Leader Terrain Walks

The Darl H. Champion Center for Excellence in Justice Administration conducts terrain walks on two Revolutionary War battlefields: Guilford Courthouse and Cowpens. These battles occurred in 1781 and were influential in enabling America’s eventual defeat of the British at Yorktown. The purpose of a terrain walk is to examine past events and take lessons from those events that better enable criminal justice leaders to face today’s challenges. Leaders examine battlefield events within the framework of Jim Collins’ works Good to Great, and How the Mighty Fall.

Revolutionary War battlefields were chosen for another very specific purpose. The Revolution was the beginning of America’s grand experiment with democracy. Walking these battlefields facilitates discussions about the role of criminal justice organizations in America’s grand experiment.

As of April 2024, CEJA has conducted leader terrain walks at Guilford Courthouse National Military Park and at Cowpens National Battlefield for over 1,000 criminal justice leaders.