The Executive Leadership Institute (ELI), offered in partnership with Loyola University Chicago’s Quinlan School of Business, equips senior-level managers and executives with the knowledge and skills to oversee day-to-day operations, and prepare for the future and greater systems change. Transactional meets transformational for this influential experience.
ELI assembles a wide variety of faculty from the nonprofit and for-profit sectors, as well as academia. Social Current’s partnership with Quinlan means access to first-class faculty and specialized expertise, as well as the flexibility to create a program to transform students’ leadership skills. The curriculum will not only challenge, but offers a rare opportunity to focus on excellence, impact, and systems change.
ELI features 70 hours of content delivered over two concentrated sessions in consecutive years. The second half of the program culminates in the presentation of projects completed between the first and second sessions. The presentations are given before the assembly of participants and faculty.
We also hope the ELI alumni will join the 2024 institute to reconnect with each other, meet the newest group of students, and engage around the future of the program. Learn more about the Alumni Connect opportunity May 16-17.
In this video, Dr. Cha-Tanya Lankford, director of Delaware programs at Pressley Ridge shares how the ELI curriculum continues to shape her as a professional and leader.
Watch the full LinkedIn Live for more.
Welcome
Undraye Howard, PhD, Social Current
Vice President of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion and Engagement
Amy Kyhos, Loyola University Chicago
Director of Executive and Professional Education Center
Crafting Organizational Excellence with Emotional Intelligence
Jody Levison-Johnson, PhD, LCSW, Social Current
President and CEO
In this session, Social Current President and CEO Jody Levison-Johnson will share her expertise on strategic leadership, change management, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement, particularly during times of constraint. Students will gain insights into how to navigate complexities, drive transformation, and lead with purpose to achieve sustainable success.
Discussion of DISC Assessments
Darrell Katz, Loyola University Chicago Quinlan School of Business
Adjunct Professor
ELI Second Year Student Project Presentations
Facilitator: Undraye Howard, Social Current
Leading in new and innovative ways is part of the social sector’s DNA. Being mission-responsive, using reflexive thought, and building emotional intelligence are core leadership development skills. How does one identify what leading from their inner core looks like? How do our innate qualities determine our leadership style? And once we understand our core motivations and leadership style, how do we inspire others within our organizations, communities, and sectors to lead and collaborate across networks and systems? It requires a new way of thinking and behaving. This session will explore new ways of framing leadership development by focusing on:
Dinner/Networking
Morning Motivations
Equip the Flip for Human Services Leaders
Robena Spangler, MS, Social Current
Senior Director of Leadership Development/Organizational Excellence
Trinka Landry-Bourne, DPA, American Public Human Services Association
Organizational Effectiveness Consultant Leadership Development
Break
Equip the Flip: Voices from the Field ELI Focus Groups
Robena Spangler, Social Current
Trinka Landry-Bourne, American Public Human Services Association
Social Current and the American Public Human Services Association have joined together to create a new leadership framework for human services. The framework’s competencies will be infused throughout human services organizations to instill patterns of behavior that will make the flip to shift power to the community. This session includes a “Voices from the Field” focus group activity designed especially for Executive Leadership Institute students.
Chat & Chew
Lunch and video call with ELI Alumni Board and other graduates
The Social Sector Workforce’s Resilience in a Post-Pandemic Environment
Session led by Loyola University Chicago
Social Sector leaders consistently face adversity, as core needs and resources evolve to reflect broader changes in society. Growing personal and organizational resilience is paramount in developing sustainable pathways for social impact. This session will emphasize leadership and management practices and approaches for building resilience and ensuring persistence.
Dine-Around Networking Dinners
Students form networking groups of 6-8 peers for deeper conversations; reservations and sign-up sheets will be provided
Morning Motivations
Facilitator: Robena Spangler, Social Current
Reconvene to debrief on the previous night’s networking dinner discussions.
Strategic Partnering: Is There an Alternative to Mergers and Acquisitions?
Mike Bertrand, Lutheran Child and Family Services of Illinois
President and CEO
Carl Clark, Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health in Villanova, Pennsylvania
President/CEO
Social sector CEOs are leading in new and innovative ways. Strategic partnerships can be arrangements between two or more organizations with like-minded visions and missions that agree to support each other in an effort to help all parties succeed. In this session, students will get an answer to this question and more from chief executives who are addressing today’s social sector challenges.
Lunch
Depart for Study Tour
Roundtrip travel via coach bus
Study Tour: UCAN
UCAN – The Power of Potential – strives to build strong youth and families through compassionate healing, education, and empowerment. UCAN changes lives through impactful programs, consistent presence and unrivaled diversity and inclusion. UCAN serves and impacts over 9100 historically underrepresented children, youth, and families across Illinois.
Afternoon and Dinner on Your Own
All Alumni are invited to join for the day to audit lectures and participate in graduation.
Morning Motivations
Understanding Artificial Intelligence and How We Can Use It in the Social Sector
Andy Kaufman, Loyola University Chicago Quinlan School of Business
Adjunct Instructor
As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to evolve and develop, social sector leaders must grapple with its usages, impacts, and challenges. During this discussion, you will consider AI’s potential to accelerate and streamline social impact, while being introduced to practical tools for immediate use on projects, workflows, and deliverables.
Lunch
The Social Enterprise and A Financial Model for Us
Mary Hollie, Glenwood Academy
President and CEO
How does the social sector continue to meet its mission and foster fiscal sustainability? Governmental contracts, traditional fundraising, and resource development can only go so far on sustainability. Join sector thought leader Mary Hollie as she discusses and presents various sustainable funding models, including the role of philanthropy and the development of private/public partnerships and performance-based funding models as a viable approach to sector sustainability.
Graduation and Dinner Reception
Morning Motivations
Brandon Pendleton, Loyola University Chicago Quinlan School of Business
Adjunct Professor
Wellness for Leaders and Teams
Brandon Pendleton – Loyola University Chicago
Adjunct Professor, Quinlan School of Business
As the 2024 Executive Leadership Institute wraps up, students will take a moment to pause and reflect on the foundation of their impact—their own well-being. During this motivational session, participants will learn the importance of implementing wellness practices in their lives, as well as ideas and resources for providing safe spaces that cultivate connection and allow all team members to thrive.
Break
Tying It All Together: What Did We Learn this Week?
Alumni Town Hall
The goal of the town hall is to provide a space for networking and an exchange of ideas for maintaining strong alumni connections. We are particularly interested in hearing from you about ways to effectively recruit and retain candidates for a successful future of the Executive Leadership Institute.
Undraye Howard, PhD
Vice President of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Engagement
Undraye Howard currently serves as vice president of equity, diversity, and inclusion at Social Current. In his roles over the years, he has provided invaluable consultation to community-based organizations. In his current role, he leads Social Current’s efforts in providing strategy, solutions, and support for the development of leaders in the social sector, with an emphasis on equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI). Through his strategic leadership and direction, he and a team of network leaders have co-created helpful resources, consultation, and workshops that uplift and disseminate best practices to help community-based organizations advance their EDI journeys.
In addition, Dr. Howard was instrumental in developing Social Current’s leadership development model, the rEvolutionary Model, which helps develop the skills of change leaders to drive toward system and population-level results. Dr. Howard also leads the annual Executive Leadership Institute, which is held in partnership with Loyola University’s Quinlan School of Business. This transformational experience equips leaders with the knowledge and skills to create greater systems change.
Dr. Howard also has a deep appreciation and connection to the greater Milwaukee community. He sits on the board of AD2LUV Senior Housing (2006-present), Father Hood Initiative (2012-present), and the board of Holy Cathedral (1999-present), where he also led as youth director and deacon. He also served as a member on the State of Wisconsin Strengthening Families and Children.
Dr. Howard holds a doctorate in business from Bellevue University. He received his master’s in communication and bachelor’s in business administration from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Robena Spangler
Senior Director of Leadership Development and Organizational Excellence
Robena Spangler is an innovative senior executive with over 30 years of experience in behavioral health, human services, and advancing equity and inclusion work. The majority of her career has been dedicated to systems improvement within the child welfare and juvenile justice systems. Spangler held several leadership roles in the public and private sectors. She has provided professional coaching and leadership development for teams and individuals on a national level. In addition to her public and private sector work, she is an adjunct instructor at Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania in the School of Continuing and Professional Studies (SCPS), responsible for facilitating accelerated programs in human services for adult learners. Her current role, as an EDI and leadership strategist, is to design and manage all aspects of Social Current’s leadership and organizational excellence portfolio. Spangler holds a bachelor’s in sociology and human services along with a master’s in leadership and professional advancement.
Quinlan School of Business
Loyola University Chicago
820 N Michigan Ave.
Chicago IL, 60611
The Executive Leadership Institute takes place on Loyola’s Water Tower Campus.
Hotel Felix
111 W. Huron St
Chicago IL, 60654
The Drake Hotel
140 East Walton Place
Chicago, IL 60611
Learn more about our special discounted rates.
Cancellation Policy
Cancellation by Participant: All cancellation requests must be made in writing. Conference cancellations are subject to a $500 processing fee. Cancellation requests received after April 29 will not be refunded. Credit toward future Social Current events is not currently possible. Participants unable to attend the Institute may send an alternate participant. Exceptions to this cancellation policy may be made for those who have or suspect they have COVID-19. Notice of written cancellation or alternate participant requests must be emailed directly to Social Current.
Cancellation by Social Current: If Social Current cancels this conference, all registration fees will be refunded in full.
Please complete and submit the registration form below and someone will follow up to finalize your registration.
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