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Governor’s Office Academy of Leadership

The Governor's Office Academy of Leadership (G.O.A.L.) program was created with the mission of advancing excellence in public service leadership. It is designed to increase leadership skillsets, facilitate social learning, broaden and expand perspectives, and build long-term networks across agencies.

Throughout the program, participants engage in a collaborative learning environment centered on improving leadership effectiveness to become better stewards of the public trust and to discover ways to better support customer centered government services.

Meet the 2026 G.O.A.L. Cohort

The 34-person cohort was selected from hundreds of applicants by a multi-agency evaluator panel and represent a diverse pool of leaders committed to advancing public service in State Government.

The 2025 G.O.A.L. Graduates

Here are the 2025 G.O.A.L. fellows. This highly-competitive program was designed to provide a robust professional development opportunity for mid-level leaders who maintain critical roles in advancing key initiatives and maintaining optimal operations for the State.

Meet the 2024 G.O.A.L. Graduates

The 2024 30-person cohort was once again selected from hundreds of applicants by a multi-agency evaluator panel and represents a diverse pool of leaders committed to advancing public service in State Government.

View the 2023 G.O.A.L. Graduates

The inaugural 28-person cohort was selected from hundreds of applicants by a multi-agency evaluator panel and represent a diverse pool of leaders committed to advancing public service in State Government.

The Governor's Office Academy of Leadership (G.O.A.L.) is an exciting program open to mid-level merit compensation and exempt leaders in executive branch agencies* under the Office of the Governor. These leaders are the backbone of State government and play critical roles in providing stability through transitions and maintaining the operations that serve the State's mission.  The G.O.A.L. program provides an opportunity to develop leadership skillsets, build long-term relationships across agencies, and broaden perspectives to lead effectively in a diverse and changing environment.  

This program has been created for the purpose of advancing excellence in public service leadership. Leaders in public service organizations share many traditional roles and responsibilities with business leaders, but there are some significant differences: Public Service leaders are the stewards of citizen trust, and their overarching purpose is to provide for the common good, applying fiscal responsibility but not exclusively focused on a financial bottom line. The motivation that calls leaders to public service and the unique and tremendous responsibility they are entrusted with shapes how they lead and innovate to provide for the public welfare.

*For ease of communication, the term Agency is used here to refer to all organizations under the jurisdiction of The Governor's Office, to include Offices, Boards, Commissions, etc.

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"When you have 30 people in a room from different backgrounds sharing their insights, there is no limit to how much you can learn and grow as a leader. I think that's what this program really brings about and it's a huge asset to have in state government. I hope everyone will take advantage of that."

"G.O.A.L. gives us all tools to address weaknesses we didn't know we had or weaknesses that we knew we had and didn't know how to address."

For questions, please email cms.goal@illinois.gov.