Thoughtfully designed to help social sector leaders exchange ideas, strengthen relationships, reflect on their work, and prepare for the year ahead.
The retreat unfolds over four carefully designed days that guide participants from arrival and orientation through peer learning, collaboration, personal reflection, and practical planning.
Programming combines whole-group sessions, role-based tracks, collaborative discussions, and dedicated time to enjoy the natural setting of Mandala Springs.
Monday, October 5
Participants arrive Monday afternoon. The arrival is unhurried, designed to help people settle into the place and begin making connections before the group gathers later that afternoon.
Tuesday, October 6
A focused day of participatory programming in track sessions, with time in the afternoon to connect across roles before the full group gathers in the evening.
Morning
Afternoon
Evening
Wednesday, October 7
The middle day is designed to breathe. The morning opens with a self-organized open space, and the afternoon is largely unstructured, giving participants time to rest, explore, and connect at their own pace before the full group gathers in the evening.
Morning
Afternoon
Evening
Thursday, October 8
The final day moves from concrete planning in the morning to collective reflection and closing in the afternoon.
Morning
Afternoon
Every leader will leave with a plan of their own making. Here are some of the directions that plan might take. Bring one you’re already wrestling with, or let the retreat point you toward it.
Tracks are organized by role but open to all. Participants can follow their curiosity as much as their title.
Leading organizations requires vision, resilience, and the ability to navigate constant change. This track creates space for executive leaders to exchange strategies, challenges, and lessons learned with peers carrying similar responsibilities.
Board leadership plays a critical role in organizational health and impact. This track explores governance, partnership with executive leadership, and the evolving role of boards in supporting mission-driven organizations.
Running a company or building a venture can be an isolating pursuit, with few peers who understand the specific weight of the decisions you carry. This track brings you together with fellow builders to think through what's next and sharpen the leadership instincts that grow with you.
Leading in the public sector means balancing competing demands, tight resources, and constant public scrutiny, often with little space to step back and think. This track brings you together with fellow public leaders to reflect on that work and sharpen the judgment it takes to lead well under those pressures.
Fundraising and relationship-building require both strategy and trust. Development leaders will explore approaches to strengthening donor relationships, building sustainable support, and advancing organizational missions.
The Cobb Mountain Leadership Retreat is built on the belief that the people in the room are the primary resource. What makes that possible is trust, and trust requires that everyone commits to holding this space with care. We ask every participant to arrive with the following:
Give this gathering your full attention. Step away from the demands of daily work as much as you are able. The people in this room deserve your presence, and so do you.
Honor the diversity of experience, perspective, and identity in the room. Listen as carefully as you speak. Make room for views that differ from your own.
What is shared in this space stays in this space. You may take ideas home. You do not take people’s stories without their permission.
Bring your real questions, your real challenges, and your real self. This is not a place for polished presentations. The most valuable thing you can contribute is candor.
Look out for one another. Notice when someone needs space, and when someone needs to be brought in. Leadership at its best is a collective practice, and that starts here.
The wisdom in the room is the curriculum. Programming draws out and amplifies participants’ own knowledge and experience.
Tracks are organized by role but open to all, creating space for candid peer-level conversation while leaving room for participants to follow their own curiosity.
The retreat attends to both the strategic and the operational: the inspiring big picture and the concrete next step.
The natural environment of Mandala Springs is an active element of the experience, not just a backdrop.
Space for rest, beauty, play, and connection alongside substantive learning.
We have lots of space for rest but we want everyone to walk away with a plan for the coming year. It will change but our time together will give you the focus you need for a great outcome.
We are committed to maintaining an environment where every participant feels safe, respected, and able to fully engage. Harassment, discrimination, or behavior that demeans or excludes others on the basis of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, disability, career stage, or any other identity has no place here.
Participants who engage in behavior inconsistent with these agreements will be asked to correct it immediately. In serious cases, a participant may be asked to leave the retreat without refund. Decisions will be made by the retreat coordinator in consultation with the facilitation team.
If you experience or witness behavior that concerns you, please speak with any member of the facilitation team or contact cjustis@potrerogroup.com. All concerns will be taken seriously and handled with discretion.
Invest four meaningful days in your leadership journey alongside a community committed to creating lasting social impact.
