About NC Leadership Forum
For ten years, the NC Leadership Forum has brought together North Carolina’s elected officials, business leaders, and civic leaders – in equal thirds – for sustained, structured dialogue across political difference. Co-founded by Leslie Winner and John Hood, NCLF has run 10 statewide cohorts and 5 regional cohorts, producing a network of roughly 450 alumni across the state who share a rare, tested capacity for constructive relationship-building across disagreement.

On November 17, 2026, NCLF marks its 10th anniversary at the Nasher Museum of Art – with the added opportunity to view a rare, historic copy of the Declaration of Independence on site, on the 250th anniversary of its signing.

Why This Moment
NCLF marks ten years of proving, cohort after cohort, that leaders from opposite sides of the aisle can build the will, skill, and relationships to solve hard problems together. This year also honors 250 years since the Declaration of Independence, and tonight offers a special opportunity to view a rare Stone Declaration, considered the most official surviving copy of the original document, at the Nasher. Our giving levels below reflect the spirit of these monumental milestones, inspiring hope and progress for a better future.