Professional Development for Women and Minorities

Leadership Series: Ted Childs

Join us as we go one on one with J.T. (Ted) Childs on this weeks Leadership Series

Diversity and Inclusion Fatigue: Transforming Your Diversity Initiative Into A Strategic Innovation Approach

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION FATIGUE: TRANSFORMING YOUR DIVERSITY INITIATIVE INTO A STRATEGIC INNOVATION APPROACH

Organizations need to refresh, and sometimes, reinvent their diversity initiatives. A successful diversity strategy should be an innovative management and leadership approach. There is a process by which you can successfully roll out a robust and sustainable diversity initiative. Clarifying and effectively mapping your direction will save you and your organization time and resources. This process includes understanding specific diversity challenges that are tied to the business goals of the organization. Often companies start with external recruiting, employee resource groups, and other sources that may not yield maximum results. What does success mean to your organization and how can your initiatives contribute to this greater purpose? In this seminar, top diversity and inclusion leaders share ways to drive a sound message, implement best practices, and integrate diversity strategies into the bigger organizational picture. These strategies will increase talent acquisition, enhance performance, and strengthen leadership skills.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Increase leadership effectiveness in areas of Diversity and Inclusion.

At the end of this seminar, participants will be able to:

1. Explore strategic approaches to increase diversity and inclusion effectiveness
2. Examine ways to refresh and assess current diversity strategies
3. Examine talent acquisition, performance, and leadership tools and techniques

MODERATOR: Amanda Vallejo, Diversity and Inclusion Manager and EEO Compliance Officer, Huntington Ingalls Industries

PANELISTS:

Dr. Vernon Ross, Director, Workforce Strategy, Analytics, and Acquisition, Lockheed Martin Corporation

Paul Tchounwou, Associate Dean & Presidential Distinguished Professor, Jackson State University

Shanna Travis, Administrator, U.S. Department of Treasury

High Impact Solutions For Complex Business Challenges: Improve Analytical and Problem Solving Skills

HIGH IMPACT SOLUTIONS FOR COMPLEX BUSINESS CHALLENGES: IMPROVE ANALYTICAL AND PROBLEM SOLVING SKILLS

What are the most valuable skills in today’s business world? Technical skills, people skills, and management and leadership skills all make the top few critical skills needed to create impact. The development of these skills will support professionals in increasing capacity to analyze and solve problems. Technical skills give you the foundation to make informed decisions based on facts and people skills help you utilize the contributions of others. In order to solve complex problems and analyze decisions, professionals need a strategy that considers technical, analytical, and communication skills. This workshop will feature an expert panel that will share their winning strategies and approaches to analyze and solve problems and apply these models to complex business challenges.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Increase analytical and problem solving skills. At the end of this seminar, participants will be able to:

1. Explore models that increase problem solving effectiveness.
2. Review complex workplace and business challenges and apply analytical techniques.
3. Engage in problem solving challenges.

Today's STEM Workforce: Navigating the Complexities of Today's STEM Workforce (Presented by Aerotek)

NAVIGATING THE COMPLEXITIES OF TODAY’S STEM WORKFORCE (PRESENTED BY AEROTEK)

The war for top talent in STEM fields continues to accelerate as leaders struggle to build a strong talent pipeline in the face of increased global competition. The demand for highly skilled workers in STEM related fields continues to increase, straining our ability to fill critical positions. Every leader is now faced with the task of identifying, developing and retaining the best and brightest talent. In order to grow, it will be imperative that companies embrace innovative short-term and long term solutions for addressing these challenges.

In this interactive session, industry leaders are invited to engage in a robust dialogue to:

• Better understand the STEM talent pipeline, how it is evolving and what is needed
• Discuss changing workforce needs and dynamics
• Explore the opportunity for diversity and the STEM workforce

Unlocking Innovation: Training Teams and Individuals to Have Everyday Breakthroughs

UNLOCKING INNOVATION: TRAINING TEAMS AND INDIVIDUALS TO HAVE EVERY DAY BREAKTHROUGHS

In order to stay ahead of the competition, people and teams must be creative and innovative. The key to success is engaging in ways of thinking that inspires breakthroughs. Science and technology is about using talent and skills to create possibilities. Did you know that there are proven tools to inspire teams to have every day breakthroughs? Uncover hidden talent on your team; learn strategies that are not only fun and creative, but also just might help you create the next breakthrough.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Improve leadership skills to motivate, inspire, and foster innovation within an organization.

At the end of this seminar participants will be able to:

1. Explore leadership skills that encourage creativity
2. Learn techniques and tools that support an inventive mind
3. Play games that inspire creativity and innovation

PANELISTS:

Lonney Gregory, Director, Learning Technology and Operations, Northrop Grumman Corporation;

Victor Gavin, Program Executive Officer, Enterprise Information Systems (PEO EIS), Department of the Navy

Culture and Power! Perceptions, Cross-Cultural Communications, and Other Cultural Factors that Impact Employee Success, Policies, Systems, and Programs

CULTURE AND POWER!
PERCEPTIONS, CROSS-CULTURAL COMMUNICATION, AND OTHER CULTURAL FACTORS THAT IMPACT EMPLOYEE SUCCESS, POLICIES, SYSTEMS, AND PROGRAMS

The perception of power is a cultural phenomenon. Different cultures accept the dynamic of power in very different ways. Some accept unequally distributed power as a natural part of the professional world, where other cultures engage and view that power is equal among contributors. This cultural concept is known as power distance. When in a “high power distance” culture, the relationship between bosses and subordinates is one of dependence. When in a “low power distance” society, the relationship between bosses and subordinates is one of interdependence. Knowledge of how you and your team perceive power and accept structure will impact the ease of communication and affect leadership style choices. Culture is a powerful dynamic that helps us understand and be more specific about relationship conflicts and triumphs.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Increase professional development, awareness, and communication strategies.

At the end of this seminar, participants will be able to:

1. Examine specific tools for organizing material
2. Practice ways to present technical information
3. Deliver and design a short presentation
4. Explore mental coaching techniques to address fear
5. Identify best practices of visual aids (i.e., PowerPoint)

MODERATOR: Kia Silver Hodges, Corporate Manager, Diversity Recruitment Programs, Northrop Grumman Corporation

PANELISTS:

Delores Alexander, Director, Supplier Management IT, The Boeing Company;

Carl Brooks, Operations Manager/Advanced Interconnects & Multilayer Solutions, Northrop Grumman Corporation

Shanna Travis, Administrator, United State Department of Treasury

Turning Information Chaos into Reliable Data: Tools and Techniques to Interpret, Organize, and Increase Reliable Business Results

TURNING INFORMATION CHAOS INTO RELIABLE DATA: TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES TO INTERPRET, ORGANIZE, AND INCREASE RELIABLE BUSINESS RESULTS

With evolving technology, many people are overloaded and overwhelmed with information and data. Businesses now have access to large amounts of feedback from internal and external sources. How do we make sense of the all of the information? Is the data reliable? How can we manage and utilize the data in order to impact business goals, visions, and mission? This seminar with help you turn your information overload into powerful and reliable data that you can use to meet organizational goals.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Increase professional effectiveness, data management, and analytical skills.

At the end of this seminar, participants will be able to:

1. Assess and categorize data and information
2. Identify tools and techniques to organize and interpret data
3. Explore productivity tools and techniques
4. Examine common data management challenges and solutions

MODERATOR: Nannette Kelly, Sr. Software Quality Assurance Engineer, Northrop Grumman Corporation

PANELISTS:

Roderick McLean, Vice President of Engineering, Mission Assurance & Product Support, Lockheed Martin Corporation;

William Patrick, Sr. IT Security Analyst, Northrop Grumman Corporation;

Brian Keller, Data Scientist, Booz Allen Hamilton

Stephanie Brown-Houston: Leadership Impacts

Imani Carter hosted NASA’s Stephanie Brown-Houston on Thursday. Brown-Houston, an education program specialist at NASA Glenn Research Center, will receive the 2014 Corporate Promotion of Education Award. Join us as Stephanie discusses "Leadership Impacts".

Cultivating Leaders Throughout the Organization: Influencing Without Authority

CULTIVATING LEADERS THROUGHOUT THE ORGANIZATION: INFLUENCING WITHOUT AUTHORITY

On the path to success, results and impact happen before the promotion. How can you achieve goals before you have positional or decision making power? Most employees are expected and encouraged to achieve results, yet many often feel frustrated with limited power and authority. The key to addressing this challenge is to fully leverage multiple sources of power effectively…despite positional authority. Employees throughout organizations have access to many sources of power. The critical shift is to acknowledge how these talents, resources, and personal qualities impact change and influence stakeholders. Leadership decisions are influenced by influential and vocal employees at all levels throughout the organization. This workshop will help you develop a strategy to gain power and influence among decision makers in your organization. These skills will contribute to your ability to move up the corporate latter, gain recognition, support team members, and create value.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Enhance employee productivity, engagement, and effectiveness at all levels of the organization.

At the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

1. Identify different sources of power within an organization
2. Explore ways to prepare for increased responsibility before you have it
3. Explore organizational value proposition and strategies to be more influential
4. Learn how to effectively use and navigate organizational politics to get results

MODERATOR: Talia Fox, Chief Executive Officer, Kusi Visions, LLC

PANELISTS: 

Terrence Head, Director of Productization, BAE Systems, Inc.;

Olabisi Boyle, Director, Engineering
Planning & Technical Cost Reduction, Chrysler Group, LLC;

Ted Imes, Director, ES Talent Acquisition, Northrop Grumman Corporation

Dawnielle Farrar-Gaines: Unlocking Innovation

Thursday's panelist on the seventh episode of the 2014 Women of Color Webinar series is Technical Innovation nominee Dawnielle Farrar-Gaines, a senior electrical and materials engineer at The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory.