For more than 30 years, United Way of King County’s training program Project LEAD has empowered people of color to serve on nonprofit boards. Today, we are pleased to announce that Leadership Tomorrow, a Seattle-based organization that cultivates a network of cross-sector leaders to address our region’s toughest challenges, will carry Project LEAD into the future.

Leadership Tomorrow will now house and run Project LEAD (Leadership, Effectiveness, and Diversity), adding the training program to its growing portfolio of services and resources.

The move marks a powerful alignment of values, leadership, and long-standing community impact among our two organizations. Leadership Tomorrow will carry on the legacy of a program that has placed more than 1,300 graduates on nonprofit boards across the region. 

“We’re honored to continue the legacy of Project LEAD,” said Bindiya Patel, Executive Director of Leadership Tomorrow, which has cultivated a network of leaders for civic engagement work across the Puget Sound region for more than 40 years.

Nearly 3,000 Leadership Tomorrow’s alumni have become leaders in small and large businesses, nonprofit organizations, boards and commissions, and local and state governments.

“Our mission is deeply aligned with Project LEAD’s goal of expanding diversity and strengthening the talent on nonprofit boards,” Patel added. “And many Leadership Tomorrow alumni are proud Project LEAD graduates, so it feels like a natural partnership. Every week, we receive calls from nonprofits looking for qualified, prepared, and diverse board members. Project LEAD is the perfect program to help us meet that need in our community.” 

Project LEAD has become one of United Way’s most beloved and equity-centered programs. It has offered month-long intensive training on topics such as conflict resolution, fiscal management, and board protocol. Each year, the program concludes with a graduation ceremony and board networking event, where graduates can meet representatives of nonprofit organizations seeking new board members.

United Way is confident that Leadership Tomorrow will grow Project LEAD and continue our efforts to bolster diversity on nonprofit boards, where people of color are often underrepresented.

“I am thrilled to see that Leadership Tomorrow will be taking on this program that has served so many BIPOC leaders in the region,” said Liahann Bannerman, Senior Director of Equitable Philanthropy at United Way and longtime Project LEAD manager and champion. Liahann, who also serves on the Board of Leadership Tomorrow, is playing a key role in the program’s transition.

As part of Leadership Tomorrow, Project LEAD alumni will now join a dynamic network of leaders who are shaping change across sectors—from businesses and nonprofits to local and state government. With this move, the legacy of Project LEAD not only continues—it grows.