Advanced Leadership Training Program (ALTP)

The PURPOSE of the Advanced Leadership Training Program (ALTP) is to develop advanced knowledge and skills to lead intentionally in an increasingly complex and diverse context.

The ALTP is designed to build the capacity of the individual participants, and to create an interdisciplinary network of leaders who are dedicated to the health and environment of our region. The program includes some 45 health and environment professionals in the Rocky Mountain region each year. As of May 2019, RIHEL has completed 20 ALTP classes and graduated over 850 fellows.

Admission into the ALTP is through a competitive application process. Given the pandemic of 2020, APPLICATIONS will continue to be accepted into July. Accepted applicants begin the year-long program in July and graduate in May.

The Advanced Leadership Training Program (ALTP) includes the five elements found in the most effective leadership development programs:

• Leadership is Behavior. Leadership is behavior, not a personality trait or a position on an organizational chart. RIHEL uses Kouzes and Posner’s behavioral model of leadership, the Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership: Model the way, Inspire a shared vision, Challenge the process, Enable others to act, and Encourage the heart.


• Collaborative Leadership. Collaboration is the most effective known approach to solving complex problems. Leaders understand the importance of collaboration, communication, and networking with interdisciplinary professionals to address today’s complex health and environment challenges.

2. Action Learning Experience: ALTP participants plan and implement a project as a learning laboratory for the leadership skills that they need to try out, practice or refine. The projects require passion and creativity, bring value to the community or workplace, highlight collaboration, and encourage the participants to think through sustainability after the project is completed. See examples of past projects.

3. Coaching: Leaders are often asked for advice: Good leaders know when to give information or advice and when to be a “strategic thinking partner” to uncover the wisdom inside their peers and proteges. This is known as coaching. The ALTP develops coaching skills to allow participants to tap into their own wisdom and solutions and to practice coaching others. Participants are also paired with a RIHEL peer coach (a RIHEL leadership program alumnus) for regular coaching conversations during the ALTP.

4. 360-Degree Feedback and Other Assessments: ALTP participants take the Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI) to provide quantitative information about the frequency with which they exhibit specific leadership behaviors. While many similar evaluation tools exist, the LPI-360 has been extensively studied and validated, and corresponds to Kouzes and Posner’s Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership conceptual model used in the ALTP. Participants debrief their LPI reports, and plan actions to help increase the practices they want to magnify.
Throughout the program, participants complete additional assessments to help identify intrinsic traits and behaviors that influence their leadership presence.

5. Reflection: Reflection is the hallmark of a leader, and ALTP faculty model reflection in the delivery of the program, facilitate group reflection during training events, and assign reflection questions between training events.

The ALTP is designed for middle and upper level professionals from the public, private, for-profit and non-profit sectors, who work in the areas of health and environment, or whose work impacts health or the environment.

ALTP seeks participants from local and state health departments, environmental agencies, community-based organizations, boards of health, health care organizations, hospitals, and for-profit companies with impacts or interests in health or environment who are committed to leading their organizations toward better health and environmental outcomes, such as the energy, construction and finance industries and more.

Participants from previous programs represent a wide variety of companies, agencies, organizations and institutions. See the list of employers here.

ALTP Class of 2019

Tuition for the 2020-2021 program is $4,750*. This covers:

• program instruction
• individual peer coaching
• program materials and assessments
• shared lodging at program training events (2 people per double room)
• most meals (about two meals out of the entire four session program are on your own)

Transportation expenses to and from the events are the responsibility of the participant, and employers are encouraged to reimburse these costs, if possible. The tuition is payable upon acceptance into the program and due by July 1st unless other arrangements are made. Arrangements can be made for an individual payment schedule, if necessary. All tuition payments are non-refundable.

*Tuition rate is subject to change in future years.