D-Day Leadership Academy

D-Day Leadership Academy teaches leadership the way it’s actually lived: through standards, responsibility, and reflection. DLA brings students into direct contact with the history of D-Day and the human stories tied to it, then uses that environment to teach decision-making, discipline, teamwork, and personal accountability. Leadership here is not a title or a speech—it is behavior under pressure, respect for others, and the ability to carry yourself with maturity when it matters.

DLA is built on pillars that protect both the mission and the people inside it. Reverence means we treat history, sites, and the stories of those who served with respect—no sensationalism and no shortcuts. Fortitude means we keep standards and do hard things the right way, even when it is uncomfortable. Virtue means integrity in conduct—how we speak, how we treat others, and how we represent DLA in public. These pillars are the filter for programming decisions, partnerships, and expectations.

DLA’s work is organized around a simple structure: student leadership training, adult programming that supports the mission, fundraising events that sustain scholarships, and direct scholarship support for students who would not otherwise have access. The center of gravity is student leadership training connected to the lessons of D-Day, with the broader programming designed to expand reach and fund participation without lowering standards.

DLA’s impact is measured in changed trajectory: students who gain perspective, stronger self-discipline, and a higher standard for how they carry themselves at home, in school, and in their communities. Donor support translates into real participation—travel and programming access—so financial limitations don’t decide who gets leadership development. Over time, DLA’s goal is durable capacity: repeatable cohorts, protected standards, and scholarship access year after year.