The Advanced Leadership Institute (ALI), in partnership with UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business School, is our flagship executive education experience. It equips senior leaders with the tools to drive innovation, lead change, and shape organizational strategy.
Check the Status of Our Current Offerings Below.
Course Overview
Executives in the mechanical contracting industry have unique leadership challenges and needs. It is with this in mind that the MCAA developed the Advanced Leadership Institute. For over two decades, MCAA’s Advanced Leadership Institute (ALI) has been helping to develop the executive leadership of MCAA members.
The ALI is not a management program. Managers are responsible for the wise use of resources; leaders are responsible for the visions and ideas that help companies adapt and grow. The ALI is about developing the talents and business networks of leaders in the mechanical contracting industry.
UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business School is ranked #2 in the country for ‘Executive Leadership Education’. It’s ranked #9 in the world in that same category. And it’s ranked #1 in ‘Best Value for Professional Education.’ Pretty impressive numbers… but what does that actually look like?
Check out the video below to see what an ALI classroom looks like; to hear our MCAA committee leadership talk about why this program matters; and to learn what our most recent grads thought about their experiences.
Curriculum
The ALI includes two weeks of onsite education (the first in September or early October, the second in November) and additional assignments and coaching sessions that are completed between the onsite components. The two weeks onsite at Kenan-Flagler are designed to be highly interactive and responsive to the needs of participants. Faculty focus on presenting dynamic frameworks that are immediately applied to students’ specific and current leadership challenges.
The more interactive an experience, the more learning occurs: with this in mind, lecture is combined with extensive student participation and group work. Daily debriefs and Q&A periods reinforce the lessons of the previous day, connecting each class to the overarching themes and goals of the program. Lessons are designed to be immediately applicable to the day-to-day situations faced by participants.
Through assessment, coaching, learning content, and small group activities, participants will learn tools and frameworks to foster team and organizational culture that enables innovation, change, and effective decision-making.
Topics broadly include:
- Personal Leadership Style
- Creating a Culture of Innovation
- Coaching
- Leading Organizational Change
- Strategic Decision-Making
- Simple Rules for Strategy
There are required pre-program and intersession components, which enable participants to maximize the impact of onsite learning. Participants should expect to commit an additional 10-15 hours beyond time spent in the classroom.
Audience
The ALI is appropriate for members of a company’s C-Suite and Executives (Presidents, Vice Presidents, & Directors). Applicants must currently be in an executive leadership role at their company, as the program is designed around incorporating participants’ own current leadership challenges and opportunities into the learning experience.
For admission purposes, ‘executive leadership’ is defined as having responsibility for the business decisions and strategic planning that guides a company, or a division/department within a company (e.g. Construction, Pre-Construction, Service, Business Development, etc.).
Project Executives and Senior Project Managers may wish to consider the Advanced Institute for Project Management, which is designed specifically to provide leadership development and practical skills for people in those roles. New Executives should have at least a year’s worth of experience in their position to fully benefit from the ALI experience.
Applicants must have approval of their President/CEO or be President/CEO themselves and must apply for admission, to ensure they meet the above criteria.
Registration
- If you would like to be notified when the next application is released, please email Director Amy Harding (aharding@mcaa.org) with the subject line “ALI Early Access List”. A place on the Early Access list does not guarantee admission to next year’s program, but it does provide qualified candidates a valuable ‘head start’ in applying, as the application will be provided to this list two weeks in advance of its release to the general membership.
- Because of the competitive nature of the program, only one applicant per company office per year will be admitted.
- If the applicant is not a President or CEO themselves, their application must be signed by their President/CEO.
- The course cost of $13,000 includes tuition, accommodations, and most meals.
- Qualified applicants are admitted on a first-come, first-served basis. Candidates will be notified regarding admission within 6 weeks of submitting their application.
- The ALI is offered once a year, in the fall. Dates for the next available course are on the mcaa.org calendar
FEATURED EVENT
2026 NCPWB Technical Conference
April 26-29, 2026
San Antonio, TX
Get ready for an exhilarating journey into the forefront of welding technology! Join us at the NCPWB Technical Conference!
