Breakout Session I – 10:00 – 10:45 am | Workshop 1

Title: Sharpen Your Career Vision with a Resume Reboot
Presenters: Dr. Nina Buchanan, Assistant Professor and Chair
Programs in Higher Education
Wilmington University

Kim Plusch, Assistant Director of Career Services
Wilmington University

Catherine Russo, Career Services Associate
Wilmington University

Presentation Overview: Envision your career future in Higher Education from a new perspective! Better understand how to market yourself and embrace the power of LinkedIn in order to pursue administrative leadership roles, join advisory boards of community organizations and enhance your professional networking groups. Showcase your skills with a resume reboot and learn how to optimize LinkedIn connections. Bring a copy of your current resume and set your sights on a new career year in 2020!

Breakout Session I – 10:00 – 10:45 am | Workshop 2

Title: The Choices We Make

Presenter: Maribeth B. Dockety, PHR, SHRM-CP
Workforce Solutions Today

Presentation Overview: Do you ever wonder why you make the choices you do? What have you learned about yourself in the process? We make choices moment by moment, however, so many are unconscious decisions we don’t even stop to think about why or how that selection just occurred? Do we make different choices based on how we perceive our career progression? How do our choices impact our students, colleagues, families and friends, and most importantly: YOU! This workshop will utilize the Choice Map and help participants think about their mindset when making all kinds of choices/decisions.

Breakout Session I – 10:00 – 10:45 am | Workshop 3

Title: Using Improv to Develop Innovative and Collaborative Women Leaders

Presenter: Marcia A. TAYLOR
Delaware State University

Presentation Overview: Today’s fast-paced, ever-changing education frontier relies on innovation to meet challenges. Unfortunately, work teams are often products of organizational cultures that may not inspire creativity, rule-breaking/bending, or thinking out of the box. This session will examine improvisation techniques used in jazz music, theatre, and hip-hop culture. Participants will experiment with concepts from Frank Barrett’s YES TO THE MESS: SURPRISING LEADERSHIP LESSONS FROM JAZZ. According to the Smithsonian Institute, “Jazz is one of the United States’ greatest exports to the world.” Numerous researchers have noted that Jazz music embodies America’s founding principles—the spirit of freedom, diversity and ingenuity. This session will challenge leaders to create spontaneously, as individuals and as a team member.  

Breakout Session I – 10:00 – 10:45 am | Workshop 4

Title: Dealing with Difficult People

Presenters: Kathy Murphy, Associate Director
Institute for Public Administration
University of Delaware

Dabney Brice, Public Administration Fellow
Institute for Public Administration
University of Delaware

Presentation Overview: We all have difficult people in our lives. Some of us have difficult people at home, others have them at work, and others interact with them socially. Having one or more difficult people in your life can be a challenge. Having multiple versions of these people can be overwhelming. Interacting with difficult people can negatively impact your mind, body, and spirit not to mention deplete your time and energy. Left unmanaged, the pain we experience can bleed into other relationships causing a ripple effect of negativity, frustration, and aggravation for people we actually care about. Navigating difficult group dynamics, as well as difficult people, is an essential leadership skill. Anyone willing to learn how to handle difficult people can learn.
 

Breakout Session II – 11:00 – 11:45 am | Workshop 1

Title: Three Instant Game Changers to Increase Your Value and Maximize Performance

Presenter: Schentel Jones, Associate Director of Residential Education
& Housing
Delaware State University

Presentation Overview: Everyone wants to be better at what they do. “Three Instant Game Changers to Increase Your Value and Maximize Work Performance” is an interactive talk, which will highlight the art of increasing one’s value and maximizing performance at work. The audience will leave with the tools necessary to enhance work performance and produce success within their organizations. This session will inspire new professionals to use these essential building blocks to nourish one’s growth and prepare future leaders for success.

Breakout Session II – 11:00 – 11:45 am | Workshop 2

Title: The Gender Pay Gap: Why It Happens and How We can Change It

Presenter: Diane Goldsmith, Information Technologies Dept.
Executive Board Member (2019-2022), Women’s Caucus
University of Delaware

Presentation Overview: We often hear the numbers: “Women make 80 cents for every dollar a man makes!”, but we don’t know the cultural, societal, and self-imposed barriers that contribute to the gender pay gap. Using Caroline Criado Perez’s book: “Invisible Women: Data Base Design in a World Designed for Men” as a reference, as well as other publications, I will detail the challenges women face in the workplace and beyond that help contribute to the gender pay gap. My hope is that empowering women with more knowledge will enhance their ability to advocate for themselves and for other women to advance their careers and increase their paychecks.

Breakout Session II – 11:00 – 11:45 am | Workshop 3

Title: You are Your Limiting Beliefs
Presenter: Melissa Carson, Adjunct Professor
Wilmington University

Presentation Overview: Women often are their own worst enemies. We only apply for positions if we meet 100% of the criteria. We don’t feel comfortable expressing our views if we’re not sure all will agree. We’re less likely to ask for the salary or the raise we want. We let that voice in our head that we’re not enough win over the voice that tells us we’re powerful. What if we were able to squash those limiting beliefs when they show up?

Breakout Session II – 11:00 – 11:45 am | Workshop 4

Title: Lessons Learned: Parallels between a Dissertation and Leading an Organization through Change

Presenter: Meaghan Davidson, Assistant Dean of Students, M.Ed.
University of Delaware

Presentation Overview: Many of us consider or pursue a terminal degree because we want to advance in our organization or field. This was one of the reasons why I applied to the University of Delaware’s Ed.D. in Educational Leadership. Just before I began my dissertation, I started in a new position at UD. I was tasked with creating a new department within our division. Right away, I’ve exercised many of the lessons taught within our Ed.D. coursework in two different yet similar settings: the dissertation process and creating this new department within my organization. Fortunately, there are parallels between the two that make me more skilled and efficient. Though, there are some distinguishable differences between a dissertation and leading a change process. Here, I will share the lessons I have learned. I will share my insights in the areas of confidence I have because of my Ed.D. program and how I utilize my coursework and my dissertation process to be more successful within my organization. I will also share the points of tension; things I learned in the classroom were not always in line with my work as a practitioner.

Breakout Session III – 1:15 – 2:00 pm | Workshop 1

Title: Ahhh…HEAR What Your People Are Saying! Learn the Five Key Concepts to Retaining Your Employees

Presenter: Michelle Burke, Maven Maker & Founder, Bossibly
Adjunct Instructor, Wilmington University

Presentation Overview: So many businesses are struggling with employee retention. The stats on turnover are scary, ‘51% of U.S. employees say they are actively looking for a new job or watching for openings.’ This is coming from Gallup who surveyed 31 million people! It’s a huge issue with many moving pieces. What IF we reverse-engineered retention to assess the gaps in an organization’s talent management program? It starts with listening to your people at all levels and a willingness to have the tough conversations about what’s broken. The 5 key concepts: Ahhh…HEAR is the formula for success: A – Attraction H – Hiring E – Engagement A – Accountability R – Retention. When you have the right people on your team you don’t have to work so hard. Businesses need a system for success that includes attraction, hiring, engagement, accountability, which leads to retention.

Breakout Session III – 1:15 – 2:00 pm | Workshop 2

Title: Live Into Your Dreams
Presenter: Dr. Sallie A. Reissman, Assistant Vice President & Dean, Administrative Affairs, Wilmington University DAWN 2019 Leadership Award Recipient

Presentation Overview: If you are like many busy professionals, you spend countless hours encouraging your staff and colleagues to think about increasing their skills in order to develop and meet both professional and life goals. But what about YOU? What about your own professional and personal development?
To make certain that you are satisfied and productive in your career, it’s wise to check in with yourself from time to time to identify what you are most passionate about. This motivational presentation—blending guidance, wisdom and art—takes audiences on a 30-year journey that carried Sallie to food service and then all the way to the halls of academia. Sallie shares her inspiring—and dramatic—story about the power of what seemed like an impossible dream, and how her persistence and approach has enabled her to make her dreams come true, and not without surmounting many obstacles along the way.

Breakout Session III – 1:15 – 2:00 pm | Workshop 3

Title: Self, Guide, Credit

Presenter: Dr. Victoria Haddad, Assistant Professor
Chair: Computer Science; Chair: MS-IST/Web Design
Wilmington University

Presentation Overview: Females in higher education experience promotion to senior academic positions differently than males. A study conducted by Pyke in 2013 explores the extent to which women’s choices and aspirations are shaped by academic employment conditions that are vague in their effects on women’s ability to reach senior academic roles in higher education. “Women are less likely to be tenured or promoted compared to male faculty, and women faculty earn less than their male colleagues” (Pyke, 2013). However, it does not have to be so. Females do not need to compete for promotion. Instead, they need to plan their own promotion. This workshop will focus on the three strategies that females can use to plan their promotion: Self, Guide, Credit.

Breakout Session III – 1:15 – 2:00 pm | Workshop 4

Title: Finding YOUR Person and Embracing YOUR Village

Presenter Jocelyn E. Moses, Director of Residence and Student
Life
Goldey –Beacom College

Presentation overview: How can you be an effective mentor/advisor, without understanding and recognizing your own village? Through this workshop, attendees will explore the importance of their own “village” and how that directly correlates to supporting and mentoring others today.

Breakout Session III – 1:15 – 2:00 pm | Workshop 5

Title: Trauma Informed Values in Leadership

Presenter: Marilyn Siebold, Adjunct Professor and DE Internship Academic Supervisor Psychology and Organizational Dynamics
Wilmington University

Presentation Overview: This workshop will focus on Trauma Informed Leadership, and explain how, by applying the Principles and Values of Trauma Informed Approaches, leaders in many fields, including education, politics, and in business community, can support an environment of psychological safety which is necessary to expand and enhance healthier outcomes in communities. Discussions will focus on the science of how trauma impacts people throughout the life span, and the research that supports the Trauma-informed Approach (TIA) to mitigate the risk factors associated with Adverse Childhood Experiences and thereby support resilience. The TIA in higher education for students and for teachers will be highlighted, and examples of TIA to self- care will be presented. Outcomes from this workshop include generating ideas about how to build one’s capacity to use a trauma-informed approach in your personal and professional life and understanding how to build resilience in ourselves, and strengthen connections within work groups and the community.

Special Note: Rebecca M. Ghabour, Ph.D. co-authored this presentation
 

Breakout Session IV – 2:15 – 3:00 pm | Workshop 1

Title: Gender Diversity and Generational Gaps: Two Hurdles Worth One Giant Leap

Presenter: Renee’ C. Marine, Higher Ed. Ed.D Candidate
Program Director, Assistant Professor /Television Lead
Mass Communications, Visual and Performing Arts
Delaware State University

Presentation Overview: The goal of this workshop is to present current research and to promote discussion on how gender diversity and generational gaps both compliment and conflict one another in a higher education session. Some may be surprised as to how cyclical the two are actually. The participants will get an overview of the research and both share and receive ways to make the difference work to your leadership advantage.

Breakout Session IV – 2:15 – 3:00 pm | Workshop 2

Title: Navigating the White Waters of Change

Presenter: Terri G. Trent, Ph.D., Faculty Development Specialist
Wilmington University

Presentation Overview: While change has become the norm for modern organizations and their employees, workers’ responses to change efforts are often uncomfortable at best, and debilitating at worst. This is particularly true for professional women who undergo organizational change efforts and are facing personal trauma and change in their personal lives. Regardless of the type of change individuals may experience, they often find themselves ill equipped to navigate the shifting landscape of the newly shifting world of work. Through this interactive workshop, participants will learn strategies that will equip them to maintain equilibrium in the face of stress or rebound from any knockout and summon the will to get back on their feet.

Breakout Session IV – 2:15 – 3:00 pm | Workshop 3

Title: Living Your Life on Purpose: Being Your Hero

Presenter: Dr. Katie Ellis, Site Director-Brandywine
Wilmington University

Presentation overview: Through life and career, creating your own happiness and intentional pathways is critical. The speaker will provide a few tangible ways the audience can look inward to create a new outlook. Whether it be a new career, a goal weight, running a race, or saving money….having a plan that is measurable and sustainable can be achieved. I will share a real-life story on how changing your surroundings, having “passion pushers” (mentors) in your circle, keeping some goals private, and time for you can catapult life toward a happier self. Job titles alone, or waiting for the “perfect time” does not create living your life on purpose. Selecting meaningful endeavors along the way can impact your self-worth, leadership ability, and a chance to give back. When you give out positivity, you will in return get positivity in your life. Through surrounding myself in local non-profits, wonderful mentors/friends (my passion-pushers), humor, and heavy personal challenges, I have made a difference in my career, how I set goals, and creating more sunshine in my life. I would love the opportunity to share some ideas I have learned from many of my own everyday heroes who have encouraged me to be my own hero in my story.

Breakout Session IV – 2:15 – 3:00 pm | Workshop 4

Title: Breaking the Patriarchal Chains of Educational Leadership

Presenter: Francine Edwards, PhD, Dean
College of Humanities, Education, and Social Sciences
Delaware State University

Presentation Overview: This workshop was inspired by a summer of leadership conferences. Women still do not have the leadership support and advocacy from men that many assume the 21st century would have yielded by now. Leadership continues to be gendered, meaning that women continue to encounter gender issues as a result of the social context. The question that women leaders need to ponder is should we continue to focus on the lack of empathy from our male counterparts and colleagues or should we work to change the way we navigate a patriarchal culture and partner with other female leaders to create workplace cultures that support making climbing the leadership ladder more manageable for women.

Breakout Session IV – 2:15 – 3:00 pm | Workshop 5

Title: Conflict in the Conference Room: Keeping Your Cool, When Things Heat Up!

Presenter: Deanna M. Merritt, Ph.D.
Goldey-Beacom College

Presentation overview: Studies suggest that conflict avoidance and conflict resolution are the two most talked about topics in organizations today—more than sales, more than development, more than customer service. We all know that conflict in institutions of higher learning are no exception! In fact, there are times when we get into conflict over the best way to deal with conflict! Using IDEALS, this highly interactive workshop presentation will demonstrate the realities of conflict, the consequences of conflict and the power to bring about significant value through conflict (yes, value!). Specific tools and techniques to develop a communication strategy that works in almost every situation will be offered. We’ll learn how to Identify the signs of rising temperatures and Develop insights into the causes of conflict. Encourage honest and open communication while Advancing positivity and inclusiveness of ideas. We will explore ways to Link behaviors to transformative outcomes and Support each other on the journey!