Welcome to What's Next
After a successful decades-long career, you’re now in the unfamiliar position of exploring what’s next.
It’s thrilling. It’s challenging. It’s daunting. And it’s a moment of possibility that you want to make the most of—but you’re not sure how.
In January 2025, the Yale School of Management launches the Experienced Leaders Initiative (ELI) to guide you through this transition.
ELI connects you with a cohort of exceptional leaders for six months of blended learning led by Yale University faculty and global experts in next-era transitions. Dynamic and revelatory, this experience creates the space and support to help you uncover your motivations and envision the possibilities ahead. You’ll reflect on who you are, explore who you want to be, and clarify where you want to go.
Align your vast experience with purpose, gain an enduring network of ELI Fellows, and map your way forward to what comes next.
About the Program
What to Expect
- Emerge ready for a new chapter with clear direction and an effective, actionable plan for how to move from aspiration to action.
- Deepen your understanding of your purpose, motivations, and long-term goals—especially as related to this stage of life.
- Gain exposure to a range of possible future paths.
- Develop connections to a vibrant, exceptional ELI Fellows community who share your values and questions.
Who Should Attend
You should apply to be an ELI Fellow if you are:
- An experienced leader who is committed to using your wisdom, curiosity, expertise, and skills toward a meaningful next chapter.
- Seeking a thoughtful exploration of this new stage of life.
- Hungry for a community of like-minded, intellectually curious peers who share similar challenges and aspirations.
Blended Learning Experience
ELI’s unique blended learning model strikes an ideal balance between the flexibility of online learning and the richness of the on-campus Yale experience. This dynamic program begins and ends with three-day immersions on campus, with a combination of live online, asynchronous, and self-directed learning during the six months in between. You’ll attend live sessions with faculty, participate in interviews with experts, and engage in peer group work.
Agenda
This is a unique stage of life—and it presents you with unique questions. Who am I? Who do I want to be? What does my family, community, or world need? And how can I best connect and contribute going forward?
In academic sessions led by celebrated Yale University faculty, you’ll work through these questions of identity, purpose, and action by looking inward, outward, and forward.
In ELI, you’re given the time, space, and research-backed guidance to reflect on life and work experiences and explore new ways of thinking about the future. You will examine your motivations, goals, passions, and values to craft a vision of your vibrant, meaningful future.
You’ll approach the question of “what am I going to do in this next chapter?” with thoughtful consideration of the challenges facing your community or society at large. By exploring areas of impact that interest you, you will identify where your skills and expertise can make a difference.
Guided by faculty, you will synthesize your learning to map out your next steps. Tools, questions, and conversations will drive you toward action.
Faculty Directors
Zoe Chance
Senior Lecturer in Management
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Zoe Chance is our resident expert on interpersonal influence. She's a member of the marketing faculty at Yale SOM, teaching the school's most popular elective, "Mastering Influence and Persuasion," as well as workshops for executives around the world. Her recent book, Influence Is Your Superpower, is an international bestseller being published in 28 languages. Zoe earned her MBA from USC and her doctorate from Harvard. Her framework for behavior change is the foundation for Google’s global food policy. Before joining academia, Zoe managed a $200 million segment of the Barbie brand. Now, she uses her influence to help out with the climate crisis and donates half her book profits to that cause. She wants to help you make great things happen too.
Marc Freedman
Lecturer in the Practice of Management
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Marc Freedman is Co-CEO and Founder of CoGenerate (formerly Encore.org), and the author of five books. The Wall Street Journal named his most recent book—How to Live Forever: The Enduring Power of Connecting the Generations—one of the year’s best books on aging well. An accomplished social entrepreneur, he was selected as a Social Entrepreneur of the Year by the Schwab Foundation/World Economic Forum; is a winner of the Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship; and is an Ashoka Senior Fellow. He was previously a visiting scholar at the Stanford Center on Longevity. Originator of the encore career idea linking second acts to the greater good, Freedman co-founded Experience Corps, the Purpose Prize, and Encore Fellowships.
Application Information
Program Details
The Experienced Leaders Initiative begins in January 2025. Program dates and application information are forthcoming.
Location: Live online and on campus
Program Fee: $25,000
Contact: Joanne Legler, Senior Director of Learning Partnerships
Program Fee Assistance
Yale SOM Executive Education offers a 15% reduction in program fee for:
- Those who work in the nonprofit sector. (Apply NONPROFIT code at time of registration.)
- Those who work in government. (Apply GOV code at time of registration.)
- Yale University alumni. (Apply YALEGRAD code at time of registration.)
- Groups of 3-6 participants. Groups can be from an organization or be self-formed.
- Those who have previously participated in a Yale Executive Education program with Yale SOM or 2U/GetSmarter.
Discounts cannot be combined.
Refund & Cancellation
Refunds are allowed for live online and in-person programs if requested in writing to the Yale Executive Education Registrar. The Yale Executive Education Cancellation Terms are as follows:
| Request for change in registration/cancellation | Refund provided |
|---|---|
| 30 days, or more, prior to Program start date | 100% Program Fee Refund Provided |
| 15-29 days prior to Program start date | 50% Program Fee Refund Provided |
| 14 days, or less, prior to Program start date | No Refund Provided |
Yale reserves the right to cancel or reschedule programs if enrollment is deemed insufficient or health and safety would otherwise be jeopardized. Yale School of Management is not responsible for any travel or incidental costs incurred by a registrant if a program becomes canceled. If a program is canceled by Yale, a full refund of fees paid will be processed within 30 days.
While it is our goal to deliver our programs as scheduled, we may postpone programs, deliver them online, or cancel them. If one of our programs has a scheduling change, we will notify those affected as soon as possible.