Description

In this time of rapid and unprecedented change, higher education leaders must guide their teams through transition in ways that strengthen both organizational resilience and individual growth. This workshop will equip leaders with practical tools and skills to effectively lead teams through change. Participants will explore proven strategies and methodologies to assess readiness, prepare for transition, and measure the impact of change initiatives.  The goals of this workshop are to:

1. Develop a clear understanding of the change process and foundational principles of change management.
2. Strengthen leaders’ capacity to effectively lead change and support their teams as skilled coaches during periods of transition.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this session participants will be able to:

• Identify essential tools and practices that build organizational resilience.
• Recognize strategies that enhance personal resilience.
• Explain the critical role of a clear, well‑structured communication plan in successful change initiatives.
• Design a tailored change‑management communication plan for a real‑world scenario.

*To attend the pre-conference workshop, you must sign up for the Forum.

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Description

In a time of constant institutional change, women leaders in higher education often find themselves navigating uncertainty, self-doubt, and the pressure to have all the answers. Drawing from her personal journey of building and selling a company in a male-dominated industry and her book REVERED: The Power of Female Leadership, Jamie Moraga shares how reframing discomfort as a growth signal, rather than a warning sign, transforms how we lead through change. Through candid storytelling, practical tools, and real examples from the women leaders she interviewed, you'll discover how resilience, authenticity, and defining success on your own terms can help you chart your next path with confidence and clarity.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this session participants will be able to:

• Reframe Discomfort as Growth: Understand how to recognize when you're in your growth zone (not panic zone) and leverage those uncomfortable moments as catalysts for personal and professional development.
• Lead With Resilience, Not Perfection: Learn practical strategies for building grit, failing forward, and moving imperfect progress over paralyzed perfection - essential skills in navigating higher education's ongoing transformation.
• Define Success on Your Own Terms: Discover how to align your leadership values with your personal definition of success, measure progress by what matters to you, and lead authentically in systems built on external metrics and expectations.

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Erin Mercurio | Senior Director of Finance and Information Technology, Colorado State University
Fabiola P. Ehlers-Zavala | Colorado State University
Cris Sexton | Colorado State University

Description

This interactive presentation will detail the advantages of stakeholder mapping using the power/interest matrix, practical guidance for strengthening impact through the concepts of reframing and noticing, and how emotional intelligence can foster trust, better communication and stronger collaborations.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this session participants will be able to:

• Understand the significance of interactions with internal and external stakeholders by developing and utilizing stakeholder mapping strategies.
• Learn the benefits of building impact through how we see, treat and notice others by setting the tone for relationship-centered leadership.
• Discern how emotional intelligence can lead to stronger and more successful outcomes.

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Description

AI isn’t replacing people. However, it is reshaping who thrives, who is excluded, and what leadership must look like in the future. This session explores how Collaborative AI can help women leaders build cultures of inclusion, psychological safety, and intergenerational learning while navigating the rapid integration of AI in higher education. Participants will gain practical strategies for fostering unity, strengthening engagement, and ensuring that innovation truly supports an AI-ready workforce. 

Learning Objectives

By the end of this session participants will be able to:

• Differentiate between technology-driven AI adoption and collaborative, human-centered AI leadership approaches in higher education.
• Identify at least three risks that AI poses to employee engagement, inclusion, and intergenerational workforce dynamics.
• Apply the Collaborative AI Leadership Framework to develop one actionable leadership change that strengthens engagement and belonging during the AI transition.

**Participants must currently serve in a managerial, HR, or organizational leadership role with responsibility for supervising staff, leading teams, or making workforce-related decisions, and must have at least3 years of professional experience in that capacity. No advance preparation is required; however, participants should be familiar with basic HR concepts, including employee engagement, talent planning, workforce restructuring, and employment compliance considerations.

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Marlys Rybchenko | Senior Program Manager of Leadership and Organizational Engagement, Metropolitan State University of Denver
Sophia Montaño | Metropolitan State University of Denver
Araceli Cortez | Metropolitan State University of Denver

Description

Learning Objectives

By the end of this session participants will be able to:

• Leaders will be able to apply at least one tool to a project or initiative in their own workplace.  
• Leaders will be able to identify and discuss core leadership competencies and skills to increase team engagement 
• Leaders will identify one transformational tool they can commit to practicing to help build effective strategies within their organizations and teams.    
• Participants will be introduced to tools and strategies, including:
• Communications
• Racial Impact Analysis
• DBPA (Data-Based Performance Assessment)
• Feedback Processes
• Implementation and Action Planning
• Developing holistic systems that balance the people with the process.

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Field of Study: Specialized Knowledge

Description

As leaders, your time, insight, and decision-making are among your most valuable assets. Yet the increasing complexity of financial operations, compliance expectations, and strategic planning demands more from you than ever before. This session empowers women leaders to harness AI as a practical, approachable, and immediately usable tool—not a technical hurdle.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this session participants will be able to:

• Evaluate practical, approachable ways to integrate AI tools into everyday tasks.
• Understand when enabling data‑driven decisions rather than intuition‑driven decisions can improve the decision-making process.
• Identify how AI can analyze team dynamics.

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Leanne Bokinskie | Chief Operating Officer, Metropolitan State University of Denver
Kathy Kaoudis | Vice President of Administration and Finance/CFO, San Jose State University Officer
Mela Fezzey | CEO, Tru Consulting; former Executive Director of Finance, UC Riverside

Description

Leading change in higher education requires more than operational expertise — it demands clarity, courage, and the ability to align diverse voices around a shared path forward. In this fireside chat, executive leaders from Metropolitan State University of Denver, Claremont McKenna College, San Jose State University and Tru Consulting discuss how they navigate complexity, build trust, and guide institutions through transformational moments. Participants will gain practical insights and leadership strategies for strengthening institutional resilience in an era of rapid change.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this session participants will be able to:

• Strengthen alignment across institutional stakeholders by leading with transparency, clarity, and a shared sense of purpose.
• Navigate complex organizational change through strategic communication, collaborative decision-making, and resilient planning practices.
• Drive institutional resilience by applying leadership approaches that balance immediate pressures with long-term sustainability and mission-driven impact.

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