North Carolina Institute of Political Leadership.

The North Carolina Institute of Political Leadership (IOPL) emerged in 1987 from the deliberations of a group of leading North Carolinians who joined together to begin a program to improve the quality of political and governmental leadership in state and local governments. The Institute is a multi-partisan, non-profit organization, which provides leadership training and skills to persons who have been identified as having the potential to become future public leaders. The purpose of the program is to produce better qualified, ethical, accessible, and more representative public leaders in North Carolina's state and local governments.

The Institute annually trains about 40 fellows in weekend sessions in such areas as campaign strategy, public policy, public relations, and other topics important to those seeking political leadership roles.