An executive leading a group of business people on a project around a circular table.

Whether you are challenged to deliver sustained outcomes or disrupt the status quo, to be competitive in today’s market you must be able to boldly lead high-performing, future-prepared organizations. The best C-suite leaders know this requires sound strategic vision, courage to drive innovation and the savvy to motivate teams to deliver on their goals.

The Cox Executive Leadership Program (CELP) - formerly the Cox Leadership Academy - is designed to help growth-minded leaders like you develop and enhance your executive skill set through learning experiences that will deliver measurable results and help you leapfrog levels of expertise.

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Course feature Course detail
Dates: April 09, 2025 – September 11, 2025
Topic: Leadership
Format: On Campus
Location: James M. Collins Executive Education Center
Credentialing:

Credly digital certificate also awarded upon course completion
Price:

$19,500

Discounts available when three or more people from the same organization register.

 
Questions?

If you’d like to speak with an Executive Education team member about the CELP, contact Sally Siegel at 214.768.6444 or sallys@smu.edu.

Topics

A Career-Changing Curriculum

In this program, you will:

  • Complete a 360° assessment to identify personal strengths and areas for growth.
  • Learn through discussions and interactive learning experiences led by world-renowned faculty and instructors from the esteemed SMU Cox School of Business.
  • Gain thought-provoking new perspectives from guest speakers.
  • Put your newfound skills to the test in an immersive executive capstone challenge.
  • Benefit from individual and group executive coaching sessions throughout the six-month program, with the option to continue after program completion.
  • Collaborate with a highly select group of executive peers from diverse industries to expand your professional network and build your personal board of directors.

Proven Success for our Partners

The SMU Cox Executive Education team has over forty years of experience delivering transformative leadership programs that have a lasting impact.
Recent Partners include:

  • AT&T

  • Baylor Scott & White Health

  • BP

  • EY

  • Kimberly-Clark

  • Lockheed Martin

  • PepsiCo

  • Toyota

  • State Farm

  • Walmart

Schedule Overview

Discover the latest trends and create immediate impact through our highly focused curriculum and innovative program format.

February - March

  • 360 Pre-assessment

April - Leading into the Future: Navigating Turbulence, Complexity, and Paradox

  • Personal leadership Insights
  • Lead with digital transformation
  • Leverage the polarity model to make quicker, more effective decisions
  • Understand the compelling trends that will redefine the economy, employment and opportunities for decades to come

May - Leading Strategically and with Innovation

  • Future-Proofing Strategy
  • Leading Globally
  • Think Big and Bold: Everyday Innovation
  • Creative Disruption

June - Lead the Future of Work

  • The Future of Work-Culture Accountability
  • Leading Change with Neuroscience
  • Leading in Times of Crisis

August - Communicate to Win

  • Communication with Power, Presence and Poise
  • Negotiating to Close

September - Strengthen Business Intelligence

  • Financial Intelligence
  • Business Intelligence
  • Executive Capstone Challenge

Who Should Attend?

  • Growth-minded seasoned senior leaders (VP+) with at least 10 years of experience at the executive level
  • Senior executive teams leading organizational change

Detailed Schedule

February - March

  • Pre-work: 360 Feedback
    (About six weeks prior to program start)

April: Leading into the Future

 

 

 April 9th Schedule
 April 10th Schedule

Module 1

Leading into the Future

 

Leading into the Future

 
7:30 AM
 Breakfast & Welcome

Collins Center
 Breakfast

Collins Center

8:15 AM

Personal Leadership Insights

S. Allen

Influencing Across the Enterprise

J. Magar

12:00 PM

Lunch and 360 Debrief

 Lunch

1:00 PM

Leading Digital Transformation

S. Allen

Transformative Forces that Will Define the Future

5:00 PM

Reception & Dinner with Executives

Collins Center

May: Executing Strategy & Innovation

   May 21st Schedule
  May 22nd Schedule

Module 2

Leading Strategically and with Innovation

 

Executing Strategy & Innovation

 
7:30 AM Breakfast

Collins Center		 Breakfast

Collins Center

8:00 AM

Future-proofing Strategy

H. Ludwig

Think Big & Bold:
Everyday Innovation

V. Shankar

12:00 PM

Lunch with Executive

  

1:00 PM

Future-proofing Strategy

H. Ludwig

Creative Disruption

June: Leading the Future of Work

   June 4th Schedule
  June 5th Schedule

Module 3

Leading the Future of Work

Leading the Future of Work

7:30 AM

Breakfast

Collins Center

Breakfast

Collins Center

8:00 AM

Fostering a Culture of Accountability

T. Bridwell

Leading Change with Neuroscience

C. Bray

12:00 PM

Lunch with Executive

Lunch

1:00 PM

 

The Future of Work

T. Bridwell

Leading in a Time of Crisis

August: Communicating to Win

   August 6th Schedule
  August 7th Schedule

Module 4

Communicating to Win

Communicating to Win

7:30 AM

Breakfast

Collins Center

Breakfast

Collins Center

8:00 AM

Communication with Power, Presence & Poise

J. Rife

Negotiating to Close

R. Pinkley

12:00 PM

Lunch with Executive

Lunch

1:00 PM

Communication with Power, Presence & Poise

J. Rife

Negotiating to Close

R. Pinkley

September: Making Smart, Calculated Decisions: Strengthen Business Intelligence

   September 10th Schedule
 September 11th Schedule

Module 5

Making Smart, Calculated Decisions

Making Smart, Calculated Decisions

7:30 AM

Breakfast

Collins Center

Breakfast

Collins Center

8:00 AM

Financial Intelligence

K. Koharki

Executive Challenge Simulation

12:00 PM

A Discussion on Ethics with Shane Goodwin

Lunch

1:00 PM

Business Intelligence

K. Koharki

Executive Challenge Simulation



brent h bio photo

Healthy and hitting metrics

The biggest impact is the change I’ve seen in my team. As I’ve changed how I communicate, the health of our team has improved and we’re still hitting our metrics.

Brent H.
SVP, Acquisition & Development

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Course Certification

We have partnered with Credly to translate the learning outcomes you’ve demonstrated into a badge, issued and managed through Credly's digital badging platform.

Click here to learn more about this Credly certification

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three men at a table

Hettie Tabor, Academic Director, SMU Cox School of Business

"Data-driven companies are harnessing the power of advanced analytics and artificial intelligence to make smarter decisions, optimize service and streamline operations. Where does your organization stand in its evolution?"

This course will help you embrace the imperatives of digital transformation, envision where your teams and organization need to be in 10 years—and how to get them there.

three students at a table working

Carolina Roa, Sr. Land & Facilities Development Manager, DFW International Airport

"CEDP was an eye-opener: deeper self-awareness creates the space for intentional, authentic leadership. It was a rich experience that has shaped my professional life."

Delivered in three phases over seven months, this will offer training and networking opportunities to high-potential Hispanic managers and directors preparing for executive levels of responsibilities.

someone standing

Sally Siegel, Program Director

"This course will introduce new ideas and techniques and challenge you to question conventional thinking. These shared challenges, together with the push to excel that each participant experiences here, create bonds that can last a lifetime."

The Cox Executive Leadership Program is a 6-month program that helps grow the skills and business acumen needed to successfully fulfill the role of a senior leadership team member or enterprise level leader.

Examine Our Other Offerings

Finance

To compete and succeed, companies need leaders in every department who can speak the dollars-and-cents language of business. Managers who can interpret financial reports, assess the impact of decisions and communicate operating strategies have a definite career advantage.

Learn more
Multidimensional Diversity

Multidimensional Diversity

Diverse perspectives open doors to enhanced business success. A recent Boston Consulting Group study suggests that greater leadership diversity spurs innovation and boosts financial performance. On average, diverse companies enjoy a 19% increase in revenue compared to their less diverse counterparts, and SMU Cox Executive Education offers award-winning programs to raise up the diverse perspectives within your own organization.


Learn more
Strategy

Strategy

You are challenged everyday to uncover ways to create value for ever more demanding customers and their rapidly changing needs. A sound strategy can guide what you choose to do and how you choose to do it to survive, grow, and prosper.

Learn more

Want To Keep Exploring?

See the Course Calendar

collins center

Next Steps

Questions? Not sure which program fits your needs? Reach out to our team.
Request more information