Cabinet Leaders Institute Sessions

Please note all times are in U.S. Eastern Time and the schedule is subject to change.

Tuesday, November 28

• 1:45-4:00 p.m. | International Civil Rights Center & Museum Tour (optional)

  Join us for a rich and intimate tour of the Greensboro-Woolworth’s based International Civil Rights Center & Museum, which commemorates the Feb. 1, 1960, beginning of sit-ins at this whites-only lunch counter by the N.C. A&T Four college students, reflecting careful planning carried out with colleagues at Bennett College. Their non-violent direct action challenged the American people to make good on promises of personal equality and civic inclusion. Transportation will depart from the O.Henry Hotel promptly at 1:45 pm. Pre-registration is required. Pre-registration available after completing institute registration.

• 5:30-7:30 p.m. | Opening Reception

  Build community with your colleagues over drinks and appetizers at this casual opening reception.

Wednesday, November 29

• 7:30-8:00 a.m. | Breakfast

• 8:30-9:45 a.m. | Session 1: Leadership as an Endurance Event: Sustaining Performance with a Coach Mindset

  Presenters: Teresa Garrett, Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of the College, Sweet Briar College, and Jodi Canfield, Associate Dean for Student Life and Community Standards, St. Lawrence University

  Leading an academic institution is like an endurance event. The athlete-leaders facilitating this session have seen parallels in how one sustains the training needed to perform well in an athletic event with how leaders can approach work to be healthy and well for the long term. To perform, one must tend to rest, nutrition, overall strength, mindset, and relationships. In this session, participants consider training approaches used by athletes to sustain performance, and how to apply them to inform approaches to work and leading teams. By taking a 'coach' mindset for ourselves and those we lead, we can build high-performing teams that will last. Participants will develop a personal “'training plan” to create a framework to support individual performance.

• 9:45-10:00 a.m. | Coffee Break

• 10:00-11:15 a.m. | Session 2: Leading Diverse Teams

  Presenter: Marcine Pickron-Davis, Chief Diversity and Community Relations Officer, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine

  Managers, department heads, and administrators in leadership positions will gain practical tools to help them design and lead diverse, equitable, and inclusive (DEI) teams. This interactive workshop is specifically designed to accommodate learners from diverse backgrounds (gender, race, country of origin, etc.) as well as learners from different starting knowledge points (new to the topic or social justice warriors). We will explore social identity in the workplace, examine inclusive leadership, identify the dimensions of allyship, and develop a toolkit to implement change management strategies. We will explore best practices for equitable organizational processes and norms and inclusive behavioral practices in teams. Finally, attendees will create a diversity, equity, and inclusion action plan which can be applied to the workplace. Upon completion, participants will be able to understand how social identity influences how we show up at the workplace; describe the meaning of inclusive leadership; and develop an individual diversity, equity, and inclusion action plan.

• 11:15 a.m.-12:30 p.m. | Session 3: Radical Self-Care for Women Leaders

  Presenters: Narketta Sparkman-Key, Vice Provost Strategic Initiatives and Global Affairs, James Madison University; Linda Thomas, Dean of the Graduate School, James Madison University; and Tynisha Willingham, Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs, Eastern Mennonite University

  Higher education has undergone many challenges over the last few years. Those challenges put a greater demand on leaders. During the pandemic women leaders were faced with care taking of families while also caretaking of key stakeholders at their institutions. This called for crisis planning, strategic planning meetings and ongoing communication. It is unknown how self-care was managed during times of crisis. This workshop will focus on key strategies to longevity through radical self-care. This workshop will identify strategies that extend beyond the typical diet and exercise. We will focus in depth on those radical strategies that are initiated in the moment during times of strain, crisis and conflict. Strategies will include boundary setting, identifying moments of pause, leaning on your team and other key tactics. Presenters will use storytelling to drive home key concepts and allow participants to engage interactively in the discussion.

• 12:30-1:30 p.m. | Lunch

• 1:30-2:45 p.m. | Session 4: The Problem with Executive Presence: Redefining How Leaders Show Up

  Presenters: Marjorie Hass, President, Council of Independent Colleges, and Emma Jones, Executive Vice President/Owner, Credo

  The topic of Executive Presence arose in conversation around the room more than once during the 2022 Cabinet Leaders Institute, with a desire to spend more time in its explication. Historically known as a perception of power and influence rooted in patriarchal norms of corporate management, this session seeks to explore a redefinition of Executive Presence for today's diverse leaders. How can a new generation of leaders inspire confidence in their teams, exert influence, and lead authentically? Participants will share challenges and personal experiences with the "old" model, identify key contemporary elements of leadership presence, and together, draft a new definition of Executive Presence.

• 2:45-3:15 p.m. | Afternoon Break

• 3:15-4:45 p.m. | Session 5: Women's Spaces in a Gender Diverse World

  Presenters: Summer McGee, President, and AJ Mazaris, Chief Campus Culture Officer and Vice President for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion—both of Salem College

  What does it mean to create women’s leadership spaces in a world where many of our students, faculty, and staff identify outside of the gender binary? Can women’s spaces—like women’s colleges and women’s leadership programs—meaningfully include trans and non-binary participants while still honoring their missions and focus? This panel invites participants to consider how we can both create spaces to empower and uplift women and also recognize the breadth of gender inclusion.

• 5:45-6:30 p.m. | AAC&U + Credo Women in Leadership Initiative Reception

  Join us for appetizers, beverages, fun, and fellowship as we build community and anticipate the evening's keynote panel.

• 6:30-8:30 p.m. | Keynote & Dinner | President Voices: Leading with Longevity in Higher Education

  Panelists: Beverly Hogan, President Emerita, Tougaloo College; Carol Leary, President Emerita, Bay Path University; Emma Jones, Executive Vice President/Owner, Credo; Gail Mellow, President Emeritus, LaGuardia Community College of the City University of New York; and Lynn Pasquerella, President, American Association of Colleges and Universities.

  It’s not difficult to find stories of failed college and university presidencies. Books, articles, and local media outlets provide meticulous postmortems of brief leadership tenures; presidencies fraught with conflict, misalignment, shared governance issues, and moral failings. There are many presidents, though, who beat the odds of the national tenure average, leading campuses successfully for years through challenge and success alike. Credo is examining the personal and professional conditions in which a leader can stay and flourish, hoping to answer the question: How do presidents thrive in their roles over time, and how can those considering a presidency build a path to leadership longevity with intention? During this panel discussion, participants will have an opportunity to examine an emerging framework for leading with longevity in higher education and hear from a panel of long-serving women leaders on their leadership experience and learning.