A Comprehensive Community Leadership Development Program

Watauga Leadership Encore

Invest in your continued professional development by attending Encore, a course offered through the Watauga Leadership Institute, designed to further advance your personal leadership journey.

This cohort-style course offers attendees the opportunity to expand their leadership knowledge, mindset, and skills. Each two-hour session will examine a specialty topic that builds off the core elements of the Watauga Leadership Institute curriculum.

September 17, 9 AM-12 PM

Going All In (Eventually): A Conversation on Commitment

Why is commitment such a challenge? It shows up in relationships, New Year’s resolutions, and of course the workplace. Is it because we’re asked to commit to too many things, or are we committing to the wrong things? Kick off Encore `26 with Dr. Jim Street by getting to know your fellow participants, learning what to do, and more importantly, what not to do, to improve your own commitments.

October 15, 9 AM-12 PM

Bringing the Entrepreneurial Spirit Into Your Life

Whether you consider yourself an entrepreneur or not, an entrepreneurial mindset can help you navigate challenges, recognize opportunities, and approach life with greater confidence. Erich Schlenker, Managing Director of the Transportation Insight Center for Entrepreneurship, will share common practices entrepreneurs use, such as taking calculated risks and viewing setbacks as opportunities to learn, and how they can be applied in your everyday life.

November 19, 9 AM-12 PM

Jim Street: Learning to Facilitate from the Facilitator

Dr. Jim Street has led rooms full of strangers through quick-trust, fast-connection work that balances art and science. Participants will get an inside look at how he reads a room, builds trust in minutes, and moves a group from awkward silence to real engagement. It's a rare opportunity to learn facilitation not just by doing it, but by watching the person who does it best explain his own playbook.

December 10, 9 AM-12 PM

Conflict Resolution 2.0

Conflict resolution is a popular topic in leadership; covered endlessly in books, podcasts, workshops, and keynotes. Julie Gates, retired VP from Domino's Pizza, LLC in Ann Arbor, MI, is here to reframe the subject. Drawing on decades of navigating conflict at the corporate level, she'll walk participants through a fresh approach to the popular and often anxiety-inducing topic. Expect to leave this session feeling more confident in your ability to manage and resolve conflict.

STANDARD RATE REGISTRATION

NON-PROFIT RATE REGISTRATION

Please note that the registration forms for Encore are being run through our Foundation form on DonorSnap. Please reach out to ethan@boonechamber.com if you have any questions!

Watauga Leadership Challenge

The Watauga Leadership Challenge class gives participants the opportunity to broaden their understanding of leadership and to see themselves as agents of change in their associations, their places of work, their community, and in their own lives.

To develop the capacity to lead, one must have a keen sense of self-awareness, an understanding of others, a recognition of how people work together in teams and organizations, and an awareness of the greater community.

Watauga Leadership Challenge strikes a balance between understanding leadership and understanding the community. Participants will have the opportunity to interact with business and community leaders who are finding ways to bring people together for change.

2026 Watauga Leadership Challenge Curriculum

Watauga Leadership Development

The Watauga Leadership Development course provides participants the opportunity to take a deeper dive into understanding leadership and the competencies required for effective leadership in work, community, and in life.

The program focuses on authentic leadership and covers competencies that are critical in the leadership process.

2026 Watauga Leadership Development Curriculum

The Watauga Leadership Institute is a comprehensive leadership development program of the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce Foundation designed to meet our community’s need for the active participation of informed and educated leaders. Graduates of WLI programs enjoy lifelong networking opportunities with over 300 program alumni.

The Boone Area Chamber of Commerce contracts with Ridgeline Leadership and Dr. Jim Street to coordinate curriculum for all WLI programs.