DLE CELEBRATES 15 YEARS OF SOARING

Midpoint 2023 marks the celebration of the 15th anniversary of the Dulye Leadership Experience.

Established in 2008, the DLE has motivated and connected thousands of professionals from diverse industries, positions and organizations worldwide through in-person and virtual career development and networking programs, year-round.

For its first eight years, the DLE partnered with Syracuse University (SU) to produce transformative leadership development experiences designed exclusively for the successful transition of graduating seniors into the workplace. Scholarships awarded to qualifying participants were underwritten by DLE Founder Linda Dulye, an SU alum and avid donor to her alma mater.

In 2017, coinciding with Linda’s move to the Berkshires, the DLE’s mission and focus changed to support the economic revitalization of her Western MA community by providing immersive learning and networking opportunities to attract, retain and develop young professionals. Through Linda’s sustained underwriting, the DLE developed a new curriculum to support career success. Fee-free skills workshops and personal coaching sessions were conducted year-round, attracting hundreds of individuals from diverse companies and organizations in the region. In-person events were held in various locations until the opening of the DLE HQ office in Downtown Pittsfield in January 2020.

A few months later, COVID 19 savagely struck. The DLE quickly responded to build connections by converting to an entirely virtual platform, more than tripling the number of program offerings and expanding membership to a global reach.

Over the past year, DLE programming has evolved–yet again–to a hybrid format, combining in-person meetups for small groups in the intimate DLE HQ, in-person volunteer outreach with Berkshire nonprofits and service organizations, and virtual workshops and roundtables on pressing workplace issues. 2022 marked the return of the in-person Leadership Immersion in the Berkshires–a two-day transformative experience that attracted a world-class faculty and a record-setting attendance.

For 25 years, Linda’s philanthropy and vision have been steadfast as she has worked to expand the mindset, skills and networks of next generation leaders for career and life success with superior programming and a supportive, diverse community. The rich social connections uniting members are unmatched. They are also needed more than ever to conquer the loneliness epidemic declared this year by the U.S. Surgeon General.