Women’s Leadership Training Program Application

Thank you for your interest in the Maryland State Education Association (MSEA) Women’s Leadership Training Program (WLTP).

WLTP is a year-long, cohort-based, professional development program—targeting (but not limited to) early career and emerging educators—that seeks to support diverse educators interested in pursuing leadership opportunities within the Association at the local, state, and national levels.

Cohort members will engage in a powerful learning journey whose goal is to raise their individual and collective awareness about their ideas and competencies as leaders, build and strengthen their capacity to become transformational leaders, and catalyze them to take action and lead the movements focused on creating and sustaining equitable, inclusive, and just schools and communities as well as strengthening a professional Association firmly rooted in racial, social, and economic justice.

All members who identify as women/womxn are eligible to apply to the cohort provided they do not currently hold an elected office in a local association, MSEA, or NEA. In this instance, having served as a delegate to the MSEA and/or NEA RA will not be considered an elected office. Please note: when possible, at least 35% of those selected will be new activists to the work of the union.

Applicants who are selected for the cohort must commit to attend ALL in-person training sessions and virtual bridge meetings taking place during the 2025-2026 school year. The dates for the in-person sessions are as follows:

• October 3-4, 2025
• December 5-6, 2025
• June 12-13, 2026

Interim bridge meetings and activities will take place in between the three scheduled in-person sessions. The dates for those meetings are TBD. Cohort members are required to participate in every component of the program. Your signed commitment is required because, if selected, you will fill one of a limited number of spots in the cohort that another interested applicant would otherwise have an opportunity to fill. Failure to do so could result in your being dismissed from the program.

Additionally, in order to receive credit for successfully completing the WLTP program, participants are expected to conduct and present a leadership project. The leadership project will be introduced during the first WLTP session with formal work on the project commencing thereafter. The final project will be due by either the third WLTP session or in late September of 2026 (unless otherwise arranged with program leaders). Cohort members will receive support and guidance from WLTP leaders, staff, and/or WLTP alumni serving as mentors).

A cohort member’s absence from any in-person training session is subject to the participant being invoiced for any resulting expenses incurred by MSEA and potentially being removed from the cohort training program.