“...to research and integrate information on best practices around the nation in community development and educational programming...to help communities, especially small and under-served ones, organize effective youth education initiatives.”
- Stedman Graham,
Chairman, Leadership Institute of Chicago

As part of the Leadership Institute of Chicago, the Education Leadership & Development Initiative's mission is to help communities across the country become more effective at supporting programs that emphasize achievement and empowerment opportunities for youth.

To accomplish its goal, the Institute is creating a national network of allied organizations and will enlist the support of leaders in education, entertainment, business and government. A national conference in Chicago is planned for 2004.

Information gathered throughout the country by the Initiative will be provided to communities to help them identify appropriate resources for their local youth development needs. The Institute will also train community leaders to identify and manage areas in need of education reform.

Youth development projects in South Carolina are providing the prototype for the Initiative. By bringing together community resources in the private and public sectors, the Center for Research in Leadership and Community Development at Coker College is the model that the Initiative will replicate on a national level.

The White House and the U.S. Department of Education have expressed an interest in the Education Leadership & Development Initiative because it involves the grassroots-level cooperation of businesses, higher education, and community organizations supporting the federal “No Child Left Behind” law.

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The Executive Committee of the Education Leadership & Development Initiative includes Stedman Graham of the Leadership Institute of Chicago, Dr. Ronald Carter, Provost of Coker College, Dr. Craig Turner, President of Hardin-Simmons University, Sonja Watts, an assistant principal in Fairfax County (Va.), and Sue-Jean Lee, a management consultant for non-profit organizations.

“Coker College's efforts to encourage area youth to become productive members of the community is exactly what the Education Leadership & Development Initiative will help accomplish nationally.”
- Ron Carter, Ph.D.,Provost & Dean of the Faculty