Leaders from the following cities and regions are invited to apply to the Minnesota Young American Leaders Program (MYALP):

• Greater Duluth
• Greater Fargo-Moorhead
• Greater Mankato
• Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul
• Greater Rochester
• Greater St. Cloud

Additionally, applicants from Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul will be able to select whether they would like to be considered for MYALP, the national Young American Leaders Program (YALP), or both. At this time, YALP is only accepting applicants from Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul (along with 13 other U.S. cities).

MYALP is hosted by the University of Minnesota's Center for Integrative Leadership while YALP is hosted by Harvard Business Schools' US Competitiveness Project.

No. Unfortunately at this time, we are only accepting applications from the cities listed above.

No. All MYALP participants must travel to the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities campus in Minneapolis, MN for the program in May. All YALP participants must travel to Harvard Business School in Boston, MA for the program in June.

Great question! You will be able to select whether you would like to be considered for the Minnesota Program or national Young American Leaders Program, or both. It is the same application for both Programs.

• The primary advantage of the national program (YALP) is an opportunity to become familiar with other metropolitan regions to learn from their examples and to network. The advantage of the Minnesota program is the opportunity to strengthen connections within the region and to develop and implement innovative cross-sector initiatives.
• Applicants who already have visibility into other regions (for example because they recently relocated to Minnesota or already do lots of national-level work) will gain more from the networking and implementation opportunities of the Minnesota Program. Conversely, applicants who have been very focused on their area of expertise within Minnesota will gain more from seeing examples from other regions through the national Program.
• For applicants who apply to both, the selection committee will place you where you have the highest potential for growth and regional impact.

"Young" refers to a leader's career trajectory and future runway, not chronological age. There is no age limit to apply.

We seek established, high-potential professionals who are in the middle phase of their careers with substantial leadership runway ahead of them. To ensure participants have the authority and networks to launch post-program initiatives, all applicants must have a minimum of seven years of full-time experience. We are not seeking entry-level leaders.

No. Nominations are optional and serve primarily as a way for leaders to encourage others to apply. All individuals must submit a formal application, and nomination status does not impact selection.

There is no cost to attend the Program. All lodging accommodations, meals, and travel expenses are fully covered.

Full-time work experience is defined as 32+ hours per week (1 FTE per role) and can include paid internships. Work experience may be non-consecutive as long as the total full-time experience is seven years or more. All experience must be clearly detailed on your resume or application.

No. Applicants must meet the seven-year requirement prior to the start of the program in May. Applications that do not meet this minimum will not be forwarded to the selection committee.

Both the nominations and applications will close at 11:59 pm on the deadline date. The nomination deadline is October 30, 2025 at 11:59 pm, while the application deadline is November 20, 2025 at 11:59 pm.

These events are planned by local selection partners in each cohort city (Duluth, Fargo-Moorhead, Mankato, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Rochester, and St. Cloud). They will take place in April with the exact dates communicated to each selected cohort in March.

Yes. All participants attend a required virtual Program Orientation via Zoom in March, followed by in-person regional cohort gatherings and alumni receptions in April. Participants will also receive contact information for their full cohort to connect prior to arriving on campus in May.

For questions about MYALP, contact [email protected].