More than 15,000 Scouts attending the Boy Scouts of America’s 20th National Jamboree, from July 19-28, 2023, will have the opportunity to participate in “Leadership Heights,” a brand new multi-dimensional program designed to teach and reinforce personal leadership, which is one of Scouting’s core values.
Built on an academic curriculum and leadership research, Scouting’s Leadership Heights program begins with an interactive survey to help participants measure and assess their current leadership skills and goals. Next, Scouts complete a series of interactive experiences that test their leadership, communication, and team-building skills. The Leadership Heights Speaker Series follows where Scouts will hear from some of our nation’s most recognized leaders of business, media, non-profit organizations, government agencies, and branches of the U.S. military. The program culminates with the interactive leadership experience ELEVATE, where Scouts will be asked to commit to a future goal of furthering their leadership journey and contributing to their local, national, and global communities.
The Leadership Heights Speakers include:
- General Stanley McChrystal – Former commander of US and International Forces in Afghanistan
- Deborah L. Birx, M.D. – Former White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator
- Scott Pelley – 60 Minutes Correspondent and Former CBS News Anchor and Managing Editor
- Elaine P. Ho – Chief Diversity Officer at NASA
- Brad Tilden – Retired Chairman and CEO of Alaska Air Group and incoming 39th National Chairman of the Boy Scouts of America
- Eric Traupe – Former Assistant Director of the Central Intelligence Agency
- DeDe Halfhill – Renowned Leadership Expert and USAF Colonel
- Hakeem Oluyesi – Astrophysicist, and Former Space Science Education Lead for NASA
- Guy Snodgrass – Former TOPGUN Instructor and Pentagon Communications Director
- Scott Mann – U.S. Army Green Beret, Pineapple Express Mission Leader
“What sets leaders apart is their ability to not only be knowledgeable in their field, but also be able to think strategically, generate a plan, and motivate teams to achieve goals not normally attainable in everyday life. Scouting experiences and mentorship provided a tremendous advantage throughout college and my early career.”
Guy Snodgrass, Former TOPGUN Instructor and Pentagon Communications Director
Gary Schroeder, who co-chairs the new program, explains Leadership Heights will provide an engaging, inspiring, and immersive leadership experience unlike anything that’s ever been seen before in Scouting. “The experience will be a catalyst for future growth and help propel Scouts to become better leaders in their units, community, nation and world,” he said.
Leadership Heights will build upon a solid foundation of leadership experiences that have been core to the Scouting program. Since its inception, Scouting has been based on the “patrol method,” which teaches Scouts how to serve effectively as both team leaders and team members. Scouting also reinforces the values of personal leadership and responsibility through merit badges that Scouts can earn. Some of Scouting’s 135 merit badges include Family Life, Citizenship in Society, Citizenship in the Community, Citizenship in the Nation, and Citizenship in the World.
To learn more about the 2023 National Jamboree Leadership Heights program, visit https://leadershipheights.org/. Speaker profiles are also available at https://leadershipheights.org/speakers/.
