Program Overview

The PLI program provides cohort participants with an impactful and career-catalyzing professional development experience that is simultaneously both a leadership development and project delivery course of study and practice, tailored to the DOE context. 

Participants undertake self assessment and executive coaching activities to examine their strengths and potential weaknesses in the project leadership context. Through five cohort-based events, one self-paced online session, and a small-team capstone project, the program is both rigorous and intensive with experiential learning components and interaction with leaders from a variety of fields. Four overarching program Learning Objectives are the foundation for the presentations and experiences over the program’s 11-month duration: 

• Creating Effective Strategies and Managing Risks
• Becoming a more Effective Leader
• Leading High-Performing Teams
• Managing Partnerships and Building Trust Relationships in the Department of Energy

The program offers a structured point of entry into the DOE project leadership community to make connections outside of their home institution. PLI provides access to the community’s collective experiences and perspectives through the network of PLI alumni, Board members, and instructors/speakers. 

Alumni continue to contribute to and derive value from the network well beyond their cohort participation. Alumni engage with the current cohort during session presentations, peer mentoring, capstone project reviews, and networking events. The PLI Alumni Network amplifies support of project delivery excellence through study of project-related issues, participation in project peer reviews, continuous learning, and networking.

A certificate of PLI program completion is issued by Stanford University to those who fulfill the program requirements.  Participants can earn professional development units (PDUs) for Project Management Professional certification.