A one-day leadership experience in Washington, DC
At President Lincoln’s Cottage—where Abraham Lincoln wrestled with the nation’s most consequential decisions—leaders step into history alongside distinguished Lincoln scholars, emerging with practical insights they can immediately apply to judgment, communication, and courage.
The deposit holds one paid seat. LLI will follow up about the remaining balance.
Why the Cottage
Three miles from the White House, Abraham Lincoln found the quiet to think. He rode out to this hilltop cottage through three wartime summers, and it was here that he worked on the Emancipation Proclamation.
The Lincoln Cottage Day works the way our Gettysburg programs work: history is the case, and the ground is the classroom. You stand where the decision was made, work through the pressures Lincoln was under, and carry what holds up back to the decisions waiting on your own desk.
Who the day is for
For federal leaders, this is high-impact leadership development without the travel: seven contact hours in the city where you already work, mapped to the Executive Core Qualifications that support your IDP and future SES application. With no flight, hotel, or overnight stay—and convenient invoice billing—you can strengthen the leadership competencies your career depends on with minimal disruption to your schedule.
You’ve already experienced how LLI turns historic ground into a living leadership laboratory at Gettysburg—now bring that same method to President Lincoln’s Cottage, where a different setting reveals new pressures and decisions. This focused one-day experience offers a fresh leadership perspective, with your exclusive alumni rate available.
Give your members a distinctive leadership experience that brings board members, volunteers, and emerging leaders together on historic ground to examine the decisions, pressures, and principles that shape effective leadership. At President Lincoln’s Cottage, participants build meaningful connections, gain practical tools for navigating today’s organizational challenges, and leave with insights they can immediately apply.
Reserve several seats in a public cohort, or request a private Lincoln Cottage Day.
The setting
Lincoln rode between this house and the White House through three wartime summers. The house and its grounds are where your program day takes place.
Faculty
Matthew Pinsker's Lincoln's Sanctuary is the history of Lincoln's years at the Soldiers' Home. Jared Peatman builds the cases our Gettysburg alumni know. Steve Wiley opens the day, as he has for LLI cohorts for decades.
LLI Director of Curriculum
Historian and experiential educator who turns consequential moments into practical leadership cases.
Professor of History, Dickinson College
Lincoln scholar and author of Lincoln’s Sanctuary and Boss Lincoln.
President, Lincoln Leadership Institute
LLI founder and leadership educator who opens the day and connects the cases to organizational performance.
Battlefield Historian, retired Federal Executive
Retired federal executive and educator who brings public-sector leadership experience to the day.
Included
The day's cases are mapped to the Executive Core Qualifications, so your seven contact hours support an Individual Development Plan or a future SES application.
The house tour, lunch, the grounds walk, and every case session happen with the same cohort of 40. The cohort stays connected afterward in its own LinkedIn group.
Public dates
Each date has 40 seats, and a $50 deposit reserves yours. Registration closes 14 days before each session.
Public cohort
Individual pricing
Every rate starts with the same $50 seat deposit. LLI invoices the remaining balance separately.
$1,695
Public list price.
Choose standard$1,395
For prior Lincoln Leadership Institute participants.
Choose lli alumni$1,195
For a colleague referred by an LLI alumnus.
Available only through a verified referral link issued after a paid Cottage reservation.
$1,295
For eligible government and nonprofit participants.
Choose government or nonprofitOne day
A single day in Washington, DC — the place to start with LLI, and the place to come back to.
Three days · $3,950
Extend the work across defining moments in American leadership and your own legacy of service.
Explore America at 250 →Immersive journey · $4,950
Go deeper into leadership under pressure across the Gettysburg battlefield and facilitated case sessions.
Explore Gettysburg →Practical guidance for getting to, and around, President Lincoln's Cottage.
The program is at President Lincoln's Cottage, 140 Rock Creek Church Rd NW, Washington, DC 20011. On-site parking is available. Your logistics email will include current entrance and arrival instructions.
The Georgia Avenue–Petworth Metro station is approximately three-quarters of a mile away. The H8 bus serves the area. Check WMATA for current service before traveling.
Please contact LLI before your program date to discuss any accommodations you need. We will coordinate arrangements with the Cottage on your behalf.
The house tour and facilitated sessions take place indoors. The grounds walk is outdoors, so please dress for the weather; if conditions require it, that session moves inside.
Venue transit and parking guidance: President Lincoln's Cottage visitor FAQ.
Choose a public date for yourself, or talk to LLI about seats for your colleagues, your association, or a private day of your own.