory graduation requirements. Time outside of the class days is necessary, including class day preparation, work on the class project and optional social time. Time outside of class can range from five to fifteen hours per month.
Program Fees
The fee for selected applicants to participate in the program is $1200 and may be paid for by an applicant’s employer, sponsor, or by the applicant. Payment is made upon selection into the program.
Scholarships are available to assist qualified applicants. Scholarships may cover full or partial tuition, depending on the needs of class members each year. Application for scholarships occurs at the time of application to the program.
- The Lacy Family Arts Scholarship funds an individual working in a non-profit arts/cultural organization.
- The Lacy Leadership Association Memorial Scholarship funds one or more motivated and committed individuals who may not otherwise be able to participate. Special consideration is given to those from non-profit organizations or government entities.
- The Lacy Scholarship funds one or more qualified individuals on a needs basis.
- The Edna B. Lacy Scholarship funds a building-based, professional educator in the Indianapolis Public Schools system.
The Stanley K. Lacy Legacy
A banker and vigorous participant in civic projects, Stanley K. Lacy had established himself as a recognized community leader in Indianapolis by his mid-20s. In 1973, Mr. Lacy’s life was tragically cut short by an automobile accident.
That same year his mother, Mrs. Howard J. Lacy II, established a foundation in his memory. In 1976, she worked with the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce to establish the Stanley K. Lacy Executive Leadership Series.
Funds from the foundation have since been channeled through the Greater Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce to underwrite the SKL series. Thanks to the generosity of the Lacy Foundation, SKL's program fee is less than half of what many other cities charge for similar programs. The Greater Indianapolis Chamber manages and staffs the program.
For more information about SKL, contact Linda Kirby, Program Director, at lkirby@indylink.com or 317.464.2261.