Slenk Earns CCLP Designation
October 6, 2025The Association of Leadership Programs (ALP) proudly recognizes Gretchen Slenk, Founder, Melo Leadership Consulting, LLC, as the newest recipient of the Certified Community Leadership Practitioner (CCLP) designation.
The Certified Community Leadership Practitioner (CCLP) program was developed in response to membership feedback to provide extensive ongoing training opportunities for Community Leadership Program professionals. The CCLP designation provides Community Leadership Program professionals with an incentive to achieve excellence in professional performance with mastery of essential skills. The development of the Certified Community Leadership Practitioner program began in 2016, with the first CORE training course offered in 2019 in conjunction with the ALP National Conference held that year in Tulsa, Oklahoma. 23 Community Leadership professionals participated in the first cohort. Since 2019, 79 CLP professionals have completed the required 16 hours of CORE training.
Thirty-eight individuals, including Slenk, have completed the process, passed the certification exam, and earned the CCLP designation.
About Gretchen Slenk, CCLP
Gretchen Slenk is the founder of Melo Leadership Consulting, LLC, where she serves as an executive leadership coach and training facilitator. She is passionate about people and organizations unleashing their greatest potential for community impact and believes that workplaces can be human-centered, compassionate, and high performing. As a Certified Gallup Strengths coach, Gretchen has worked with thousands of leaders, ranging from early-career professionals to C-Suite executives, through team retreats, custom corporate training sessions, and one-on-one leadership coaching for both individuals and executive teams.
Prior to launching Melo, Gretchen worked at Southwest Michigan First, a regional economic development agency located in Kalamazoo, MI. During her tenure, she led the design, organization, and facilitation of leadership development services, including the region’s premier community leadership program, Leadership Kalamazoo. Her experience there gave her a front-row seat to understanding why investing in intentional leadership is so important in creating organizations that people want to work for and communities where all can thrive.
Gretchen holds a master’s degree in social work from Western Michigan University and is licensed in both Clinical and Macro practices. She has over 10 years of experience in the human services sector, including roles in nonprofit administration, community programming, and organizational development. She has also enjoyed teaching in the School of Social Work on human and organizational behavior as an adjunct professor at Western Michigan University.
Gretchen’s background in mental health, leading teams, and organizational development equips her with a unique skill set to work with diverse personalities and leadership styles while focusing on the whole person for optimal leadership development in the context of complex systems. Her clients are often motivated to create positive change in their own lives and in the lives around them, and her greatest joy is to come alongside them as they seek to live out deeper meaning and impact in the world.
Congratulations to Gretchen Slenk, CCLP, on this significant achievement.
About the Association of Leadership Programs
The Association of Leadership Programs serves over 280 community leadership programs across the United States and beyond. The association strives to enhance the well-being of all communities through the work of community leadership programs. Founded in 2010, the mission of ALP is to strengthen the effectiveness of leadership programs and professionals. Authentic and organic community leadership development requires taking a critical look at situations, opportunities, and challenges our communities face through the lens of the entire community and pursuing a course that enhances the well-being of all.
Contact:
Jessie Baginski, Ph.D., CCLP
Director of Programs
programs@alpleaders.org