LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL

The Leadership Development Council (LDC) applications are reviewed by an anonymous LDC Selection Committee, selected by the incoming Real Estate Council of Austin's (RECA) President and Executive Director, and the 10 to 15 class members selected are approved by RECA's Executive Committee. The LDC Selection Committee looks for an exemplary cross-section of young individuals from a variety of real estate-related professions and backgrounds who meet the criteria detailed below. The LDC Selection Committee strives to achieve diversity on many levels, including professional background, gender, and ethnicity.

The goal of the LDC is to provide an opportunity for the RECA members selected to improve their understanding of Austin and its real estate issues, increase their involvement and profile within RECA, and allow them to build meaningful relationships with other young professionals and the current RECA leadership. LDC participants will have the added opportunity of professional development through mentoring relationships with select RECA Board Members. Each year, a small number of applicants from a wide range of real estate-related professions and personal backgrounds are selected for each class, which begins in January.

The LDC's regularly-scheduled monthly events (2-5 hours) are designed to provide an opportunity for education about RECA, Austin, and the real estate industry. Most meetings will have a period for socializing either preceded or followed by an educational program. Generally, programs will include speakers such as real estate professionals, City of Austin decision makers, and conservationists. RECA committee chairs may also speak to the class about the activities of the committees and identify opportunities for increased participation in those committees. Some programs will involve panels of speakers with differing or complementary viewpoints on the program topic. A list of the 2012 LDC program events is provided online. Applicants who are accepted to the program must clear their calendars for the following tentative dates:

Orientation: Wednesday, January 18, 2012 from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Overnight Retreat: Friday/Saturday, January 20-21, 2012, leaving at 2:00 p.m. on Friday and returning on Saturday afternoon.

Leadership Skills Workshop: Monday, February 13, 2012 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Monthly Programs: Starting March 5, 2012, the first Monday of every month except July, September, October, and December 2012. There is no class in July. The first Monday of September is Labor Day, so the class will be rescheduled to either September 4 or 10, 2012. The October program will be the Christmas in October project on Saturday, October 27, 2012, and the December program likely will be on the same date as the RECA Annual Meeting and Awards Lunch. Attendance at the annual Christmas in October project is mandatory for graduation.

The cost is $500 per LDC class member; no charge for Oversight Committee members. LDC participants must be current in their annual RECA membership dues. To be considered for graduation from the LDC Class, participants are required to participate in the scheduled events and activities of RECA and all monthly LDC meetings. If at any time throughout the year a participant fails to attend a monthly meeting or is not working in earnest to meet the program requirements, that participant will be reviewed by the Oversight Committee and may be asked to withdraw from the program. In order to be considered for graduation, a participant must be recommended by the LDC Oversight Committee and receive the approval of RECA's Board of Directors.

The LDC Class of 2012 is limited to RECA members who are interested and have not reached their 36th birthday by January 1, 2012. Additionally, an applicant must have been a member for at least six (6) months prior to submitting an application. Furthermore, no more than one (1) applicant per company may be selected.

Criteria for LDC Selection

Below are the criteria by which LDC applicants will be evaluated:

A. Demonstrate a concern for the greater Austin community and support the mission statement of RECA.

B. Have demonstrated past and/or future leadership activity and ability. 

C. Possess high standards of professional and personal integrity. 

D. Are willing to commit the time required for active involvement in the program, including committing to attend all programs with the support of their employer, if applicable, to take the necessary time from their work. 

E. Are responsible members of the real estate industry and are current members of RECA; active involvement with RECA committees and/or regularly-scheduled events, such as membership luncheons, Gardner-Betts art auction, other RECA activities, is preferred.

The application includes two parts: general information and answers to four questions. Only applications submitted electronically will be considered. The 2012 LDC application should be submitted to RECA via e-mail to mwilt@recaonline.com no later than NOON on Thursday, September 22, 2011. Late applications will be disqualified; applicants who fail to submit the signed agreement page (signed by both the applicant and the applicant's employer) will also be disqualified. Applicants are responsible for informing his/her employer of the LDC class participation requirements, which are detailed on the agreement page of the application.

Since the application is the basis for determining acceptance, applicants are encouraged to thoughtfully consider and complete the LDC application. The LDC Selection Committee focuses primarily on the application for purposes of selecting the LDC class. However, the LDC Selection Committee may also consider other factors, including input from RECA staff regarding each applicant's past level of commitment to RECA based on attendance at RECA events and participation in RECA standing committees. Applicants may also be asked to interview as an additional component of their application's consideration.

If you have any questions, please contact Michael Wilt.

Phone 512-320-4151

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