About Us

Our Vision

A world where young leaders embrace difference, cultivate authentic connections, and transform local communities into catalysts for global impact.

Our Mission

To empower young leaders through intentional co-living, personal growth, and community engagement.

Who We Serve

We work to serve emerging leaders. Leaders come from many backgrounds and communities. We recognize that leadership experience is cultivated and doesn’t always look the same in every context. We strive to select a diverse group of leaders who have had different opportunities and experiences in their leadership journey.

Our Objectives

Develop Self-Aware Leaders

Equip fellows with tools for self-discovery, healing, and unlearning limiting beliefs.
Provide opportunities for executive coaching and reflection to address life’s challenges.

Cultivate Meaningful Relationships

Create a safe and trusting living environment that encourages vulnerability and openness to diverse perspectives.
Foster deep connections by engaging with one another's realities and truths.

Build Leadership Skills Rooted in Authenticity

Focus on the "who" and "how" of leadership, encouraging personally-authentic and inclusive leadership practices.
Develop communication and conflict-management skills to navigate complex dynamics with empathy.

Empower Local and Global Impact

Leverage hyper-local communities as springboards for addressing global challenges through conscious and sustainable systemic impact.
Equip fellows to understand global citizenship while implementing meaningful, community-centered solutions.

Promote Courage and Advocacy

Encourage fellows to advocate for themselves and others with clarity and confidence.
Develop internal and communal resources, such as networks and shared spaces, to support this growth.

Our History

Orbis Institute, an independent 501(c)3, was founded in 1996 by David A. French. After decades working in business and supporting a number of nonprofits, David set out to build an organization that would effectively realize his vision for a new kind of leadership development. He understood that the systemic challenges of the 21st century were both local and global, and the next generation of leaders would need to build and engage communities at home and around the world.

The first programs began with the help of students from the University of Colorado at Boulder’s President’s Leadership Class (PLC). Together, they launched an innovative training program for young emerging leaders from 10 different countries.

Between 1996 - 2012, Orbis delivered eight World Camps in the US, China, Slovakia, Austria, and Poland, including participants from over 30 countries. Through this work, a second Orbis Institute was established in Bratislava, Slovakia in 2002.

After years of programming abroad, David made an important decision to shift how Orbis would impact the world. As an East High School graduate, he felt it important to bring the work back home. Orbis set out to create a Fellowship program for young professionals here in City Park West, a stone’s throw from his alma mater. Still with a global vision, Orbis shifted to the mentality of “think global, act local.”

Starting in 2016, Denver’s Orbis Institute Fellowship, located at the Orbis House, has housed 24 fellows and supported them in their personal and professional development as they work with local community organizations and develop their own community leadership initiatives.

All of our programs have been grounded in Orbis Institute’s community leadership model to foster awareness, critical thinking, and action. Our approach to group centered leadership not only allows individual leaders to cultivate their own individual paths, but also builds and organizes communities around them.