Developing Ohio’s Leaders to Leave Everyone & Everything Better Than They Found Them.
The strength of Ohio's future depends on leaders who can bridge divides, build trust, and move communities forward. That work starts here.
What is Leadership Ohio?
Leadership Ohio is the only statewide leadership program intentionally built at the intersection of leadership development and civic health. We equip leaders across business, government, nonprofits, education, healthcare and many other sectors to strengthen their communities, build civic trust, and lead lasting change across our state.
We do this by helping leaders:
- Build trust across differences
- Collaborate and solve problems across sectors
- Engage in constructive dialogue
- Increase the depth in volunteerism and civic engagement
- Build coalitions to enable socioeconomic progress
- Lead beyond titles and across systems with authenticity
Founded in 1992, we’re Ohio’s first and most prestigious statewide leadership development program. We were founded in 1992 and graduated our first class (Class I) in 1994.
What is Civic Health?
Civic health is exactly what it sounds like - it’s a measure that reflects the degree to which citizens participate in their communities. More precisely, civic health “measures how effectively a community works together to promote the common good, address collective challenges, and improve the quality of life for all its members” (NCoC, 2024).
A Civic Health Index (CHI) is a report that analyzes existing valuable data on a multitude of civic behaviors such as volunteering, voting, charitable giving, attending public meetings, and participation in community life. The 2025 Ohio CHI will reveal how Ohio fares on these many counts, and how it compares to other states.
Engage
From Sponsorships to donations, there are any number of ways to work with Leadership Ohio.
Donate
Your support helps Leadership Ohio strengthen civic leadership, connect changemakers, and build a better future for communities across the state.
Make a DonationSponsor
Sponsorship helps Leadership Ohio expand its reach, develop stronger leaders, and create meaningful connections across the state.
Partner
Partnerships help Leadership Ohio bring organizations and leaders together to strengthen communities and advance meaningful change across the state.
Kevin Smith
Kevin Smith is a visionary civic leader, strategic connector, and champion of community engagement,…
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Who We Are
Discover our mission and organization. We’re Ohio’s first and most prestigious statewide leadership development program, founded in 1992.
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