Miami University hosted its inaugural International Leadership Conference on Oct. 3-4. The conference included both lectures and breakout sessions with interactive components to engage students and other participants. Speakers discussed changes and challenges of being a leader in an increasingly polarized and technology-driven world.
From Community to Crisis: Leadership, Compassion and Crisis Management
Stephanie Byrd, the Regional CEO of the American Red Cross and a Miami alumna, delivered the keynote presentation on human-centered leadership.
The talk on Friday, Oct. 3, in Wilks Theater provided insight into the challenges of managing a company that is geographically dispersed.
Byrd talked about Success by 6, an initiative she started which helps prepare children for success by the time they hit kindergarten. The initiative helped pass a levy that supports funding for universal preschool for children ages 3 to 4 in the Cincinnati area.
“It sounds simple, but it means that there have to be intentional efforts to get them in quality programs, make sure that parents have the support that they need, that child care, quality child care, is available,” Byrd said of the program.
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Gabe Barlow, a first-year finance major and attendee of the event, said he had new ideas about the role of communication in leadership after attending the keynote presentation
“I think it's really amazing to help people at a pivotal point in their lives to really realize what they need to focus on,” Barlow said, “and different ways that they can implement that early before actually getting into a career.”
Surviving the Challenges of Modern Supply Chains: Leadership Strategies for Effective Logistics
Yao Jin and Tom Mobley, professors in the Farmer School of Business, lead a joint session on the increasing automation of supply chains and the role of artificial intelligence on Saturday, Oct. 4, in the Farmer School of Business.
“We are on the verge of taking another layer out of the workforce,” Mobley said. “Those [entry-level] jobs are gone, so how are you going to learn what it takes to be at that director level, when those jobs that gave you that ability to learn what's going on, the details of it are being automated out?”
Yao Jin and Tom Mobley discuss the role of mentorship as artificial intelligence becomes increasingly common in the workplace.
Jin and Mobley called on attendees to participate and share their own ideas about ways in which internships and entry-level job markets have shifted over the past few years.
Julian Wright, a sophomore studying data analytics, said he attended the session because his Eli Lilly Miami Alumni Scholarship, which is awarded to a computer science and software engineering major, encouraged students to attend and earn a digital badge.
“I've gotten some valuable networking from this, since I got to meet some people who might have some experience [and] expertise,” Wright said.
How Can Leaders Mobilize Resources and Partnerships to Fight Human Trafficking?
Linda Powers and Mary Kate Waggoner represented the Attorney General’s Human Trafficking Commission in a discussion on how to increase compliance with Erin’s Law.
“We’re trying to make sure we’re empowering Ohioans to take action in their communities, because we know human trafficking happens everywhere,” Powers said. “We give them public awareness so that they can go ahead and use the tools to work in their communities.”
Powers and Waggoner split the room into three groups, and they challenged them to think about how to increase human trafficking education compliance while navigating tricky situations like budget restraints, parental consent laws and communication issues between state agencies and school districts.
Gaby Hanzlicek, a junior business economics major, said she appreciated the group discussions within this breakout session.
“A lot of people had really good ideas, and it was cool to build off them,” Hanzlicek said.
She said that she found the session very informative and that she loved the conference as a whole.
“I loved it. 10 out of 10 would recommend,” Hanzlicek said. “I’ve been to two other seminars today, and I feel like I learned so much – not only on how to be a leader, but just [how] to be more confident, and to take more calculated risks. Those [risks] can change the trajectory of your life.”
The rest of the conference included local leaders here in Oxford, Rep. Warren Davidson from Ohio’s 8th Congressional District, the League of Women Voters of Ohio, the Cincinnati Bengals, Major General Gordan Pavlovic, head of operations directorate for the Serbian Armed Forces General Staff, and more.
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