Applications Open! Apply by June 26th
The application process goes through our new Member Portal. To apply, click below, make an account/ verify your existing one, click “Apply for the 2024 ELITE Program”, and scroll down and click “Submit Application”. From there, input your info and our selection committee will review and contact you with a decision.
Support the 2024 ELITE COHORT
We have a number of ways your organization can help to support the Emerging Leaders in Tech program. Click on a link below to learn more.
Underwriting Info coming soon!
Sponsorship info coming soon!
ELITE Program Vision & Purpose
The Greater Nashville area continues to attract globally recognized employers while cultivating a vibrant entrepreneurial community. In this highly competitive market, good leadership is critical to attract, retain, and strengthen the creative talent in the Nashville technology community. This program focuses on an area which has been traditionally underserved: developing the technology talent already in Nashville to become the leaders needed to support this thriving technology community. This program provides an opportunity for aspiring leaders and those new to a leadership role to come together to collectively gain new skills, share knowledge, network, and build Nashville’s leadership pool in the tech industry.
This is the 9th year for the Greater Nashville Technology Council Emerging Leaders In Technology (ELITE) program. Graduates of this program leave equipped with the knowledge and connections to be successful in a technology leadership role. Prior graduates have been recognized after program completion by their employees, peers, companies and the Tech Council for their contributions. Through formal instruction, community program activities, dialogue, and mentoring, the ELITE program provides an education on the core skills required for people leadership and opportunities to refine and use those skills in the workplace and the community.
This three-month, application-only program will provide training, peer-to-peer learning, and executive mentorship for those emerging leaders selected to participate.
Meetings are held every other Friday for half a day with one evening mixer throughout the program. Additionally, the first kick-off session will be a day and a half training. At this time the program is scheduled to be held in person at Tech Hill Commons.
2024 Program Schedule
| Session | Topic / Description* |
| ELITE Program Kickoff September 5-6, 2024 Sep. 5th Training 1 – 12:00-4:30pm Mixer – 4:30-6:00pm (optional) Sep. 6th Practicum 1 – 7:30am-2:00pm | Program Kickoff and How to Communicate with Absolutely Anyone Get to know your fellow cohort members, review program expectations, learn the four languages that you and others use to communicate, gain insight into psychological needs and unlock the secrets of motivation. Use the skills gained in the first training session to network with ELITE participants, ELITE program mentors, and the ELITE Leadership Committee. (Sep. 5) Team Activity + session on Leadership in Distress. (Sep. 6) Self form into teams to select community project |
| Training/Practicum 2 Sep. 27, 2024 7:30am-12:30pm | How to Build High Performing Teams Training: Learn how to recognize and build the right ingredients into your team so you can supercharge your team performance. It’s simple, but it’s not easy. Master this, and you can build high-performing teams over and over. Practicum: Share with mentors and your peers your challenges building and leading a team, gaining insights on approaches that might help improve your team cohesion and effectiveness |
| Training/Practicum 3 Oct 4, 2024 7:30am-12:30pm | How to Get Out of the Weeds so You Can Lead Training: How to effectively coach, to develop and delegate to those around you so you can lead. How to be the leader that will make be highly successful and known for getting the job done. Practicum: Reflect on the level of control, monitoring, and delegation to use in different situations, including how to course correct mid-stream and learn from mistakes |
| Training/Practicum 4 Oct. 25, 2024 7:30am-12:30pm | How to Lead Change that doesn’t fail Training: We rarely consider the human element of change yet that is what messes up our change plans. It turns out the brain processes change the same way every time. When you master the stages of change, it impacts how you lead yourself and others through change. Practicum: Examine the changes affecting you and those around you and engage with peers and mentors to brainstorm specific ideas on how to work through and possibly ease the transition |
| Training/Practicum 5 Nov. 1, 2024 7:30am-12:30pm | Putting it all together Training: Review sessions and work through a case study that gives the cohort a chance to apply their learning to a real-life scenario. Wrap up the learning and provide the next steps for staying engaged in giving back to the program. Practicum: Discuss with peers and mentors some of the toughest challenges of leadership and design your plan to make sure that the most important things are getting the attention they deserve |
| ELITE Graduation Nov. 7, 2024 5:00-9:00pm | Program conclusion and celebration. |