In 1996, BellSouth Foundation launched a $1.5 million initiative to address the central role of school district leadership in ensuring education reform in the South. This report describes the BellSouth Foundation's investment in the Superintendents Leadership Network (SLN) from a developer's and funder's point of view. It also describes how the partnership that led it began, grew, and informed the work, and what the 56 superintendent members say about it and about themselves. The SLN design is presented as a case study of "shared design," in which collaboration between the Center for Leadership in School Reform and BellSouth Foundation is highlighted. The report, however, is not a final and definitive set of lessons learned nor an evaluation of a completed project; the SLN is still very much a work in progress, and the next cohort of members will be joining the network in fall 2001. The report concludes with recommendations for the next iteration of the program. Appendix A lists SLN members, Appendix B lists institute meetings for 1997-2001, Appendix C presents state profiles, and Appendix D gives contact information. (RT)