The Leadership Institute at Columbus State University marked a significant milestone—its 20th anniversary—at a luncheon on Thursday, Nov. 20. The event brought together decades of institute leaders, community partners and clients who have benefited from its consulting services since its inception in 2005.

From the beginning, the Leadership Institute has leveraged university and industry experts to develop leaders for diverse sectors throughout the state and region—including Fortune 500 corporations, healthcare, state and local government agencies, and nonprofit organizations. Rooted in the philosophy of “servant leadership,” its approach emphasizes using one’s power and authority to foster the growth and autonomy of others. This core principle has guided its work, influencing countless individuals and organizations.

The Leadership Institute’s current director, Breana Jones, said that as the anniversary luncheon reflected on the institute’s two decades of success, it also charted its continued growth and its sustained commitment to shaping the leaders of tomorrow.

“Today, our mission remains simple, but powerful: to ignite potential, strengthen communities and prepare leaders for whatever challenges the future brings,” Jones said. “As we look ahead, our commitment is to honor our past while boldly pursuing our future. The Leadership Institute will remain a place where leaders at every level can find the tools, encouragement and vision they need to create lasting change.”

Evolving to meet leadership, workforce needs

The Leadership Institute is part of Columbus State’s strategic approach to community engagement, which unifies several community-facing outreach initiatives. These range from programs like servant leadership and career development that engage students with the community, to professional development and continuing education that connect Columbus State with current professionals.

Shana Young, associate vice president for community engagement, emphasized the Leadership Institute’s focus on adapting to evolving workforce needs by enhancing its educational offerings while helping business leaders future-proof their competitiveness, operations and talent.

“Micro-learning opportunities, tailored professional training & leadership programs, and a professional certificate in servant leadership are among the ways in which we’re striving to enhance our flexible, targeted learning experiences for professionals seeking to excel in their careers,” Young said. “These new programs align with our mission, the university’s core values and high-demand industries such as healthcare, logistics and business.”

As part of a strategic effort to broaden its impact, the Leadership Institute is expanding its regional footprint and forging partnerships with organizations and industry leaders beyond the Chattahoochee Valley. Young said this includes plans to engage university faculty and their expertise more deeply in the institute’s outreach.

“We have incredible expertise among our faculty in subject-matter areas of tremendous value to the region,” Young said. “Already in development, a new externship program will connect that expertise for industry’s benefit as our faculty consult with businesses on their most pressing challenges through innovation, collaboration and research.”

Over its two decades of service, the Leadership Institute has honed a portfolio of services focused on developing leaders of all backgrounds, at all stages of their careers and at varying levels within their organizations. Jones said the Leadership Institute will remain true to its core mission: partnering with companies and organizations to develop their employees’ leadership skills through training on topics such as influence, trust, team performance, and navigating complexity. This, she said, can also include one-day and multi-day strategic planning, team-building and workshop engagements.

On an individual level, the Leadership Institute provides personalized coaching and assessments to support leaders on their journey, helping them to maximize their self-awareness and organizational effectiveness. Many of the team members providing these services are certified coaches through the International Coaching Federation.

Young said the client satisfaction feedback speaks to the Leadership Institute’s strengths. She noted that more than half of its clients return for additional services, and satisfaction surveys for both its external client-facing programs and internal professional development programming for university employees hovers near 100%. Its Net Performer Score (NPS) places it in the top 10% of all leadership development programs in the nation. 

In conjunction with its offerings, the Leadership Institute is recognized by the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) to offer Professional Development Credits (PDC) for SHRM-CP® or SHRM-SCP® recertification activities. Some institute topics are accredited by the Georgia Nurses Association’s Nursing Continuing Professional Development Unit for Continuing Education credits (CE).

Reflecting on its roots

The Leadership Institute has grown, according to Young, from a “local idea to a regional force throughout the Southeast” since its founding in 2001, when retired local businessman John Cunningham made one of the largest gifts in university history: $2 million to establish the John Cunningham Sales and Leadership Institute. Though he never attended college, Cunningham believed in the power of perseverance, self-education and opportunity. His vision became the Cunningham Center for Leadership Development, thereby writing a new chapter for local and regional leadership and professional development. 

Like its name, the Leadership Institute has evolved since Lt. Gen. (ret.) Carmen Cavezza served as its founding director until 2012, under Dr. Frank D. Brown’s leadership as the university’s president. It has continued to thrive under other past directors—Ed Helton (2012-19) and Shana Young (2019-24)—until the baton passed to Jones in 2025.

The institute also benefited from the support of Columbus banking legend James H. Blanchard, renowned for integrating servant leadership into every corner of Synovus Bank (formerly Columbus Bank & Trust) during his 30 years as the bank’s president. In 2006, he partnered with the then-Cunningham Center for Leadership Development to create the Jim Blanchard Leadership Forum—attracting some of the world’s most influential political, military and business leaders to Columbus.

The Forum, as it would later become known, ran from 2006 through 2021. A highlight of the Forum was the presentation of the Blanchard Award for Outstanding Stewardship & Ethics in Business—designed to honor individuals who demonstrated exceptional business ethics and corporate responsibility throughout their careers. First awarded in 2009 to Blanchard, future recipients included William B. Turner (W.C. Bradley Co.), Dan Amos (Aflac) and Dan Cathy (Chick-fil-A).  Later, the Leadership Institute added the Ed Helton Servant Leadership Award, also awarded at The Forum, to honor Helton’s commitment to servant leadership, the institute and the university.