The importance of dialogue in developing community leadership among diverse groups is described. In the context of South Carolina's Penn School for Preservation, ways communities can create diverse leadership cadres working toward common goals are explored. Common assumptions about the effectiveness of current leadership training methods are evaluated. The Penn Center was one of numerous schools founded by missionaries and teachers from the north in the Sea Islands off South Carolina and Georgia. The Penn Center, on St. Helena in the Sea Islands, traditionally provided support services for the island's Gullah culture for personal and economic issues in addition to literacy education. In 1993 the Center faced a new challenge in sustaining collaboration among environmentalists, cultural preservationists, and local residents by initiating a community-wide leadership process. The Penn School for Preservation, established as a response to community concerns, fostered leadership development for citizen political involvement. A case study of the Center's implementation and work illustrates the potential of leadership development programs for community involvement. (Contains seven references.) (SLD)