Domingo, VianneyFernández Espinosa, Verónica2025-12-192025-12-192025Domingo, V & Fernández Espinosa, V 2025, 'Developing virtue-based leadership education : The Leaders of Character Program at Francisco de Vitoria University (Spain)', Journal of Moral Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/03057240.2025.25079100305-7240https://hdl.handle.net/10641/6820Publisher Copyright: © 2025 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.This paper presents educational insights into the Leaders of Character Program, a new leadership initiative based on virtue and character education developed at Francisco de Vitoria University (Spain). Inspired by global movements in virtue and character education and by extra-curricular initiatives in higher education—such as The Oxford Leadership Initiative and the Program for Leadership and Character—the Leaders of Character Program aims to foster personal growth and student flourishing, empowering participants to have a more significant and transformative impact on society. The first part of the paper explores the leadership model on which the program is based, its affective or emotional educational salience, and the typology of virtues that underpin it. The second part outlines the development of the program, describing its sessions and the educational methodology employed.964100enghttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/Virtue and character-based leadershipemotional educationhigher educationtypes of virtuesEducationReligious studiesyesjournal articleopen access10.1080/03057240.2025.2507910https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105007303492https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105007303492#tab=citedBy