At LPV’s founding, the LEAP Program was the only program component for the organization. At LPV’s start, more than a quarter of the Pioneer Valley population was facing retirement within 10 years. These individuals also held over 39% of organizational leadership positions in their organizations and carried a tremendous amount of institutional knowledge. Community and business leaders recognized the critical need to develop talent who would be committed to leading the revitalization of our local economy and strengthening our communities. LEAP helps to address this issue by bringing classes of 30-40 people together over nine-months to learn about the challenges and successes of the region while visiting businesses and organizations. In addition, LEAP participants work together in small groups with partnering nonprofits to deliver projects that support their work. LPV has added additional programs like Leaders OnBoard, alumni programming, Leadership 2.0 trainings, and webinars to meet additional needs over the years.