In 2009 the Latino Leadership Alliance founders created a groundbreaking partnership and collaboration with Stanford University designed to seek out, train and mentor emerging leaders in the Silicon Valley. The need and the goal were simple: to identify and provide training and support to emerging leaders across the business, government, education and non-profit sectors to take leadership roles in all sectors and in issues affecting the Silicon Valley’s expansive and diverse Latino community. To achieve that, LLA developed a six-month leadership training academy that exposes participants to principles of leadership and governance, coalition building and other leadership skills, and that examines issues affecting the Latino community in the Silicon Valley. To support and enhance the Leadership Academy, LLA and Stanford University developed the Stanford Leadership Summer Program, which is a unique and strategic collaboration between LLA and Stanford University’s Center for Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity. Each year, the Leadership Academy culminates in a three-day residency leadership training program on-campus at Stanford University featuring advanced leadership and education workshops prepared and presented by distinguished faculty from Stanford University. Program participants are housed on-campus at Stanford University for the three-day event, which provides a unique environment for learning and collaboration between and among Academy fellows and Stanford’s world-class faculty.