LEAD News and Events
Seeking Fellow Applicants
Applications Now Open for LEAD Maryland Fellowship Program – Class XIV (2026–27)!
We are now accepting applications for Class XIV of the Leadership Development Fellowship Program. This class will participate in the program during 2026–2027.
All applications and references are due by the end of the day October 1, 2025.
Read all of the application materials provided below. Use the link above to access the application form. You can start the form now, save it, and return to it later to complete and submit.
- Application Brochure
- Program Information (including participation benefits)
- Class XIV Calendar
- Statement of Understanding and Code of Ethics
- Reference Form (three references are required) (fillable PDF or Word)
- Scholarships for Class XIV
Access the downloadable box folder here
The LEAD Maryland Fellowship Program offers a unique and valuable opportunity to grow as a leader, expand your network, and make a lasting impact in agriculture, natural resources, and rural communities.
Apply by October 1, 2025 — we encourage you to begin the process early!
LEAD Maryland Class XIII
LEAD Class XIII (2024-2025):
LEAD Maryland Class XIII began their Fellowship in February 2024.
Click here to view the downloadable Class XIII Directory.
LEAD Class XII (2022-2023):
Congratulations to the graduates of LEAD Maryland Class XII Fellows.
To learn more about their study tour, please click here to view the Delmarva Farmer supplement "Panama: Crossroads of the World".
Give With Confidence
Give With Confidence
- 100% Charity Navigation Score for Accountability & Finance
- Maximum 4-Star Rating by Charity Navigator
- "Gold" for Candid's Seals of Transparency
The LEAD Maryland Foundation sustains a 100% Charity Navigator score for outstanding management and allocation of funds directly to the education and training of emerging leaders serving agriculture, natural resources and rural communities.
LEAD Maryland Foundation has been rated with the maximum four-star rating by the nation's leading charity evaluator, Charity Navigator, for Accountability & Finance: "We analyze organizations' governance practices and financial health to help donors find transparent, efficient, and sustainable charities."
LEAD Maryland Foundation has earned "Gold" for the "2022 Candid Seals of Transparency, " which gives donors the information to support the nonprofit with confidence. (Candid, a merger of GuideStar and the Foundation Center, provides data and insights about the social sector.)
LEAD Maryland Foundation earned a "Silver Candid Seal of Transparency" for 2025. Silver was earned for publicly sharing organizational data.
Your donation makes it possible to provide education, training, personal growth, and leadership opportunities for the LEAD Maryland Fellows.
About the Program:
The LEAD Maryland Fellowship Program, a University of Maryland Extension Signature Program, is provided through a collaborative effort between the LEAD Maryland Foundation and the University of Maryland Extension, along with many other organizations, businesses, and individuals that work to fund, plan, implement, and evaluate the program and its activities. LEAD Maryland Foundation, Inc. is dedicated to identifying and developing leadership to serve agriculture, natural resources, and rural communities.
The LEAD Program awards a two-year fellowship to selected participants, creating classes of 20-25 emerging leaders. The LEAD Fellowship curriculum focuses on providing public issues education, skills building, leadership development, and personal growth.
In 2019, the University of Maryland Extension designated the LEAD Maryland Fellowship Program as an Extension Signature Program. To achieve this status, a program must meet the following seven criteria:
- Align with the mission of UME
- Meet critical clientele needs
- Incorporate research, evaluation, and scholarship
- Demonstrate the ability to be replicated
- Incorporate marketing and communication components
- Establish public value
- Demonstrate sustainability through ongoing UME funding
I give so much of the credit for my professional career to LEAD Maryland. The listening skills, conflict management, discussion skills, and understanding various aspects affecting agriculture across the state and in various regions of the state, helped me in my career.
Holly Porter, Delmarva Chicken Association
Hear What LEAD Alumni Have to Say:
