New Approaches to ESOP Education Delivering Greater Value for Your TEA Membership

For the past several years, The ESOP Association has been rethinking and refining our approach to education with the goal of delivering enhanced learning pathways that create more value for our members. Ultimately, that means moving beyond traditional lecture formats and developing programming that is based on the latest advances and best practices in adult learning. It’s the difference between information retention and real knowledge, while building skills that will stay with employee owners throughout their careers.

The Association’s shift toward more participatory, hands-on learning has already begun in earnest in several areas. For ESOP executives, we launched a newly reimagined Leading in an Ownership Setting™ in partnership with the Darden School at the University of Virginia, which leans heavily on the case study method for much of the curriculum. And judging by feedback we received from the opening of the inaugural CFO cohort, executives are really gravitating toward this style of learning. Registration for the CEO class of 2025, which begins on July 20, is still open and has a limited amount of spaces remaining. In the near future, we anticipate adding programs for Chief Human Resources Officers and Board Directors to the Leading in an Ownership Setting™ program as well.

For non-executive employee owners, the ESOP Employee Accelerator program has been a big hit as well. An immersive experience into the world of ESOPs, Accelerators use real-life cases and also feature a business simulation exercise so participants can quickly learn how to act like owners. If you are interested in attending, The ESOP Association and the Employee Ownership Foundation are conducting Accelerators throughout the summer and fall, please consult our program page for an upcoming location near you.

You will also see a major change in the educational content at Employee Owned 2025 this November in Las Vegas. For the first time, The ESOP Association will be offering intensive, three-hour workshops on multiple topics featuring interactive group exercises that require attendees to apply what they are learning and build a knowledge base they can implement immediately. 

And in early 2026, the Association will begin launching the first of several credentialing programs to allow members to earn certificates across core ESOP disciplines. These new certification programs are being led by Erica Beck Spencer, who has been a thought leader, innovator, and practitioner in education and curriculum development for more than two decades. The pathway for employee owners to obtain certifications will be extensive, with instruction and coursework in a curriculum that will occur at in-person conferences and via our upcoming proprietary online platform. We will be announcing many more details, including the disciplines for the first of our credentialing programs, later on this year, with coursework expected to begin in the first quarter of 2026.

The transformational strides The ESOP Association is taking in education are all geared toward providing greater and more diverse opportunities for members to develop the skills needed to succeed at an ESOP company, regardless of job role or function. Between national and chapter conferences, Leading in an Ownership Setting™, the Accelerator program, our new certification initiative, and additional online services and resources coming soon, members across the nation will have access to year-round educational opportunities tailored to everyone from the C-Suite to the newest employee owners. With these new initiatives, a membership in The ESOP Association will become more valuable than ever, and will help your company address critical needs and fill knowledge or skill gaps among your employee owners.