Leadership Walks

Leadership Walks are guided explorations of the National Mall — a space where history, memory, and democracy intersect. Designed for reflection, dialogue, and learning, these walks invite participants to consider leadership not in the abstract, but in the places where it has been celebrated, contested, and remembered.

Each walk weaves together iconic monuments, lesser-known memorials, and spaces for quiet reflection. Participants explore sites honoring presidents, activists, soldiers, thinkers, and ordinary citizens — asking not just who is remembered, but how and why. Along the way, we consider the changing landscape of the Mall itself: as a stage for protest, celebration, mourning, and democratic renewal.

Selected readings frame the experience with insight into the history and symbolism of each site. We examine the impact and controversies surrounding particular memorials and explore how public space reflects the leadership values of a given time — and how those values continue to evolve.

Leadership Walks blend movement, nature, civic memory, shared inquiry, and personal reflection. The physical act of walking opens up new ways of thinking and connecting, both with the space and with one another.

Ideal for leadership programs, professional cohorts, nonprofit boards, and civic groups, Leadership Walks accommodate up to 40 participants. They can be tailored around specific themes — such as courage, legacy, moral complexity, or civic imagination — and typically run 90 minutes to two hours.

On the National Mall, where the legacy of democratic leadership is woven into the landscape, Leadership Walks offer a space to reflect, remember, and draw inspiration for the challenges ahead.