2025- 2026 PROGRAM DAY SCHEDULE
Leadership Fauquier Mission: Creating a Thriving Community Through Informed and Connected Leaders
The 2025 – 2026 program year begins in September 2025 with an opening retreat and concludes with graduation in June 2026.
Program days occur monthly, beginning October 2025 and ending June 2026.
Program days are organized to develop specific skills, competencies and connections to people and resources within Fauquier County. When selected, participants are expected to attend all of program days. Attendance at the 2-day Retreat in September is mandatory in order to continue with the program.
Sep 24-25, 2025
Opening Retreat
Oct 15, 2025
Government, Planning, Zoning, Infrastructure
Nov 19, 2025
Economic and Community Capital Development
Dec 17, 2025
Education and Workforce Development
Jan 21, 2026
Health and Human Services
Feb 18, 2026
Culture and Recreation
Human Capital
Mar 18, 2026
Public Safety
Apr 15, 2026
Bus Tour of Fauquier County
May 20, 2026
Natural Resources, Environment and Recreation
May 27, 2026
Wrap Up and Graduation (1:30 -6:00 P.M.)
As a business owner and regular sponsor, we feel that Leadership Fauquier provided an invaluable resource to learn about all things Fauquier and inform residents on how to be a productive member of the community. We have sent and will continue to send all our people through this program.
Nathan Gilbert
For me, Leadership Fauquier strategically connects Fauquier County human capacity/resources, provides the structure of understanding the community, and sets the precedent for ongoing collaboration and actionable change. During the 10-month program, I gained in depth appreciation and understanding of how communities work. The critical contributions of each sector inherently depend upon each other.
My takeaway was the critical importance of all community sectors working alongside one another to champion change. The Leadership Fauquier cohort puts names and faces to county resources, so each member knows who/how to contact when an opportunity to initiate a change lands in front of you. It starts small, with a phone call to a classmate to ask a question. Before you realize it, you and your classmates have actioned an improvement, initiated a recommendation, or made an impact.
Our 2018-2019 class coined the name “19 Strong” as we were an original group of 19. Our cohort continues to meet 5-6 times a year to honor the mission of “Creating a thriving community through informed and connected leaders.
Michelle Cribbs
Leadership Fauquier was an excellent experience for me. Almost daily, I draw upon what I learned in the program, and now have an excellent network in the county!
Tami O’Brien
"I have supported Leadership Fauquier during my tenure as a local government manager and as a non-profit executive and Board member, because I, personally, view it as the most important institution in our community focused on developing next-generation leadership. The program is important to the Piedmont Environmental Council because of its 'whole community' thinking, in engaging a broad cross-section of interests to help its graduates understand all of the various factors that make our community great. Leadership Fauquier is the county's pipeline for creating educated, engaged, and empowered community leaders."
John McCarthy
I am a proud graduate from Leadership Fauquier’s Class of 2018! I currently serve as Budget Services Manager in Fauquier County’s Office of Management and Budget, but at the onset of the Leadership Fauquier program I was a Budget & Management Analyst II. As I’ve grown in my career, it has become increasingly important to not only understand what makes Fauquier unique, but also meet with and network among private and non-profit sectors. I thoroughly enjoyed my LF days – often filled with a field trip, discussion, and networking. The program renewed my love of service to the community and was a catalyst to long-lasting relationships.
Mallory K. Stribling
Smith-Midland has been a sponsor of Leadership Fauquier since its inception because we know that the value of having great leaders in our community make Fauquier a better place to live and work. Fauquier County has been our home since my grandfather, David G. Smith, founded our company in 1960 and we want to give back by supporting other Fauquier businesses and organizations who want to develop strong, engaged leaders.
Matthew Smith
Participation in Leadership Fauquier was pivotal for me both as a community leader and for our organization (The Arc of NCV). I gained invaluable insights about our community from the unique opportunities to directly connect with local leaders. In addition to personally building confidence and skills over the course of the year, our organizational connections within the community multiplied. This growth was instrumental in meeting our first major funder. The comradery of Leadership Fauquier continues to be a cornerstone of growth.
Marilyn McCombe
I went through Leadership Fauquier as a new transplant to the area. Leadership Fauquier provided me with the tools I needed to understand our local community and its values much more quickly than I would have. If anybody wants to know how to become involved in Fauquier County professionally, politically, or through service, Leadership Fauquier is a must.
Carl Chapman
For me, as a relative newcomer to Virginia, Leadership Fauquier was an invaluable way to learn and become acquainted with my new community in a deeper way than I’ve known any community in which I’ve lived. Now that I think about it, it would’ve been a great way to learn more even if I’d lived here for years. I finally understand how complex layers of nuance there are to the successful functioning and “running “of a community. As well, I now realize just how critically important it is that residents be intimately involved in matters of their community if it is to serve them well.
During Leadership Fauquier’s monthly classes, I really enjoyed learning about so many different facets of Fauquier County, services and programs I’d not have otherwise had reason to encounter. Through its programming, I grew as both a leaders and a team member, meeting and interacting with amazing colleagues with whom I hope to stay connected with in various ways going forward. I am especially grateful that experiences throughout Leadership Fauquier challenged many of my habits, assumptions, and judgements in ways that have given me greater compassion, broader perspective, and space for self awareness and growth.