How LEAD began, who built it, and the convictions that shape how we teach.
The idea took shape between two people who shared a name — and not much else. Fr. Tadros Hirmina was completing his PhD in leadership. Ray Tadros was leading at NCR in Atlanta. (No relation — the surname is a coincidence we joke about often.)
They wanted to take what they had learned about leadership and apply it through a Christian lens. With the support and vision of H.E. Metropolitan Youssef of the Coptic Orthodox Metropolis of the Southern U.S., the LEAD Program was established.
The first class met in 2012 as a three-year curriculum. After listening carefully to students and faculty, we restructured to a focused two-year program in 2019 — the format we teach today.
The texts have shifted occasionally over the years, but the core remains: Maxwell, Stanley, and a small set of others read closely, written about thoughtfully, and applied immediately.
Fr. Tadros Hirmina is the primary facilitator of The LEAD Program. A graduate of the doctoral program in international educational leadership and research methodology at Florida Atlantic University, Fr. Tadros combines his expertise in leadership development, along with his engaging speaking skills, to challenge students to consider leadership development in a personal and professional way.
As a key servant leader in the Coptic Orthodox Metropolis of the Southern United States, Ray Tadros worked alongside Fr. Tadros to shape the vision of a metropolis-wide leadership development program that engaged leaders and members of the community in critical leadership conversations. Beyond his work in the Coptic Orthodox Church, Ray has served in extensive leadership roles within the field of engineering.
You can read a leadership book in an afternoon. You cannot become a leader in one. We optimize for the slow change, not the fast download.
Faith does not sit alongside the curriculum — it shapes how we read every text and frame every conversation. Servant leadership is not a chapter; it's the lens.
If a skill cannot land in your workplace, your family, or your service, we'd rather not teach it. The program is built for application.
Cohorts are intentionally limited. Faculty know your name, your work, your paper topic — and the questions you're still wrestling with.
Registration for the 2026 LEAD Program is open. Register today and secure your place at the October annual conference.
Register today