Leadership Speaker Series seeks to inspire leaders while sparking growth and innovation

Free, virtual fall events with regional and national experts announced
August 6, 2021

Inspiring leaders while sparking energy, growth and innovation is the goal of the University of Wisconsin-Stout Discovery Center 2021 Leadership Speaker Series.

The series addresses opportunities and how organizational leaders, entrepreneurs and employees can succeed and grow in the digital realm.

Registration is open and the events are free. Contact Marya Wilson, director of the Leadership Institute, a resource of the Discovery Center, at wilsonma@uwstout.edu or profed@uwstout.edu with any questions.

Allegra Mercedes Brown photo
Allegra Mercedes Brown / Photo courtesy of Leadership Speakers Series

The five-part fall series begins with a session on Using Cultural Intelligence to Strengthen Your Organization led by Allegra Mercedes Brown, of California State University Dominguez Hills in Carson, Calif. She teaches courses on the role of race and other social constructs in schools.

This session from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 12, via Microsoft Teams will focus on the meaning of culture and the importance of being responsive to cultural differences within organizations. 

Building Trust for Retention and Organization Success will be presented by Wilson from 9 to 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 9, via Teams.  

Wilson will address the importance of trust in a workplace to retain employees. The conversation will cover the process and importance of trust in an organization, as well as how to repair it and strengthen organizational culture.

Fred Smith, president of YBi Management Services, a real estate firm focused on property management in California, Arizona, Nevada, Arkansas and Louisiana, will present from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 21, via Teams. The topic is Pathways to Success After the Pandemic: Utilizing the Basics to Make Your Interactions a Success. There will be a conversation about how to succeed in interactions and impressions, handling conflict, dealing with change and more.

Beth Hein
Marya Wilson / UW-Stout photo

What Do I Do Now? Career Strategies for a Remote World is the topic from 10 to 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 11, via Teams. Rhonda Askeland, facilitator, executive coach and performance consultant, will cover resilience, focus and self-management.

Sue Padernacht, CEO and founder of Ncline Leadership Strategies, a management consulting firm, will speak from 10:30 a.m. to noon on Thursday, Dec. 9, via Teams on Leading Through Failure in a State of Flux. Padernacht will talk about tools for leaders to respond effectively to mistakes, mishaps and blunders in the workplace.

Partial funding for the series is provided by the Economic Development Administration’s CARES Act grant, which supports leadership opportunities, the pandemic response and recovery. The Discovery Center received the $300,000 federal grant in spring 2020.

The Leadership Institute serves its clients with leading-edge research and initiatives that positively transform people, teams and organizations, Wilson said.


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