The woodsy smell of a pine forest, the crinkle of a tarp blowing in a light wind overhead, the scratching sound of pencil on journal, and the hum of nature drowning out the pressures back in the city. The weight of a backcountry pack, the startling chill of a mountain river, and the feeling of both uncertainty and anticipation of what might be next for you – for us. These are just a few of the memories that take Denver Community Leadership Forum (DCLF) alumni back to those sacred moments where leadership development meets the unpredictability of nature in the Colorado mountains.

Forty years ago, DCLF was borne out of a seed of an idea that the Denver region needed a place for public, nonprofit and corporate leaders to learn together, challenge themselves, and establish relationships that would help them tackle Denver’s toughest issues together.

Over the many years, the program of 8-10 monthly leadership development sessions, unique experiences around the Denver Metro area, and a week in the Colorado mountains has challenged and inspired nearly 900 alumni. Some alums left DCLF and forged a completely different path for themselves, others dug deeper and reached higher in their current work. All have left with new relationships and new ways to see themselves and their impact in communities.

DCLF has been on its own journey of change. 

After a brief hiatus, it was relaunched in 2018, with new leadership content focused on systems thinking from a natural lens, mindfulness, leadership authenticity, emotional intelligence, and unique co-creation of the program with participants. COVID sent DCLF back into hibernation because the power of the program rests on the in-person, experiential learning and relationship-building.

In 2025, DCLF will have yet another renewal with more updated leadership content that, in DCLF style, is critical for our moment in time. Conflict leadership, dialogue, inclusive leadership skills and building trust and belonging are all in the plan for a renewed DCLF.

This relaunch will coincide with a time of re-connection where we’ll offer ways for alumni to find classmates and information about connecting at SPA events. To learn more about DCLF, receive updates on its relaunch, or to connect with your DCLF classmates, update your contact information in this form.

In the inspired words of DCLF devotee, Rodger Hara’s 1986 poem “O’ My Beloved Friends”

“Time and distance may separate us, 
But O my beloved friends,
The bonds forged in the fires of our growth
Will link us evermore.”