The Emerging Leaders Academy (“ELA”) invites school administrators to “tap” teachers, team leaders, counselors, instructional coaches, coordinators, directors, department chairs, deans, social workers and others who want to train as the next generation of school leaders through the innovative ELA ACADEMY.  This program is designed to develop the leadership capacity of talented and potential leaders who have a genuine interest and show promise to serve as future school and district leaders.  This passageway will connect theory and practice so aspiring leaders can develop the necessary, critical attributes of school and district leadership.  The ACADEMY prepares future leaders and supports those presently in leadership positions, such as assistant principals, who wish to continue to learn, grow, develop, and evolve. 

Each participant will:

• Have greater clarity about your knowledge and work as an aspiring leader.
• Identify the challenges associated with your future role as a school and district leader.
• Develop new strategies in knowing and understanding yourself, your colleagues, your current  leaders, and your school culture.
• Reach out beyond your boundaries as a future school leader.
• Develop a personal leadership vision for success. 

• Create an action plan for applying the contents of the presentations in the development of your work as a future school and district leader.
• Cconnect with other aspiring school and district leaders in a professional learning community environment.

Location 

Medinah Shrine Center

550 North Shriners Drive

Addison, IL 60101

Dates

Monday, August 3, 2026

Monday, October 5, 2026

Monday, November 30, 2026

Monday, February 1, 2027 

Monday, March 1, 2027

Monday, April 26, 2027 

Time 

EMERGING LEADERS ACADEMY:  9:00 am – 4:00 pm

Registration Fee

Participants will attend six (6) In-Person Sessions at a cost of $875 per person and can be paid using district ESSA Title IIA funds.  The registration fee will include a complimentary Midwest Principals’ Center (‘MPC”) membership and an invitation to attend the Legal Breakfast Series at no charge.  EMERGING LEADERS ACADEMY (“ELA”) participants can earn Administrators’ Academy Credit (#3660) facilitated by MPC and DuPage ROE.  For those NOT interested in earning Administrators’ Academy credit, they may receive up to 36 hours of PD credit provided through MPC.  Registration will be open in April of 2026 to all interested aspiring school and district leaders.  To register for the ELA Program go to www.midwestprincipalscenter.org and view “MPC Events” on the main page.  Click on that link and you will find the ELA registration page.

THE FACILITATOR

Bill Melsheimer is a former public school principal and private school head/superintendent with 37 years of administrative experience in Hinsdale and Wilmette, IL.  During his career, he led award-winning schools that were recognized nationally as a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence, by the National Endowment for the Arts, and NASSP’s Council on Middle Level Education.  His schools were also acknowledged regionally by the Chicago and North Shore magazines and the Chicago Sun-Times. Mr. Melsheimer is founder and president of WM Consulting, Inc., that focuses on leadership coaching and development.  He has over 1,500 hours of leadership coaching experience serving and supporting school and district leaders.  His consulting services center on studies of school culture and climate; school, central office, and district reorganization; and middle school review, revision, and refinement.   Bill Melsheimer serves on the Midwest Principals’ Center’s (MPC) Advisory Board and has been a member of the Board since its inception.  Bill has been a regional facilitator for MPC serving as a professional developer of principals. He is also an associate for the administrative consulting firm Hazard, Young, Attea Associates (“HYA”). As a HYA associate, he has facilitated strategic planning for school districts; conducted searches for superintendents, central office administrators, and principals; and serves as an executive coach for school and district leaders. Bill is a former adjunct professor, associate professor, and clinical faculty member of Educational Leadership for Northeastern Illinois University, National Louis University, and the Center for Urban Education Leadership, University of Illinois at Chicago, respectively.