As California faces the challenges of an evolving healthcare landscape and the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, there is an unprecedented need for a committed and adaptable network of leaders in the community health centers field. To meet this need, Blue Shield of California Foundation has partnered with the Center for the Health Professions at the University of California, San Francisco to administer the Clinic Leadership Institute Emerging Leaders program, training five cohorts of participants from California health centers since 2008.

This brief represents part of an ongoing evaluation conducted by Informing Change and examines the career paths of 94 participants from the first 4 program cohorts. We focus on what has changed in participants’ professional lives from the time they entered to program until today, including their positions, responsibilities, salaries and job satisfaction. The brief describes factors contributing to participants’ career trajectories, highlights three individual participants’ experiences, and offers considerations for leadership development in community health centers.