ABSTRACT: This article examines the redesign of two educational leadership programs at different institutions: a medium-sized public university and a small private university. Both were committed to principals of ethical leadership. Each program faced a state mandate to redesign. In one case, state policy focused on detailed accountability measures based on syllabi alignment to standards and a complex paper trail of documentation required for final approval. In the other case, accountability focused on a final portfolio, and programs were encouraged to be innovative. Policy differences combined with situational context to create two different approaches to the redesign work.