Leadership St. Pete Application

Thank you for your interest in participating in the
Leadership St. Pete® (LSP) Class of 2026.

Leadership St. Pete (LSP) is the premier leadership development program of the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce. Founded in 1969, it is the second oldest program of its kind in the United States.

Carefully read the application below and complete all sections. Applications will be accepted through Monday, September 22, 2025 at 4:30 p.m. ET.

Please note: There is no save feature when completing this application. The application must be completed in its entirety and submited in the same session. You must submit your application via this online process to be considered for LSP. We recommend drafting your responses in a Word document to check for spelling, grammar, and word count as you work on your responses.

Good luck throughout the application process!

If you have any questions or issues with this application, please contact

Linnie Randolph at lrandolph@stpete.com.

Commitment of Employer
Applicants for Leadership St. Pete must have the support and commitment of their organization. The signature of the applicant's supervisor is necessary as an indication of this support.
Do you have a supervisor?*

Yes - I have a direct supervisorNo - I am an owner/partner/sole practitioner or other and I do not report to a supervisor
Supervisor's Name*

First NameLast Name
Please have your supervisor visit the following link to complete the required Commitment of Employer section of this application. This form must be submitted and received by the application deadline for you to be considered for the program. Link to Employer Commitment Form

References
Please provide the name, employer/organization, job title, and phone number for two references who know you in a volunteer capacity or at least a professional capacity. Please notify your references that someone from the Executive Committee of Leadership St. Pete may contact them.
Please list two references we may contact below. *

Tuition & Scholarship
The tuition for LSP 2026 is $3,000 for Chamber members and $3,500 for non-members.

An application fee of $50 is required to apply at the time of submission. Please note class members may encounter additional ancillary expenses through the course of their LSP experience. If you have questions, please reach out to Linnie Randolph at lrandolph@stpete.com.

Full tuition payment is due Wednesday, November 26, 2025. No full or partial refunds are offered.

For those with demonstrated financial need, scholarship assistance may be available. Please complete the Scholarship section of this form to be considered for scholarship funds. Scholarships are awarded prior to being invited to join the class.
Are you (or is your company) a Chamber Member?*

Yes - Tuition $3,000No - Tuition $3,500Not sure
Scholarship Application

This section of the application will be held in strict confidence. Your name and contact information will be removed prior to review by the Scholarship Award Committee to ensure an impartial review. This is the only time scholarship applications are available.

Please be advised the only information the scholarship committee will review from this application will be your responses in this scholarship section below. They will not receive any identifying information or your program application responses. Please be thorough in your answers for scholarship consideration.

Note: Scholarship funds are awarded based on an analysis of available funds, severity of financial need for each individual, and the total funds available. Scholarships are not guaranteed.
Do you want to apply for a scholarship?*

YesNo
If I don't receive any scholarship funds, I anticipate my tuition will be paid by the following sources. Please indicate the approximate amount per source:*
Please indicate the scholarship amount you are seeking: (Full tuition scholarships are not awarded; however, we make every effort to mitigate financial hardship as a barrier to participation.)
If you have looked into additional sources of financial support, including your employer, community groups, friends and family, please indicate those efforts and any anticipated support you may receive from those sources. (Maximum 300 words)

0/300
Please outline any personal financial circumstances to support your scholarship application, including any extenuating circumstances that support your financial request. While it is not required to provide your personal or household income information, you may choose to include that information. ( maximum 500 words)

0/500
By checking the box below, I have reviewed and confirm the accuracy and content of my scholarship application.*

I acknowledge my tuition and scholarship application to be true and accurate.

Application Questions (50 points)
Please be descriptive in your responses without including personally identifiable information (such as your name, company name, your title, etc.) in the following application questions. This is to ensure anonymity for all applicants during the reivew process.
Describe your education and/or training. (Maximum 100 words; Not graded, but is required)*

0/100
Have you participated in other leadership programs? Please list formal program names with year of completion. If you did not complete the program, please state the reason. (Maximum 50 words; Not graded)

0/50
INVOLVEMENT: List, in order of importance to you, the volunteer organizations you have been involved with during the past five years, including the name of organization, amount of time you volunteer, and any leadership roles. Please indicate how much time you currently devote to each organization per month. (Maximum 200 words; 5 points)*

Business, professional, community and/or volunteer activity (i.e., civic, religious, social, political, athletic, etc.). 0/200
SHORT ESSAY 1: Describe a circumstance, within the last five years, in which you have taken a risk and/or been visionary as a leader. Cite an example of the impact this has had on you and those around you. (Maximum 250 words; 10 points)*

0/250
SHORT ESSAY 2: Describe a specific time, within the last five years in the community or in your workplace, when your actions fostered collaboration or helped to achieve consensus where it did not exist before. How did your actions affect the outcome of the situation? What changed because of your actions? (Maximum 250 words; 10 points)*

0/250
SHORT ESSAY 3: What unique achievements, qualities or characteristics, not described elsewhere on this application, would you bring to the class? Describe strengths, experiences and/or perspectives that would make you a "unique contributor" to the Leadership St. Pete Class. (Maximum 250 words; 10 points)*

0/250
LONG ESSAY: Tell us what you believe is a specific issue that must be addressed to improve the quality of life in St. Petersburg today. Describe what you would do to address and resolve this issue to build a better community. Outline why this issue is important and the potential impact your changes could have on the community. (Maximum of 600 words; 15 points)*

0/600

Submission
How did you become aware of this program? (Select all that apply)

ChamberLSP GraduateEmail/Social MediaOther
Please name the LSP Graduate(s) below.
Did you attend a Leadership St. Pete Information Session?

YesNo
Did you have any issues while filling out this form? If so, please explain below.
If you have any questions, please contact Linnie Randolph at lrandolph@stpete.com.
REMINDER - Please have your supervisor (if applicable) visit the following link to complete the required Commitment of Employer section of this application: Employer Commitment Form. Your application is not complete unless we receive the commitment of your supervisor by the application deadline.
Application Fee: Upon submitting your application, you will be directed to payment of the required $50 Application Fee

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