Program Calendar

How do successful individuals leverage their professional brand to succeed? Whether you are looking for a new job, hoping to elevate your position in your current company, or looking to grow a business, your brand is critical to meet your goals. It’s even more important during a time when many interactions are virtual and when anyone can search your name online in five minutes or less. Learn three things you can do today! Take control of your brand! Take control of your success!

Learning Objectives

1. Empower the audience with information on the value and importance of professional branding.
2. Explain how professional branding helps to stand out from the competition.
3. Provide examples of how to promote their professional footprint.

This program is ideal for:  Anyone

About Our Facilitator

Susan Caplan is a professional development and communication specialist with a Bachelor of Science in Education and over 15 years as an author, speaker, and consultant. Susan is a Professional Development Advisor at Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management, author of the Marketing Yourself to the Real World™ book series, and Founder and President of SC Associates, LLC with work receiving the PR NEWs Digital PR Award and Publicity Club of Chicago Silver Trumpet Award. Susan serves on various advisory boards including Women and Drones (UAS, AAM), Northwestern University McCormick School of Engineering SOTY Board of Judges, College Career Consortium of Illinois, and Midwest Association of Colleges and Employers.

Sponsored by:

People speak English differently. The differences can be obvious or subtle, but does it matter?

In Delaware County, about 3.5% of the population speaks a language other than English at home and about 2% are foreign-born. Yet many more individuals do not recognize their own verbal differences but do in others even though there are 160 English accents in the world (or put a little differently, there are as many English accents as there are English speakers).

Very few people speak English as it is taught i.e. “received pronunciation,” however, many employees believe they speak English properly and use Standard American English. Yet, sometimes they harbor an implicit or explicit bias that impacts how people work together and organizations function. What does this mean for team members, managers, and organizations wanting to work better together? What is the business case for embracing linguistic diversity?

The first steps are to understand one’s own English speaking relative to others, appreciate the benefits of such linguistic differences, and then understand internal and organizational biases to identify the linguistic challenges to find solutions for overcoming them.

While some technical terms will be used, the program aim is to recognize and overcome any linguistic bias.

Learning Objectives

1. Reflect on personal linguistic differences
2. Appreciate the benefit of linguistic differences
3. Understand internal and organizational linguistic biases

This program is ideal for: employees and hiring managers.

Note: This program will use interactive tools – Participants should bring their smartphones.

About Our Facilitator

Tania Said, an independent nonprofit professional, worked in museums for over 30 years and continues to consult with museums across the country. Tania’s educational philosophy relies on authentic materials, deep listening, and social learning based on decades of working to improve access to museums and education. She previously worked for the Smithsonian Institution, Ball State University, Bead Museum, Corcoran Gallery of Art, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the American Alliance of Museums. Tania serves her community through board service and volunteering with the Ross Community Center, Minnetrista, and Muncie Arts and Culture Council.

She is also the principal and owner of Tania Said Consulting, a firm that offers organizational and program development services to nonprofits and museums. She is an immigrant and new American who was born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and educated in Bloomington and Muncie, Indiana; Washington, DC; Bournemouth, England; and Msida, Malta. She is proud to be an alum of Ball State University and The George Washington University. Tania lives in Muncie with her husband and son, and their two dogs. Her interests include yoga, running, reading, museums, art, and meeting new people.

It is becoming more and more popular to hate small talk, but the truth remains that surface level conversations are crucial to forming impressions, building a network, and cultivating relationships. Drawing from her training and experience as a clinical mental health professional, nonprofit leader, and communications professional, Michele will explain the psychology of first impressions, the importance of foundational conversations, and strategies to master and enjoy the delicate art of small talk.

Learning Objectives

1. Challenge misconceptions that small talk is boring, unnecessary, or useless
2. Understand and practice the principles of making a memorable first impression
3. Understand and practice Foundational Conversation as a key component to networking

This program is ideal for: introverts & anyone who wants to learn!

About Our Facilitator

Michele Owen was trained as a clinical mental health counselor and practiced trauma therapy with women and children before pursuing a career as a nonprofit executive. She currently also holds the position of Communications Director for the City of Muncie, and works with several initiatives and taskforces around the City. Her experience includes teaching at a collegiate level, developing and delivering a TedX talk, social psychology research, leadership training, and professional writing.

Virtual 2-Part Series

Session #1:
Wednesday, February 22
2:00 PM – 3:30 PM

Session #2:
Thursday, February 23
2:00 PM – 3:30 PM

We’ve been told that resiliency and a healthy lifestyle are important, but how do we implement those things into our already busy schedule? During this session, we will explore what resiliency and wellness look like as well as the different ways resiliency can be experienced. We will engage in reflection and look at the ways we’ve already seen wellness and resiliency in our lives. Participants will learn how resiliency and wellness interact, actionable steps for developing both in their lives and having a plan when life doesn’t go the way they thought.

Learning Objectives

1. How resiliency and wellness interact
2. Actionable steps to developing wellness & resiliency
3. A plan for continuing to take action even when life gets crazy
4. How to re-frame failure

This program is ideal for:  anyone looking to better themselves

About Our Facilitator

Shaina Partlow is a certified health coach who empowers young professional women with healthy lifestyle education through individualized coaching, motivation, and positivity so that they can feel confident and comfortable in their own daily life. Shaina received her Health Coaching certificate from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. She is also a founding instructor for LYFE at Home, a virtual wellness company, where she leads livestream workouts.

She graduated from Brigham Young University with a bachelor’s degree in English Literature. She went on to receive her master’s degree from Ball State University in Student Affairs Administration in Higher Education. After working as a Career Coach at Purdue University, Shaina recognized the need for coaching on various topics in addition to a career. She decided to get certified as a Health Coach to help people better understand how health is interrelated to all areas of their lives.

Shaina coaches her clients in the areas of nutrition, fitness, and mindset. Shaina believes that health involves moving your body, eating foods you enjoy, and being with the people you love.

Shaina lives in North Carolina with her husband and a very sassy labradoodle!

In-Person 3 Hour Session

Learning Objectives

1. Learn the key parts of Organizational Change and its benefits and risks.
2. Explore how Change affects personnel morale and retention.
3. Develop a practical plan of action that can be immediately implemented.

This program is ideal for:  anyone in a leadership role who is undergoing or planning a significant transition in the workplace.

About Our Facilitator

Mark Demchak has more than 25 years of nonprofit leadership experience working for 3 YMCAs in Illinois and Indiana. He currently serves as the Executive Director of the Miami County YMCA in Peru, Indiana, where under his leadership the Y has successfully built a new YMCA facility and medical clinic (open February 2022). Mark’s experience includes strategic planning, capital project development, fundraising, board development, and staff development, and he is a sought after trainer in leadership coaching. He holds a B.A. from Purdue University and an MFA from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks–both degrees are in Creative Writing.

Queerology 101 takes the participants into the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ+) community and allows them to become more understanding about issues faced by the community. This is done through sharing our stories, providing education about the history of and vocabulary in the Queer community, as well as facts and information about the community relevant to a wide variety of participants. Participants will also learn about ways to be better allies and advocates for members of the LGBTQ+ community.

Learning Objectives

1. An increased understanding regarding the history of and vocabulary in the LGBTQ+ community.
2. Tips and suggestions for being better allies and advocates for the LGBTQ+ community.
3. A greater understanding of issues affecting the LGBTQ+ Community.

This program is ideal for:  Nonprofits, supervisors, teachers, medical professionals, and community members wanting to create a more inclusive community.

About Our Facilitators

Mike Martinez, a full-time doctoral student at Ball State University and returns to higher education with a great amount of experience in the workforce as an Athletic Trainer. Mike is a native of California where he received his bachelor’s degree and master’s degree from California State University, Fullerton in kinesiology and athletic training. His most recent professional position was Head of Sports Medicine for the USA Volleyball Beach National

Jeffry Neuhouser, a doctoral student at Ball State studying the intersection of queer and professional identity and how to create a sense of belonging for members of the LGBTQ+ community. They completed their BA in History at Taylor University, where they were the first student to come out publicly on campus. After completing an MA in History from Memorial University of Newfoundland and an MA in Student Affairs Administration at Ball State, they moved into career development work in higher education.

Brandon Million has a MA from Ball State University and is currently pursuing his doctorate in Higher Education. He has conducted research on the LGBTQ+ for 10+ years, including writing his master’s thesis on the impacts of body image issues and internalized homophobia on community connectedness within the LGBTQ+ community.

Sponsored by:

More than ever, we are being called not just to adapt, but to be flexible in our leadership. So what is flexibility? This workshop will explore three types of flexibility– cognitive, emotional, and dispositional, and will outline key action steps that leaders can implement with their teams, and themselves.

Learning Objectives

1. The difference between adaptability and flexibility
2. Three different types of flexibility
3. What flexibility looks like in action
4. How to apply the concepts to your team

This program is ideal for:  all in management/supervisory positions; particular those who are newer, or who are grappling with how to best support their teams

About Our Facilitator

Erika Petrelli Bayh has been in people-development for more than 25 years, currently as The Leadership Program’s Senior Vice President of Leadership Development (& self-declared Minister of Mischief). She worked at the helm of Leadership’s central programming for more than a decade, overseeing its largest expansion, and now trains key leadership skills to professionals across the country—as a keynote speaker and featured presenter at conferences, a trainer and coach within organizations, and a leadership-whisperer to individuals. She also blogs regularly and wrote an interactive journal, On Wings & Whimsy: Finding the Extraordinary Within the Ordinary, available on Amazon. Whether from a conference stage, behind a pen, or in one-on-one conversation, the legacy Erika strives to create daily is to be the runway upon which others take flight.

We all have needs: food, shelter, clothing; meaningful work; love and friendship; self-esteem. The term “legacy” in today’s society often refers to how one will be remembered. There’s a Greek proverb that reminds us as “wise” people to “plant trees we will never sit under” — but how can we do that?

This workshop will be part-discussion, part-activity, and a lot of reflection. What makes your heart beat faster? What legacy are you building? Is that even a good goal? Life is too short to let it pass by.

Learning Objectives

1. Take stock of their strengths and how they use them
2. Consider the needs of the spaces they occupy and how their strengths might be best utilized
3. Understand the value of community and giving back through gifts of time, talent and treasure as a business tactic to grow your network, improve the lives of those around you and be a better leader.

This program is ideal for:  young professionals, mid-managers, about-to-be retirees, supervisors

About Our Facilitator

James Mitchell serves as the Director of HR and Employee Experience at Minnetrista, a 40 acre museum and gardens that celebrates the legacy of the Ball families and their company which transformed food preservation with canning jars at the beginning of the 20th century.

He is both the HR generalist and chief people officer for his organization. The museum employs around 65-70 people at any point of the year. He has had several experiences in HR that he hopes to never have again (as him about them sometime!) but most every day he appreciates the opportunity to help new employees catch the “why” of their roles at Minnetrista.

Prior to his work at Minnetrista, James worked in college career services, residence life, and was an AmeriCorps member.

James has been and is very proud of his service as a nonprofit board chair three times and as the President of the local HR professional association. He also established a fund through the Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County in honor of his parents.

In his free time he is a foodie and loves to play video games.

Read a book. Lead with inspiration.

SLA in partnership with Muncie Public Library is offering a unique quarterly gathering, highlighting important take-aways from inspirational leadership books. At each event, facilitators will share key leadership development lessons from leadership-focused books. This is not a book club, rather a guided discussion around the key takeaways from each book.

Prior reading of the book is not required but we encourage participants to share about what they learned and check-out one of the books from Muncie Public Library. All participants attending will be entered in a raffle to win a digital copy of one of the books discussed.

All sessions are FREE and open to the public. Some events will be in-person and some will be virtual. Registration is required.

LEARN MORE »

Virtual 2-Part Series

Session #1:
Wednesday, March 22
2:00 PM – 3:30 PM

Session #2:
Thursday, March 23
2:00 PM – 3:30 PM

In the workplace, coaching is a powerful and valuable skill for any leader to possess, but how is it done effectively? In this workshop participants will learn what coaching is and what it is not, some key principles to keep in mind when having a coaching conversation and a simple outline for conducting an effective coaching conversation. This is a great topic for anyone in leadership or preparing for a leadership role.

Learning Objectives

1. Discover the framework of a coaching session
2. Develop an outline to conduct your own coaching sessions
3. Learn how to listen beyond the words
4. Experience an example of a powerful coaching session

This program is ideal for:  HR managers, leaders, first-time supervisors, and anyone with direct reports

About Our Facilitator

Halle Simpson is a globally certified Professional Certified Coach (PCC) with the International Coaching Federation, Keynote Speaker, Trainer and Author of the Know Thyself Journal. Her passion for speaking and coaching stems from growing up in a household with a parent battling depression and the grit gained from a 20 year career in sales and leadership development.

In her work with executives and business owners across the country, Halle has come to specialize in creating intentional conversations to grow leaders and their businesses.

In her down time, Halle enjoys daily journaling, yoga, massages, watching cooking shows and trips to Traverse City, Michigan. She resides in Indianapolis with her Boston Terrier, Marco (named after Marco Andretti) and is a race fan who attends the Indy 500 each year.

All Aboard: Board Leadership in Motion is a three-hour workshop ideal for individuals who have a desire to serve on a not-for-profit board but want to learn more about what serving as a board member entails, and how to find the potential board opportunity that suits their interests and skill sets.

This session is a partnership with the Heart of Indiana United Way and is sponsored in-part by: Stallings Wealth Management.

Participant Takeaways

• An understanding of the roles and responsibilities of a not-for-profit board member
• How to determine board opportunities that match interests, skills, & desired level of commitment
• Guidance on how to be an effective board member
• Insight on how to find potential board member opportunities
• Descriptions of board member opportunities currently available in the area

Who Should Attend?

All Aboard is ideal for individuals who have a desire to serve on a not-for-profit board but want to learn more about what serving as a board member entails and how to find the potential board opportunity that suits their interests and skill sets.

Tuition:

Thanks to our generous sponsors, All Aboard is available for free.

About Our Facilitator:

Our presenter is Dave Sternberg, Senior Partner of the Indianapolis and Ft. Lauderdale based firm of Loring, Sternberg & Associates, provides fundraising and governance consulting services to nonprofits.

Dave Sternberg has been a nonprofit professional since obtaining a bachelor’s degree from The Ohio State University. Today, he is a member of the faculty at the Lilly School of Philanthropy’s Fund Raising School, a BoardSource senior governance consultant, and an independent consultant with Loring, Sternberg and Associates.

For The Fund Raising School, Dave teaches “Developing Annual Sustainability, Principles and Technique of Fundraising” and “Developing Major Gifts,” as well as numerous customized training programs nationally and internationally. As a BoardSource consultant, Dave provides counsel on such topics as strategic planning and fundraising. His clients describe him as a gifted strategist, adept at assessing and identifying solutions for organizational and board challenges, and brutally honest.

He is the only person in America to hold a position with both Board Source and the Fund Raising School.