1995 - The Madison Area Quality Improvement (MAQIN) organization hosts a series of meetings regarding how they might take action on their vision of “being a driving force behind positive economic and social change by promoting widespread application of customer-driven continuous improvement methods throughout the community, and developing world-class systems and resources for related learning and networking.” 
They come up with the idea of creating Community Exchange.
1996 - The Community Exchange’s planning committee to create Community Exchange begins meeting in January.
TheIts' purpose of Community Exchange is to create a network and learning experience for grassroots community and associational leaders to learn and apply the core principles and practices of effective leadership in their community. Emphasis is placed on developing the practical skills necessary to build relationships and create networks fundamental to sustaining strong and vital communities.
It is the Community Exchange that first adopts the logo “Everyone a Learner, Everyone a Teacher, Everyone a Leader.”  "Everyone a Learner" reminds us of the importance of listening to each others' stories, reflecting on the lessons learned, and building on our common experiences in order to share life’s diversity and begin to connect to a larger community. "Everyone a Teacher" reminds us that everyone has a story to tell, and in sharing our stories we enrich our own individual lives as well as the lives of those who listen. "Everyone a Leader" reminds us that leadership is not an innate quality, but instead something that is developed through action and reflection.
Organizers seek participants who are upholding leadership roles in a grassroots community or volunteer organization, sponsored by a member organization of MAQIN.  Community Exchange also seeks participant groups that represent the economic, social, racial, and organizational diversity of the community.
Community Exchange begins conducting learning sessions that are run annually and meet approximately once a month. Coaches and their developing leaders also meet once a month outside of the class session.  All sessions are based on the sustainable leadership model created by Community Exchange, which will continue to be used by the GLC. Community Exchange also sets the model of providing free food, childcare, and when needed, transportation for training participants.
1997 - Community Exchange holds their first semester from March to December, beginning with 15 pairs of coaches and leaders.
2000 - The group finds that being completely volunteer-run is no longer sustainable, but continues to believe that the work is important and should continue.
Members of the Community Exchange meet with Madison’s neighborhood planning councils: the Northside Planning Council (NPC), South Metropolitan Planning Council (SMPC), and East Isthmus Neighborhoods Planning Council (EINPC).  The groups agree on the need for grassroots leadership development in the planning council areas and in the larger community.
They eventually settle on the name “Grassroots Leadership College.” 
The Grassroots Leadership College (GLC) becomes a project of the three planning councils. NPC staff members Jim Powell and Abha Thakkar, SMPC staff person Jean Nielsen, and EINPC staff person Rebecca Krantz all take up significant roles in defining the direction of the fledgling organization.
2002 - The GLC begins to share an office space with our primary fiscal agent, EINPC.  NPC also provides a fiscal agency for early grant applications.
On October 18, Brian Benford begins as the first paid coordinator of the Grassroots Leadership College in a .75 FTE position. Not long after joining the College, Brian decides to run for city council, ending a short tenure as staff with our program.
2003 - Amy S. Mondloch becomes the new coordinator, beginning work on February 3rd. 
Over 40 people attend our first informational meeting held at the Catholic Multicultural Center on March 6th to prepare for our first semester.  Rebecca Krantz supervises the new staff until we begin to split off into our own organization in late 2003, at which point the executive committee (consisting of Joe Sensenbrenner, Margaret Nellis, Jan Saiz, and David Boyd) take over supervision.
In December, the organization adopts bylaws and elects a board of directors:  Chair Joe Sensenbrenner, Vice-chair Jan Saiz, Secretary-Treasurer Margaret Nellis, and members Alyssa Kenney, Bill Rizzo, Julie andersen, Inessa Figueiredo, and David Boyd.  
2004- GLC changes its calendar to includ a Spring and Fall semester, and the elimination of the summer break helps toward a decrease in attrition.  The GLC also starts an alumni network which includes support sessions and an email listserv.  
2005- We add an intensive workshop series.  Avoiding Burnout and Compassion Fatigue, Fundraising 101, Attending to Learning and Communication Differences in Meetings, Conflict Transformation, and Cross-Cultural Organizing are each taught in separate 2-part workshops of 4-5 hours total.  In June, we add our second staff person assistant coordinator, Jorge Mario Garcia Sierra, to act as our book-keeper and lead the development of Spanish language programming.  This brings the GLC staff to 1.5 full-time paid positions.  
2006- In the fall, we launch a seven-workshop pilot of el Programa de Liderazgo Comunitario with 22 participants.  The highly successful program is completed in November with a 100% graduation rate.  
Present Day-  The GLC remains a primarily volunteer-run program with 50-60 people serving as faculty, board, committee members, coaches, office support, and program volunteers each year.