What is the CEON Foundation?

For more than two decades, a small but committed group of senior executives has been quietly building something different.

What began in 2001 as leaders choosing collaboration over competition grew into CEO Netweavers – a trusted executive community grounded in candor, service, and a simple principle: leadership is meant to be paid forward. Over time, that community expanded, relationships deepened, and the impact reached beyond individual careers.

To understand the full origin and evolution of this movement, read
The History of the CEO Netweavers Movement.

As the community matured, it became clear that the leadership development happening among executives could create broader, lasting impact if paired with a formal nonprofit structure. That insight led to the creation of the CEON Foundation – not to replace the community, but to extend its reach and ensure its values endured.

Today, the Foundation supports a growing leadership ecosystem that includes:

  • Executive community and gatherings that prioritize trust, dialogue, and real-world perspective

  • Leadership development and mentorship spanning career stages and generations

  • Scholarships that remove financial barriers for high-potential leaders

  • Service-based initiatives where experienced executives contribute judgment when it matters most

  • Strategic partnerships, including long-standing work with the Ron Clark Academy and academic programs

These efforts are intentionally connected. Together, they allow leadership development to move beyond individual success toward sustained, generational impact.

    Built on more than two decades of executive leadership and trust, the CEON Foundation is rooted in a movement that has evolved deliberately over time.

    Key moments in that journey include:

    • 2001: CEO Netweavers founded in Dallas as senior executives chose collaboration over competition

    • 2004+: Mentoring partnerships begin, including EMBA mentoring that has impacted more than 100 students over time

    • 2006: Atlanta chapter launched and becomes the long-term torchbearer of the movement

    • Inflection Point: Experienced executives begin providing no-cost, no-equity advisory support to leaders and companies, helping more than 70 organizations navigate critical decisions

    • 2021: CEON Foundation formed as the nonprofit backbone to scale scholarships, mentorship, and partnerships

    • 2023: Model refined to expand impact while honoring the original ethos

    • Today: Continuing to attract senior leaders committed to principled, pay-it-forward leadership

    Our Approach

     

    Leadership is not developed through content alone. It is shaped through relationships, shared experience, and moments where perspective matters.

    The CEON Foundation builds on what has worked for more than two decades inside the CEO Netweavers community: small, trusted environments where leaders can speak candidly, learn from one another, and choose to invest beyond themselves. The Foundation exists to give structure to that model so its impact can extend across career stages and generations.

    Service as Connection

    Service within the CEON Foundation is not an obligation. It is an opportunity.

    When leaders choose to serve, they do so in ways that respect experience, time, and season. Service is designed to be focused, meaningful, and grounded in real decisions rather than abstract advice. The goal is connection through contribution, not performative volunteering.

    One example is the Inflection Point program, which brings together seasoned executives to provide candid, no-cost, no-equity guidance to leaders and companies navigating pivotal moments. Engagements are time-bounded, practical, and rooted in lived experience.

    Collective Impact

    While leadership journeys are personal, their impact multiplies through structure.

    The CEON Foundation aligns executive experience, emerging-leader development, and financial stewardship so individual participation compounds into broader outcomes. Events and gatherings are intentionally designed for dialogue rather than presentation, creating space for trust, candor, and real exchange.

    This approach shows up in multiple formats, including exclusive topic-driven events, quarterly C-Suite Circle dinners, and smaller gatherings that allow leaders to connect in ways that feel human rather than transactional. You can view upcoming opportunities on the event registration page.

    Leadership Development Across Levels

    The Foundation is built to support leadership development at every stage – not just at the top.

    Executive-to-Executive Leadership

    Senior leaders engage with peers in intimate, high-trust settings designed for perspective sharing, challenge, and continued growth. These environments intentionally bring together current operators and encore leaders – executives who have already led at the highest levels and choose to stay actively engaged.

    For senior leaders still in the seat, this creates access to hard-won judgment and pattern recognition. For encore leaders, it offers something equally valuable: the opportunity to stay in the game, sharpen thinking, and build meaningful friendships with peers who still value contribution over status.

    These relationships are cultivated through exclusive events, quarterly C-Suite Circle dinners, and informal gatherings that strengthen connection within the broader community.

    Cross-Generational Leadership
    Pay-it-forward leadership is a defining feature of the CEON ecosystem. Executives support emerging leaders through mentorship programs that include EMBA students and Ron Clark Academy alumni. Scholarships help remove financial barriers, while relationships provide guidance and accountability.
    Learn more through the scholarship application page and the Ron Clark Academy Alumni Scholarship.

    Leadership Through Service
    When timing allows, leaders may also engage through service-based initiatives like Inflection Point, contributing judgment and perspective at moments where it can meaningfully change outcomes.

    Across all of these paths, participation is designed to be flexible, respectful, and aligned with where leaders are in their journey.

    Together, events, mentorship, scholarships, and service form a single operating model. Each element reinforces the others, ensuring leadership development is not isolated to a moment or a role, but carried forward intentionally over time. 

    What If My Time Is Limited Right Now?

    Not every season allows for active mentoring, advisory work, or hands-on involvement – and that’s expected.

    The CEON Foundation is designed so leadership impact does not depend solely on time availability. Many senior leaders engage primarily through relationships and community, while supporting scholarships and leadership development financially when their schedules are full.

    The scholarship program highlighted here is one example of how executive engagement is translated into real opportunity for others. Through partnerships with leaders like Ron Clark and long-standing members of the CEO Netweavers community, the Foundation helps ensure access, support, and guidance are available to high-potential leaders – even when contributors are not able to be directly involved.

    Supporting the Foundation is a meaningful way to invest in the next generation while staying connected to a leadership ecosystem built on trust, experience, and stewardship

    Limited Time? Your Support Still Counts.

    Use of Foundation Funds

    The CEON Foundation is built around stewardship, transparency, and long-term impact. Every contribution is directed with care to ensure leadership development is both effective and sustainable.

     

    90% to Scholarships

    More than 90% of all donations are paid out directly via scholarships. These funds remove financial barriers for high-potential leaders and are paired with mentorship and guidance to ensure access translates into growth.

    Learn more about eligibility, recipients, and outcomes through the scholarship application page, including videos from scholarship recipients.

    Comprehensive Support

    Many scholarship programs cover tuition alone. The CEON Foundation takes a more practical approach by supporting the real costs associated with leadership development, including books, housing, and other required expenses.

    This approach is especially evident in the Ron Clark Academy Alumni Scholarship program and the Foundation’s broader partnership with the
    Ron Clark Academy.

    Lean Operation

    The CEON Foundation operates with a lean structure that prioritizes stewardship and long-term sustainability. Rather than building heavy administrative overhead, the Foundation intentionally engages aspiring leaders alongside senior executives and the Board to support operations and program execution.

    This approach keeps resources focused on scholarships and leadership development while giving up-and-coming leaders real-world experience through guided responsibility.

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