In the fall of 2006 a large group of individuals convened at the invitation of the Ball Brothers Foundation to discuss the current state of leadership in East Central Indiana. Those in attendance represented various entities within our community. At the conclusion of the day's discussion it was agreed that the group would meet again and several focus groups would be convened for the purpose of defining what could be done to improve leadership skills and opportunities within the region. As a result, the Ball Brothers Foundation allocated $25,000 to "seed" the effort.

Led by Andrew Dale and Richard Douglass, a composite of the initial group met over a five-month period and developed pilot curriculum for an offering now called LEAD (Leadership Education and Development). The objective of the seven-week LEAD program is to improve leadership abilities and increase the number of future community leaders in East Central Indiana through community collaboration.

The inaugural class of LEAD commenced in the Spring of 2007 with 27 individuals representing all segments of our community. In the Fall of 2008, the second class of LEAD was held, again with outstanding support from both the business and non-profit sectors.

The true emergence of LEAD-ECI as a dynamic, sustainable leadership institute took a catalytic step forward in the fall of 2008, when the Ball Brothers Foundation awarded LEAD-ECI a grant for $165,000. This "vote of confidence" signified that LEAD-ECI was here to stay and allowed the organization to move forward more aggressively. Subsequently, LEAD-ECI formed a Board of Directors, hired an Executive Director and offered both a Spring and a Fall course of LEAD in 2009.