Board Leadership Academy
WHO IS THE PROGRAM DESIGNED FOR? This course is designed for executives, veteran professionals, program managers, elected and appointed officials, or equivalent, as well as current nonprofit board members desiring to gain more expertise. We are seeking a mix of well-qualified participants who currently sit on a board or those who are interested in joining nonprofit boards for the first time immediately or within one to two years.
WHAT ARE THE PROGRAM OUTCOMES? The course will prepare participants to serve immediately on a nonprofit board utilizing value-based leadership and knowledge of the AANHPI community and California law.
HOW IS THE PROGRAM TAUGHT? The course is taught with a combination of homework readings, lecture and discussion of the current week’s topic, a guest discussion, and an intensive discussion of the week’s case study where all participants are expected to contribute. The subjects covered include nonprofit governance, strategic planning, financials, committee structure, risk management, organizational documents, executive director compensation, and board interviewing.
LEADER: The course leader is APALI Co-Executive Director Dennis Chiu, who has extensive legal, nonprofit, and public service experience, including serving as outside and in-house general counsel for nonprofits, as a board officer on small, mid-sized and large nonprofits, and as elected director of a public health district.
BLA 2026 Dates and Details
Board Leadership Academy 2026
When: The six-week course will be held online on Thursdays from Oct. 1 through Nov. 5 from 6 PM to 8:30 PM. There will be two In-Person daytime events on Saturday, Oct. 3 and Saturday, Nov. 7.
Where: Online via Zoom and In-Person (location TBD).
Applications: We are accepting applications now. Rolling Admissions until full. Priority Deadline is August 31, 2026. To encourage early applications, APALI is offering a $100 Early Bird Discount for individuals applying before 5 pm on Monday, August 31, 2026.