PSW is currently accepting applications for the 2026 ELP Cohort!

Please scroll to the bottom to find the full program brochure attached to this page.

Click here to apply to today: 2026 ELP Cohort Application.

Please email Brittany Huber, Senior Director of Learning, at bhuber@philanthropysouthwest.org if you have any questions on the program, application, or program sponsorship opportunities. 

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The Program

Founded by Communities Foundation of Texas and now led by Philanthropy Southwest, ELP is a cohort-based program for rising leaders in grantmaking with 3–10 years of experience in philanthropy.

Developed with PSW members, leadership experts, and regional philanthropic leaders, the Emerging Leaders Program (ELP) is rooted in PSW’s Impact Engine—Meaningful Relationships, Ideas and Innovation, and Sector and Professional Growth. Guided by expert facilitators, participants move through a professional and personal growth cycle: assessing current realities, defining a compelling vision, and shaping the cultural foundation for the future of philanthropy. Along the way, participants will build strategies for career advancement and take bold action on what matters most in the sector.

ELP graduates emerge prepared to step into senior leadership roles, equipped with the knowledge, resilience, and perspective to lead high-performing teams and drive lasting, transformative change.

The program was redeveloped in partnership with PSW's Emerging Leaders in Philanthropy Program Planning Taskforce. A very special thank you to its 2025-2026 members:

Robert Burns** Board of Directors, Philanthropy Southwest and Home Region Program Manager, Walton Family Foundation 

Bentonville, AR 

Lisa Emery* Manager of Community Relations, Fluor Corporation 

Dallas, TX 

Jennifer Holk Senior Strategy Manager, Deloitte’s Monitor Institute 

Dallas, TX 

Dr. Michael Kelly** Vice President of Programs, Paso del Norte Health Foundation 

El Paso, TX  

Erica Oakley-Courage** Associate Vice President of Grants, El Pomar Foundation 

Colorado Springs, CO 

Nicole Paquette*** Senior Director of Communications, Public Relations, and External Affairs, Communities Foundation of Texas 

Dallas, TX 

Heather Wagemann* Program Manager, Employee and Corporate Giving, Southwest Airlines 

Dallas, TX 

Dana Wilkes** Grants Manager, Hardesty Foundation 

Tulsa, OK 

Ryan Wood* Director of Community Impact, WFAA 

Dallas, TX 

*ELP Alumnus 

**PSW Member 

***PSW Member and ELP Sponsor 

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The Experience

Application Requirements

• 3-10 years of professional experience in philanthropy
• Employed at a foundation or grantmaking organization serving the PSW service region (Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, or Utah)

Key Experiences

• 21/64 Advisor Certification
• Grounded Leadership Retreat May 4-6, 2026 at the renowned Laity Lodge, the H.E. Butt Family's Retreat Center in the Texas Hill Country
• Registration at PSW's 78th Annual Conference in Tucson, AZ October 25-29, 2026
• Highly interactive monthly sessions (4 in-person; 5 virtual) led by experts in leadership development and philanthropy
• Leadership assessments (BrainStyles, and Leadership Circle Profile 360)
• Trust-based, cross-regional peer relationships and an expanded professional netowrk
• Mentorship and professional coaching available from respected leaders in philanthropy and business
• In-depth sector knowledge and exploration of philanthropy's most timely issues
• Leadership skills and practical team management tools

Program Cost

• $4,500 for PSW members
• $5,000 for non-members

*Please note: The program fee covers all meals for in-person sessions. It also includes lodging, meals, and transportation for the Grounded Leadership Retreat at Laity Lodge. Travel and lodging expenses for the remaining 3 in-person sessions (Dallas, Denver, and Tucson) are not included.

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The Experts and Special Content

Jesse Ihde, Founder, Trade Last

Jesse Ihde is an executive coach, consultant, and speaker committed to fostering authentic leadership, cultivating connected and effective teams, and driving organizational excellence. As the founder of Trade Last, Jesse believes that purpose, connection, and vitality are not just ideals but essential elements of thriving organizations and fulfilling lives. Her work centers on developing leaders, shaping cultures, and strengthening teams to create meaningful success. With over a decade as a Partner and Owner of a marketing agency she helped build from the ground up—one that would eventually be recognized among Dallas Business Journal’s Best Places to Work—Jesse has firsthand experience in leading and scaling businesses with purpose and success. Her expertise spans startups, nonprofits, and Fortune 500 companies, offering her a unique lens into leadership development across industries. She brings a holistic and systems-driven approach with a deep understanding of the interconnected nature of human development, organizational systems, and tangible business results. She serves her clients as a strategic and creative thought partner, helping organizations, teams and leaders tackle their most significant challenges. Jesse is also the co-facilitator of the LEAP Academy, a women’s executive leadership program in Dallas, where she is dedicated to increasing the sustainability, retention, visibility, and advancement of women leaders in the workforce.

Chris Barnes, Founder, Spiral Integration

Chris Barnes is the founder of Spiral Integration, a leadership development and advisory practice rooted in clarity, trust, and transformation. He works with CEOs, founders, and executive teams who are navigating complexity—and don't want to go through it on autopilot. His approach is shaped by 25 years of experience across leadership, technology, and operations. He's been a COO, a systems builder, a Vistage Chair, and a coach. But at his core, he's a pattern recognizer—someone who helps people make sense of what's changing and move forward with conviction. He doesn't just see the patterns in people—he builds systems that serve them. His work bridges the deeply personal with the deeply practical, helping leaders grow without disconnecting from themselves or their mission. His work treats leadership as an integrated system and is informed by a systems view of performance and well-being—including health, nutrition, and regenerative leadership. Chris creates space for deep, honest work. Work that brings clarity. That reconnects you to who you are—and who you're becoming.

GiveWisely® by Communities Foundation of Texas

Giving may be easy, but it’s not always easy to decide what matters most to you. Communities Foundation of Texas' popular, rewarding, and fun GiveWisely® course empowers you to think critically about giving — to discover your core values and gain a clear idea of what you want to support and how best to go about it. You’ll also learn how to powerfully say “yes” or “no,” based on whether an opportunity is aligned with your giving focus. 

Become a 21/64 Certified Advisor

21/64 Certified Advisors are individuals from a range of industries, ethnicities and countries. They share a desire and practice that helps others make more strategic decisions around their time, talent, treasure and ties through an understanding of their identity and values. 21/64 Certified Advisors aim for this transformative work to have positive impact on relationships with self and family, local community and the global world. Across the globe, over 1200 professionals hold the designation of 21/64 Certified Advisor. 21/64 Certified Advisors share a commitment to the work of individuals, families and communities who want to ignite change across generations using 21/64’s proven methodology for engaging people at the intersection of values and governance. To attain this designation, each advisor completes the 21/64 Approach Training where they develop skills, learn frameworks and technical tools and practice leading conversation about values, vision, identity, and legacy in order to work more effectively with next-generational funders and multigenerational family enterprise clients with a particular emphasis on facilitation. The 21/64 Approach Training is specifically designed to help 21/64 Certified Advisors more comfortably engage groups in important and often complicated conversations, whether they are new to the field or seasoned advisors adjusting to new modalities of engaging with stakeholders. Additionally, as advisors committed to ongoing learning, Certified Advisors join colleagues in a collective forum where wisdom is shared, field research and articles and innovations are offered so practices are enriched and relationships with other professionals advising families are built across the globe.

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The Syllabus

Session 1: Thursday, February 5 - Friday, February 6, 2026

Intrapersonal Leadership and Philanthropic Identity

Location: Dallas, TX

Session 2: Friday, March 6, 2026 | 10am-2pm CT

Funder Advocacy and Cross-Sector Philanthropy

Location: Virtual

*Optional: Special invitation to join PSW On the Hill March 9-11, 2026 in Washington, DC

Session 3: Friday, April 10, 2026 | 10am-2pm CT

Interpersonal Leadership and the Power of Trust and Betrayal

Location: Virtual

Session 4: Monday, May 4 to Wednesday, May 6, 2026

Grounded Leadership Retreat

Location: H.E. Butt Family Foundation’s Laity Lodge in Leakey, TX

Session 5: Friday, June 5, 2026 | 10am-2pm CT

Innovative Philanthropy & Leading Through Change

Location: Virtual

Session 6: Thursday, July 9, 2026 | 5pm-6:30pm CT

Summer Zoom Happy Hour

Location: Virtual

Session 7: Tuesday, August 4 to Thursday, August 6, 2026

21/64 Training and Certification

Location: Denver, CO

Session 8: Friday, September 11, 2026 | 10am-2pm CT

Balancing High-Performing Teams, Career Advancement, and Mental Health

Location: Virtual

Session 9: Sunday, October 25 to Thursday, October 29, 2026

Final Session: Program Reflection with Graduation at the PSW 78th Annual Conference

Location: Tucson, AZ

*Note: ELP graduates will be recognized at the PSW Annual Conference. One cohort member will receive the “Emerging Leader in Philanthropy” award at PSW’s Legacy of Leadership reception which concludes the conference the evening of October 28, 2026.