Northwest Arkansas Emerging Leaders exists to connect and engage Northwest Arkansas young professionals through personal and professional development experiences.

Membership is open to anyone in Northwest Arkansas that has a desire to get involved in the community, expand their leadership skills and become engaged in the program of work.  There are no ongoing requirements or minimum participation levels.  Joining simply requires completing an online registration form.

Northwest Arkansas Emerging Leaders utilize teams to engage members in projects and programs that best match their interests.  There are currently five teams:

Northwest Arkansas Emerging Leaders developed out of the Vision 2025 plan prepared by the Rogers-Lowell Area Chamber, which identified a need to engage professionals in the community and prepare the next generation of leadership.

The organization formed in late 2008 and rolled out a full slate of programming and teams the following year.  The first full year saw more than 250 people attend programs and events and five teams formed.  By the end of 2009, membership topped 100.

The next two years saw the group focus on supporting its teams and member-driven initiatives like developing sustainable practices for nonprofit events, prepare members for board service, establishing community bike programs and educating members on issues and candidates seeking public offices.

These efforts paid off with growing membership and community recognition.  The Sustainability Team’s efforts to develop a protocol for nonprofit event recycling led to the receipt of the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal’s Greenest Initiative Award in 2011.   The following year, Walmart honored the organization by naming it a finalist for its Community Partner Award.

Today, Northwest Arkansas Emerging Leaders has more than 650 members involved in five teams and participating in more than a dozen events and programs each year.