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Dive deeper into our webinar series and individual events on professional development and leadership.
On Tuesday, November 7, 2023 at 2:00 pm CST the Harris community joined us for a conversation with transit expert Jay Walder who led organizations that provided transportation across the globe (London, Hong Kong, New York) and in practically every mode of transportation from subways to trains to biking and even the futuristic hyperloop pod.
This webinar continued our series “Communicating Public Policy” with a leader who has used the power of communications in various modes and in multiple policy situations. While he was the Managing Director for Finance and Planning at Transport for London he introduced the Oyster card, which the New York Times called a “high-tech transit reform” which “helped turn London’s aging transit system into an envy of the globe.” When he was the Chairman and CEO of the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the largest transit agency in the United States, he led the company through the 2009 economic crisis.
As President and CEO of Motivate International, the largest bike sharing company in the United States, he took over a struggling company and led a dramatic turnaround before its sale to Lyft. Under his leadership at Virgin Hyperloop, the company raised more than $400 million, qualified for US Federal Transportation funding, and hosted the first people to ever ride in a hyperloop pod.
Currently Mr. Walder is a Senior Advisor to McKinsey & Company and serves on a number of boards.
Listen to this webinar to learn:
Listen to the webinar here.
Penny Sebring, PhD, is the Co-Founder of the UChicago Consortium on School Research (“the Consortium”) and the co-author of a new book about educational reform and improvement in the Chicago schools. Our webinar with Penny includes both a presentation and a Q and A session with important insights and critical lessons for all policy makers. Reviewers of her new book have called it “compelling” and “of monumental importance.”
Educators will find this webinar about the successful creation of school improvement enlightening, and all policy makers will be inspired by the lessons about the significance of research, strong advocacy, building individual and organizational capacity, and moving the needle on systemic change. Since its founding in 1990, the Consortium has conducted numerous and detailed studies providing insights and guidance to the Chicago Public Schools. This collaboration, along with successful partnerships with other key actors, resulted in unprecedented increases in Chicago school benchmarks, including increased learning rates, graduation rates, and college matriculation. The story of this thirty-year school reform effort makes this webinar a “must watch.”
Penny Bender Sebring is a graduate of Grinnell College and earned a PhD in Education and Social Policy from Northwestern University. She is a Senior Research Associate at the University of Chicago, has authored the book “Organizing Schools for Improvement: Lessons from Chicago,” and serves as a board member for Northwestern’s School of Education and Social Policy, the Chicago Public Education Fund, and Kids First Chicago.
Kevin Allen has been called the “modern day mad man” by Publishers Weekly. During his storied career at the top of ad giant McCann WorldGroup he led the development of the Priceless platform for Mastercard. He is the author of the Wall Street Journal Bestseller, The Hidden Agenda: A Proven Way to Win Business and Create a Following.
After his time at McCann, Kevin Allen was the Chief Growth Officer at the Interpublic Group of Companies. He was a key advisor to NYC Mayors and a member of the board for the AIDS quilt.
Kevin is also an award winning Ed-Tech entrepreneur. Currently he is the Founder and CEO of E I Games, creators of online simulations and courseware in Emotional Intelligence business skills: leadership, diversity, project management, entrepreneurship, and communication. The simulations and courses are in use at companies such as Google, Oracle, Expedia, and universities such as Duke and the Harvard School of Design.
Kevin holds a PhD in Management specializing in Organizational Psychology, and a master’s degree in Marketing. He holds a number of academic positions: Adjunct Professor of Marketing and Advertising at Florida Atlantic University, a Fellow at Ball State University, and a visiting lecturer at North Carolina State, Grinnell College, and the Harvard School of Design.
Kevin’s insights and experience in communications made him the perfect guest for our series on Communicating Public Policy. Listen to the webinar to learn:
We are remarkably sensitive to how concepts are framed. George Lakoff, a professor of cognitive science and linguistics, argues that framing influences our reasoning. That’s why it’s important to choose words that will be convincing and effective when you advocate for your policy issues and positions. In this highly interactive webinar, persuasion expert Jay Heinrichs offers a set of tools to control the framing of a public issue.
As a very popular previous guest in our webinar series “Influencing,” Jay Heinrichs led us through a fascinating discussion about how to use the correct “tense” in political arguments. He is the author of three books on rhetoric – the art of persuasion – including the New York Times bestseller, Thank You for Arguing: What Aristotle, Lincoln, and Homer Simpson Can Teach Us About the Art of Persuasion. He has consulted for aerospace engineers at NASA, the Wharton School of Business, doctors at Kaiser Permanente, the European Speechwriters Network, and the Pentagon. Bloomberg BusinessWeek profiled his work with the marketing firm Ogilvy UK in a feature titled “Jay Heinrich’s Powers of Persuasion.”
Listen to our Communicating Public Policy interactive workshop with Jay to learn:
On Tuesday, November 15, 2022 Cody Keenan was our inaugural guest for our new webinar series “Communicating Public Policy.” We were inspired to begin this new series by George Lakoff, a professor of cognitive science and linguistics, who wrote a commentary with the headline: “Want to change America? Talk about it.” Lakoff added: “Changing the public political discourse also changes public understanding, leading to new demands for political action.”
Words matter. How we talk about public policies matters. At Harris we are excited about all the policy work our alumni are engaged in, and appreciate that communicating the “why and how” is often challenging. Cody Keenan, the chief speechwriter for President Obama, was the perfect choice to lead our new series. Cody’s new book “Grace: President Obama and Ten Days in the Battle for America,” is a New York Times bestseller. Listen to our webinar with Cody to learn:
Watch Cody Keenan discuss his book and provide insights on communicating policy here.
The pandemic has unleashed a flood of information, analysis, and public policy recommendations. Learn how you can get your message to “break through” with Paul Rand, the Vice President for Communications at the University of Chicago, and Mark Peters, the Senior Director of Content at the University of Chicago. Our speakers share their insights on how narrative can serve as a powerful and critical tool for policymakers.
Listen to learn:
Watch “Getting Your Message Heard Amid All the Covid-19 Noise” with Paul and Mark (1 hour).
We developed a series of “Transitions” webinars to provide insights and skills to guide you in your career development. We suggest you begin your journey by viewing our webinar with Dorie Clark, an expert at self-reinvention and change management.
Dorie Clark is a marketing strategy consultant, professional speaker, frequent contributor to HBR, and author of three books, including Reinventing You: Define Your Brand, Imagine Your Future. During our wide-ranging discussion Dorie provided enlightening stories and actionable advice on important topics:
Watch Dorie Clark's "Reinventing You" (1 hour).
View Dorie's free self-assessment workbook.
A former columnist and reporter for the Chicago Tribune, Dawn Turner spent a decade and a half writing about race, politics, and people whose stories are often dismissed and ignored. Turner has written commentary for The Washington Post, PBS NewsHour, CBS Sunday Morning News show, NPR’s Morning Edition show, the Chicago Tonight show, and is the author of two other books. She was a Nieman Journalism fellow at Harvard University, and in 2018, Turner served as a Fellow and journalist-in-residence at the University of Chicago Institute of Politics.
Three Girls from Bronzeville was named one of the New York Times and Washington Post’s Notable Books of 2021. Buzzfeed and Real Simple named it a Best Book of 2021. Publishers Weekly described it as “beautiful, tragic and inspiring” and a “powerful testament” to “the importance of understanding the conditions that shape a person’s life choices.” Listen to learn:
Watch “Three Girls from Bronzeville” an interview with Dawn Turner (1 hour)
The Transitions series also includes the following webinars on leadership and management, communications, and data.
Alyssa is the author of Leadership and Life Hacks: Insights from a Mom, Wife, Entrepreneur and Executive. Alyssa is the CEO of Surgical Solutions and one of Crain Chicago’s “Notable Women in Health Care.” She taught courses at both the Stanford School of Business and the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business.
Hear Alyssa discuss:
Watch "Leadership and Life Hacks" with Alyssa Rapp (1 hour).
Each year McKinsey reports on their research with LeanIn.org, and the data collected from almost 600 companies and more than a quarter of a million people. The research shows it is not the “glass ceiling” keeping women from the top level of leadership, but the “broken rung” at the bottom of the corporate ladder.
The webinar includes a discussion of the following topics:
Watch "Women’s Leadership in the Workplace" with Irina Starikova (1 hour).
Glenn shares his transitioning insights from his strategy work at The Walt Disney Company, as a business and marketing executive at multiple technology companies, Silicon Valley CEO, real estate developer, investment advisor with Goldman Sachs, to his current position as executive recruiter at Egon Zehnder.
Hear Glen discuss:
Watch "The Art of Excellence" with Glenn Zweig (1 hour).
Michele Wucker is a speaker, strategist, and author of The Gray Rhino: How to Recognize and Act on The Obvious Dangers We Ignore. She coined the term “gray rhino” to describe obvious risks that are “neglected despite – indeed, often because of their size and likelihood.” Our conversation focused on her career transitions, leadership, managing through ambiguity, global economics, the pandemic, and policy making.
Watch “The Gray Rhino: Why We Ignore Obvious Problems and How to Act on Them” with Michele Wucker (1 hour).
Daniel Diermeier, the thirteenth Provost of the University of Chicago and ninth chancellor of Vanderbilt University, is an internationally renowned political scientist, management scholar, and crisis management expert. The current pandemic has demonstrated that even experienced professionals can be overwhelmed by crisis situations. In this webinar, Daniel offers advice and answers questions about the unprecedented challenges presented by managing Covid-19 and other crises.
His advice includes:
Watch "Crisis Management" with Daniel Diermeier (1 hour).
Kurt is a serial entrepreneur who has built successful analytic solutions, products, and companies in a wide variety of industries. His previous companies were sold to Oracle and Pearson Education. Dave, a former healthcare investment banker, is the CEO of a boutique thought leadership company, and the author of two books about healthcare. His most recent book is The Customer Revolution in Healthcare: Delivering Kinder, Smarter, Affordable Care for All.
Watch Data Science to the Rescue with Kurt and David (1 hour).
To be an effective professional in today’s work environment, you have to exert influence. How do you convince your co-workers, your boss, colleagues in other organizations, and even your friends, that they should listen to your ideas and accommodate your point of view? How do you affect change in thought and behavior in people and organizations?
Nick Morgan, author of Power Cues, acknowledges that gaining influence in the modern workplace is difficult. In a recent HBR article he asserts that “It’s never been harder to influence others, because they’ve never been more distracted. Information overload and the pace of our digital lives [have led to short attention spans].” Of course, the importance of exerting influence continues to be critical for policy leaders.
Our Influencing Series provides you with opportunities to gain insights and skills that will help you discover your voice, express yourself in the workplace, and exert your influence to create positive change.
Jay Heinrichs has provided rhetorical training to development staff at Harvard, aerospace engineers at NASA, pediatricians at Kaiser Permanente, and the Pentagon vaccination agency, among others. His book Thank You for Arguing: What Aristotle, Lincoln and Homer Simpson Can Teach Us About the Art of Persuasion, has been published in 14 languages and 4 editions. It ranks among the top 10 books assigned to Harvard undergraduates and is used in more than 3,000 college courses. More recently he has published two more books on rhetoric, Word Hero and How to Argue with a Cat. He is the founding partner of the publishing imprint Gavia Books.
Jay's webinar explores:
Watch It Doesn't Have to Be This Tense: Persuasive Discourse with Jay Heinrichs (1 hour).
Author and Chief Story Facilitator Esther Choy of Leadership Story Lab, teaches us about the power of storytelling and how to use it during interviews and with prospective employers. Esther earned her BA in Business Economics from UC Santa Barbara, her MS in Higher Education from Texas A&M University, and her MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
Listen to learn more about:
Watch Let the Story Do the Work with Esther Choy (1 hour).
If experience is the best teacher, then Tom Alexander is a walking case study for exerting influence effectively. Tom is a leader in inclusion and diversity, and the founding partner of Holistic, a technology firm dedicated to improving the entire employee experience through the use of data. Before founding his own company, Tom was the COO for 1871, one of the largest technology incubators in the United States, and the number one rated university-affiliated incubator in the world.
The webinar discusses:
Watch Influencer Stories from Tom Alexander. (1 hour).
Shellye Archambeau was one of the first female African American CEOs in Silicon Valley and has a track record of building brands, high-performance teams, and organizations. Under her leadership as CEO, Metric Steam grew from a fledgling startup into a global market leader with over 1,200 employees serving customers from around the world. Shellye has taken risks, broken barriers, influenced countless people and organizations. Now, she has written about her life and career in her new book Unapologetically Ambitious.
Watch Unapologetically Ambitious: A Conversation with Shellye Archambeau (1 hour).
Our Leadership series focuses on providing you with opportunities to learn critical leadership skills and insights from experts and experienced leaders.
Steve Edwards is an award-winning journalist who has worked as Chief Content Officer at WBEZ (Chicago’s NPR member station), Executive Director of the University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics, and host of two acclaimed daily news and culture programs, The Afternoon Shift and Eight Forty-Eight. Now he is transitioning into a new position as a managing director with executive recruitment firm Koya Partners. As he makes this exciting transition in his career, Steve spoke to us about the surprising connections between journalism and leadership.
Join us to learn:
Watch Leadership Matters: Active Listening and Questioning with Steve Edwards (1 hour).
Steve joined us for a second webinar on his last day of work at WBEZ. It was a special day for him and for us, and a poignant opportunity to interview an award-winning interviewer. We talked about careers and transitions, both generally and personally. He provided insights on career management, building relationships, and leadership. We dug deeper on the topic of listening, and the importance of empathy. Steve also shared how he was affected and changed by the hundreds of people he interviewed over the course of his career. As Steve noted: “Stories have the power to change hearts and change minds.” You can listen to Steve’s wisdom on a variety of topics:
Watch Leadership Matters Part II with Steve Edwards (1 hour).
Crain’s Chicago has described Michele Wucker as a “global thought leader.” She is a sought after global strategist, speaker, and writer. Michele is the author of four books, including the international best seller The Gray Rhino: How to Recognize and Act on the Obvious Dangers We Ignore. Her TED talk about gray rhinos has attracted more than 2 million views. Recently we talked with Michele about her new book You Are What You Risk: The New Art and Science of Navigating an Uncertain World. Listen to learn:
Watch “You Are What You Risk,” a conversation with Michele Wucker (1 hour).
Dorie Clark was named one of the Top 50 business thinkers in the world by Thinkers50, and was recognized as the #1 Communication Coach in the world by the Marshall Goldsmith Leading Global Coaches Awards. She is a consultant, keynote speaker, frequent contributor to Harvard Business Review, teacher at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and Columbia University’s Business School. Her new book The Long Game: How to be a long-term thinker in a short-term world is a Wall Street Journal bestseller. We talked with Dorie about her new book which Seth Godin said is her “best book yet,” and about her own career and the stories she shared about other professionals’ experiences. Listen to learn:
Watch “The Long Game,” a conversation with Dorie Clark (1 hour).
Rafi Nulman’s job title (Director of Product Strategy at Meta – formerly Facebook) does not divulge the extent of his strategic thinking – but his LinkedIn posts are more revealing. He is a deep thinker who is insightful, funny, and wise beyond his years. He posted a commentary with the title “The Joy” and wrote this:
“The world rewards a certain type of productivity with recognition and promotions. Certainly these are important. Resume bullets aren’t simply a vanity metric. They say ‘I was here and I performed and I mattered.’ At some point we’re all called to give an accounting of how we’ve spent our time, even if just to ourselves. And at that point, I won’t call up my resume bullets to justify my choices. It will be the pleasure of being helpful and dependable; of being kind; of laughing as part of a team.”
Rafi’s posts cover a wide range of topics: decision-making, inspiration, failure, wellness, joy, the role of data, building connections, leadership, and sometimes he even writes about his job. Rafi earned his BS in math and economics at the University of Chicago, and his MBA from Booth where he was a Gary Becker Distinguished Fellow and a leadership facilitator. He also worked as a consultant for McKinsey.
Our webinar also covered a wide range of topics. Listen to hear Rafi’s thoughts about:
Watch “Meta Reflections on Career and Life Connections” with Rafi Nulman here.
David Friedman knows firsthand what it takes to build a high-performance culture. He is an award-winning CEO, entrepreneur, author, and renowned public speaker. His book, Culture by Design, is the definitive “how to” manual for building a high-performing culture. Participants in his workshops have described them as the most practical and actionable programs they have ever attended. Here is what one reviewer said of his presentation:
“The genius in what David Friedman teaches is in its simplicity. But don’t let that fool you. We applied these concepts, with amazing results, for our thousands of team members around the world.”
Listen to our webinar with David to learn:
Watch “Culture by Design” with David Friedman here.
On Wednesday, February 14, 2024, CST we hosted Dr. Lakshmin to discuss her best-selling book “REAL SELF-CARE: Crystals, Cleanses, and Bubble Baths Not Included,” in which she developed and discusses a “transformative program for redefining wellness.” Her book is an NPR Best Book of 2023, and she has been featured on Good Morning America, NPR’s Code Switch, The Ezra Klein Show, The Guardian, and The New York Times.
Dr. Lakshmin is a board-certified psychiatrist and contributor to The New York Times who serves as a clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at George Washington School of Medicine. Dr. Lakshmin maintains an active private practice where she treats clients struggling with burnout, perfectionism, and disillusionment as well as clinical conditions like depression, anxiety, and ADHD. She frequently speaks, advises, and consults on mental health, well-being, and real self-care.
Terri Brady, Executive Director of Professional Development at the Harris School of Public Policy hosted this webinar. Listen to learn:
On January 24, 2023 we hosted a discussion in our Wellness Webinar series with Dr. Kelli Harding, a medical and public health doctor who specializes in mind-body medicine. Her book and research present a radical new way to think about health, wellness and how we live.
Kelli Harding, MD, MPH, trained in psychiatry at Columbia University where she continues to teach, is Board certified in both Psychiatry and Psychosomatic (mind- body) Medicine, has a degree in public health from Columbia University, and completed a two-year National Institute of Mental Health research fellowship studying anxiety disorders and unexplained medical symptoms. She has appeared on the Today show, Good Morning America, NPR, BBC, and in the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the World Economic Forum.
Listen to our webinar with Kelli Harding, MD, MPH to learn:
Watch “Groundbreaking Science of Kindness,” a presentation by Kelli Harding (1 Hour).
As we move through our careers and develop as professionals, it is important to think about our physical health and develop our emotional and mental wellbeing. How does our wellness affect our working life? What practices and strategies can we use to support a wellness program for ourselves and our teams?
We expanded our webinar series to include “wellness” programming by inviting Michelle Fraley to discuss how we can retrain our brain for positivity using the brain’s neuroplasticity. She shared practical strategies that we can use to live a more balanced life, and to build resilience during these turbulent times.
Michelle Fraley, MA, WPCC, has a master’s degree in clinical psychology, and is a counselor, certified holistic coach, and certified yoga/meditation teacher. She is an integrative wellness specialist at Miraval Resort, and has a private clinical practice in Tucson, Arizona. She is passionate about helping others optimize their emotional health and wellness through holistic approaches. Listen to learn:
Watch “Master Your Mindset,” a presentation by Michelle Fraley (1 Hour).
Michelle Fraley believes that self-confidence creates a foundation for living with authenticity and purpose. She has a master’s degree in clinical psychology, is a certified holistic life coach, certified yoga and meditation teacher, and a clinical counselor and highly regarded speaker. She has been featured in Yahoo, Women’s Health, and other significant publications and is an Integrative Wellness Specialist at Miraval Resort and Spa in Tucson. In her webinar presentation she discussed insights and misconceptions about confidence, growth mindset, emotional resilience, and the imposter syndrome.
Listen to this Wellness-themed webinar to learn:
Watch “Cultivating Confidence” with Michelle Fraley (1 Hour).
We initiated a new webinar series under the banner “Impact Harris: Alumni Policy Panels.” Each panel will feature a different topic area and alumni who will moderate and participate as panelists. We are excited to hear from our alumni who will be sharing their policy expertise and experiences and their career journeys. The first one titled “Energy Transition” on December 12, 2023, produced an engaging discussion about energy policy and the challenges and opportunities for energy transition with three people who brought a diversity of knowledge and experience:
Our moderator and panelist Cate Hight (MPP ’07) is a Partner at Bain and Company, focused on corporate sustainability and carbon transition. Cate supports clients across industries and geographies in decarbonizing their operations and strategy. Prior to Bain, Cate served as the Chief Operating Officer of the Mission Possible Partnership, an alliance of climate leaders focused on the decarbonization of heavy industry and transport. Cate also has deep expertise in oil and gas methane abatement. She led the development of MiQ at the Rocky Mountain Institute and spent ten years at the US Environmental Protection Agency. At the EPA, Cate managed the oil and gas program of the Global Methane Initiative and played a key role in the development of key greenhouse gas regulations. Cate also co-authored the book Pricing Carbon when she worked for the Mission Climat of the Caisse des Depots in Paris.
Panelist Carolina Rojas-Hayes (MPP ’06) is the President (CEO) of the Colombian Biofuels Federation where she has led initiatives to advance the adoption of biofuels such as biodiesel and bioethanol for sustainable mobility. Carolina is a seasoned professional in public policy, strategic relations, and sustainability with two decades of expertise in the public sector, international organizations, and consultancy. Her extensive background includes serving as Colombia’s Vice Minister of Mines and holding key leadership positions in the National Mining Agency and the Ministry of Finance. Carolina has contributed to global initiatives, working with institutions like the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, and the Intergovernmental Forum on Mining and Metals. She also serves on the board of various public utilities, international organizations, and NGOs.
Panelist Dan Misch (MA ’19) is an entrepreneurial leader with nuclear and renewable energy experience across private industry, government, military and nonprofits. As Vice President of Renewables Asset Management at Invenergy, Dan is leading the international expansion of Invenergy’s renewable energy services business to Latin America and Europe. Previously, Dan served as a Federal Project Director for the US Department of Energy conducting programmatic oversight of investments at Argonne National Laboratory. He also served in the US Navy as a certified nuclear engineer on board ballistic missile submarines. Dan is the founder of the Veterans Advance Energy Project which educates military veterans on the importance of clean energy transition to US national security through an annual summit and fellowship. In addition to other awards, he was recognized as a Notable Military Veteran Executive by Crain’s Chicago Business in 2022, was included in the 2020 LGBTQIA Out Leadership List by Out in National Security and New America, and was a 2020 Emerging Leader with the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. Dan’s writing has been featured in NBC News, The Hill, Morning Consult, and Energy News Network.
This webinar is hosted by Terri Brady, Executive Director of Professional Development, and the Harris ARD team.
The opinions expressed in this webinar are solely the opinions of the participants and do not represent the opinions of their organizations. Go here to listen to this webinar.