Welcome, Alumni!
Professional Development
Our signature Professional Development programs help you develop a foundation for long-term professional success.
NCCCLAG
Professional Development Calendar
We are kicking off the 2023-2024 professional development series! See below for a detailed description of the events this season and register today.
All Professional Development Events are free to our Lifetime Alumni Members. These virtual webinars are held in conjunction with the OLÉ sessions.
Registration Information
STEP 2
Great! Now that we have verified either your college license or NCCCLAG lifetime membership, here is the information on how to register for the OLÈ sessions:
Professional Development & OLÉ Webinar Sessions
October 30, 2023 | 2:00pm – 3:30pm
Topic: "Surviving DEI Work Using Emotional Intelligence"
Presenters: Keisha Jones
Description: There has been a lot of buzz centered around Emotional Intelligence (EI) in various industries regarding various topics. Diverse workplaces require us to think outside of our cultural boxes and encourage the same skills that emotional intelligence promotes. With diversity, equity, and inclusion work we are dealing with people. We want to humanize it. There's emotion there and if you can't manage your emotions and others, the ability to effectively lead the work could be challenging. In many instances, the underdevelopment of emotional intelligence is a consistent barrier to taking action to advance inclusion and justice. Boosting your emotional intelligence can enhance your workplace relationships as well as assist you through your DEI work. This session will help you make your emotions work for you and not against you.
November 1, 2023 | 3:00pm – 4:30pm
Topic: "Freaky Leadership Traits Needed To Be A Successful Leader"
Presenters: Jairo McMican
Description: In today's fast-paced and ever-evolving community college landscape, leadership is not a one-size-fits-all concept. While traditional leadership qualities like communication, vision, and decision-making remain important, there are several freaky traits that leaders need to thrive. This unorthodox session aims to explore and unpack these unconventional but essential traits that set exceptional community college leaders apart.
November 15, 2023 | 3:30pm – 4:30pm
Topic: "Artificial Intelligence in Community Colleges"
Presenters: Dr. Gary Ritter
Description: Rarely has a technological innovation had as much impact on the way teaching and learning is conducted as has been the case with Artificial Intelligence. Come to this session for a primer on what has been happening, the various issues it raises and some strategies for how to take advantage of these new innovative tools.
January 11, 2024 | 2:00pm – 3:30pm
Topic: "You Might be a Bully and How to Stop"
Presenters: Matt Huntanar
Description: A bully is a person who habitually seeks to harm or intimidate those whom they perceive as vulnerable. Sometimes we can unknowingly bully members of the LGBTQ community by our spoken language, body language and written language. This workshop will provide strategies and best practices to help foster a culture on campus in which all individuals feel welcome and safe. In the session we will focus on discussions and activities to help improve the working environment for faculty and staff, and the learning environment for students. You will be made aware of the proper use of LGBTQ terms and pronouns, inclusive language, case studies, and bullying prevention strategies.
January 23, 2024 | 2:00pm – 3:30pm
Topic: "Developing a Culture of Feedback and How to Lead When Feedback Fails"
Presenters: Suzanne Rohrbaugh
Description: Why is a culture of feedback so important? Are you part of that culture or are you a barrier to a culture of feedback? Learn how to recognize and give relevant feedback to employees in a constructive manner. When feedback fails, how do you move forward. Difficult conversations are hard but necessary. This session will equip you with strategies to engage employees to provide feedback or the tools to have the courageous conversations.
February 8, 2024 | 3:00pm – 4:00pm
Topic: "Understanding Yourself In Order To Lead Better"
Presenters: Dr. Amanda Lee & Dr. Ray Sheppard
Description: We know the teams that work together well are the most successful. Sometimes though we get into patterns that are not productive and we get in our own way. We will discuss some of the things we may be doing as leaders that are impeding our effectiveness as well as ways to change this behavior. This session will introduce current leadership research and provide resources for future growth.
February 21, 2024 | 3:00pm – 4:00pm
Topic: "Reflections on The Aspen Institute College Excellence Program and the Rising Presidents Fellowship"
Presenters: Dr. Stacey Waters-Bailey and Dr. Julie Voigt
Description: The Aspen Rising Presidents Fellowship, an esteemed initiative by the Aspen Institute, stands as a transformative platform that empowers rising community college leaders to shape the future of education. The one-of-a-kind program brings together future community college presidents with diverse backgrounds and experiences, united by their shared commitment to redefining higher education's role in society. It fosters a collaborative environment where leaders can explore and implement visionary strategies, equipping them to build more equitable, inclusive, and resilient institutions. By providing a unique and transformative experience, it empowers leaders from across the nation to become catalysts for positive change, driving their institutions toward greater excellence, inclusivity, and community impact. Attendees of this presentation will gain insights into the program's distinctiveness, its potential to address current challenges, and its role in shaping the community college leaders of tomorrow.
March 5, 2024 | 2:00pm – 3:15pm
Topic: "Mentoring Matters"
Presenters: Dr. Pat Akers
Description: For me, being mentored and mentoring others is one of the most worthwhile experience I have had in my career. In both cases this experience fostered growth, learning, and mutual support. It is a powerful tool for personal and professional development. In this session I will share strategies to make each level of mentoring as successful for you as it was for. My goal is for you to strive to develop these relationships throughout your career.
March 20, 2024 | 2:00pm – 3:00pm
Topic: "Using Data and Storytelling to Rally Around the Vision"
Presenters: Dr. Margaret Annunziata
Description: Effective leadership that builds a culture of student success entails more than just crafting a compelling college vision; it requires the ability to secure buy-in from stakeholders at all levels. The integration of data-driven insights and the art of storytelling offers a powerful toolkit to achieve this goal. This session is designed to engage change agents at all levels in exploring the skills needed to leverage data and storytelling as strategic tools for garnering support and commitment towards their college vision and build momentum toward achievement of related strategic objectives.
March 26, 2024 | 2:00pm – 3:15pm
Topic: “Budgeting for Student Success”
Presenters: Dr. Rusty Hunt
Description: This session will tie strategies for creating a budget that includes some foundational things about FTE calculations, the financial importance of student progression, success, and completion, and how to decide when a budget decision makes financial sense (return on investment). Participants will come away with a basic knowledge of what a department entails.
April 3, 2024 | 2:00pm – 3:30pm
Topic: “Leading Change”
Presenters: Dr. Maria Pharr
Description: We all know that change, whether in the workplace or personally, is constant. As institutions of higher education, we aspire to be innovative and forward moving. But how do you motivate your team and build buy-in? This session will provide strategies for leading change in your institution through inspiring and thoughtful leadership.
April 16, 2024 | 3:30pm – 5:00pm
Topic: "Leading Teams Effectively"
Presenters: Dr. Fiona H Chrystall
Description: As a leader, you may have to build, lead, and develop teams to achieve goals or complete projects. A knowledge of teamwork development theory is helpful, not only for the practical purposes of creating effective teams, but for developing awareness of your own traits and behaviors and how your leadership style might need to change as teams develop into self-managing units. Through exploration of teamwork development models, team roles, and a bit of self-assessment, participants will determine deliberate, thoughtful approaches to teamwork from the leader’s perspective.
April 23, 2024 | 2:00pm – 3:30pm
Topic: “Using Self-improvement as a Pathway to Effective Leadership"
Presenters: Dr. Shelton Charles
Description: Using self-improvement as a pathway to effective leadership" is a concept that emphasizes the idea that personal growth and continuous self-development play a critical role in becoming an effective and influential leader. It suggests that by actively working on improving oneself, individuals can enhance their leadership abilities and have a positive impact on those they lead.
April 25, 2024 | 2:00pm – 3:30pm
Topic: "Working Better Together"
Presenters: Logan Dupree, Beth McCall and Melanie Dekerlegrand
Description: "Working Better Together" promotes the value of strong working relationships with practical applications of growth mindset, desire for mentorship, networking, and a pointed attention to how these ideas transfer to student success, based on recent community college data. The objective is to give attendees practical applications for "working better together."
Career Development Session 2023
Topic: Writing Your Cover Letter to Apply for a Job
Presenters: Dr. Kim Sepich
Topic: Interview Skills - Do's and Don'ts
Presenters: Dr. John Enamait, Dr. Robert Shackleford, & Dr. Murray Williams
Description: Panelists Dr. Bob Shackleford President Emeritus of Randolph Community College and CEO of Shackleford Leadership Institute, Dr. Murray Williams President of Roanoke-Chowan Community College, and Dr. John Enamait President of Stanly Community College share their expertise and experiences on the application process. Facilitated by Dr. Kim Sepich, panelists are asked about deciding to apply for a new position, the importance of a cover letter, and the interview.
Certificate/Viewing: If you want to get credit toward the OLÉ certificate, please fill out the short Attendance Verification form using the button below. Then click on the Career Development Session button to access the recorded session.
Throughout the year, we offer innovative programs to enrich your personal and professional experience.
Contact The NCCCLAG Management Team
North Carolina Community College Leadership Alumni Group (NCCCLAG)
Akers
P.A. Training Solutions
North Carolina Community College Leadership Program, Founder
336.886.6983
pakers@nccclp.com
Director of Curriculum Operations & Leadership Development
Sandhills
Community College
3395 Airport Road
Pinehurst, NC 28326
910.246.4128
mbridschge@nccclp.com
Wilson
Executive Director, Office of Learning Support
Catawba Valley
Community College
2550 Hwy 70 SE
Hickory, NC 28602
828.327.7000 x4525
swilson@nccclp.com
Boone
Mathematics Faculty
Gaston College
828.719.7411
mboone@nccclp.com
Williamson
Department Chair/Associate Professor & Coordinator, Mathematics
Sandhills
Community College
910.695.3749
johnwilliamson@nccclp.com