Workshop Descriptions & Speaker Bios
Leadership Round Table
June 11-12, 2024 | 7 p.m-9 p.m. ET
Virtual
Agenda, Session Descriptions and Learning Objectives
Soroptimist Leadership Fellows Program
July 28, 2024 | 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. PT
Cedar Ballroom, 2nd Floor, Hyatt Regency Bellevue on Seattle’s Eastside
Workshops
Leadership in a Litigious World
Charlisa Holloway Edelin, J.D.
Delve into the intricate world of legal issues such as understanding basic contracts, social media management, and handling external stakeholders. Legal expert, Charlisa Holloway Edelin, Esq. will guide participants through the maze of legal considerations inherent in organization management. Attendees will gain valuable insights into effective strategies for managing stakeholders and fostering engagement while adhering to legal obligations. By the end of this session, participants will be equipped with the knowledge and tools necessary to tackle basic legal issues head-on.
Learning Objectives:
Attendees will
- Learn how to navigate disputes
- Understand basic contracts
- Comply with relevant laws and regulations
Team Leadership Presentations
Facilitated by Tiffany Tolbert and Shirley Anne Smith
Showcase your public speaking skills by delivering research (completed in small groups before this session) on several leadership topics.
Learning Objectives:
Attendees will learn about:
- Being customer-centric
- The art of facilitating and presenting
- Addressing conflict and succeeding despite it
- Developing future leaders
- Leveraging stakeholder feedback
- Foundational skills every leader should possess
Reframing Your Leadership Style: The Gift of Self-Care
Tonya Brown, M.Ed., M.S., Ed.D.
Self-care is critical for managing leadership burnout, work-life balance, continual professional growth, and managing, as well as mentoring others. This workshop will provide leaders with tools to reframe their views on self-care to include setting goals for physical, emotional, and psychological well-being. Additionally, this workshop aims to assess current self-care practices, exemplify how to identify signs of burnout, and make a paradigm shift to view self-care and work-life balance as a gift.
Learning Objectives:
Attendees will learn
- Tools to manage physical, emotional, and psychological well-being
- The importance of setting boundaries
- The power of the words, “No, but here is what I can do.”
- The gift of work-life balance
- How to foster an environment of self-care, respect for boundaries, and work-life balance
UnScripted Leadership: Leading Through Uncertainty
Jennifer Spear, MBA
It is easy to lead when things are going well— when situations are stable and predictable. But… when things are unpredictable, when change occurs or when things are not going to plan, then we need to lead UnScripted.
Building on the keynote Jennifer delivered in December, you will learn the secrets of how to manage yourself and lead others through the uncertainty that accompanies any change. Learn the secrets of those who are inspired by chaos, those who embrace the uncertainty of the situation, and those who accept the offer to create opportunity.
Laugh as you learn actionable strategies, techniques and tools that will allow you to feel confident and resilient as you lead others through the UnExepected, the UnPredictable and the UnAvoidable.
Speaker Bios
Leadership Round Table Speakers
Michelle Rozen, Ph.D.
Dr. Michelle Rozen is an influential change expert renowned for her ability to build revenue, boost performance, and deliver keynote speeches. A highly respected authority on the psychology of change, Michelle is not only a prolific researcher and author but also a sought-after expert frequently featured on major media networks.
Michelle's unique combination of captivating audience engagement, her knack for simplifying complex concepts into actionable takeaways, and her instant connection with the audience have propelled her to become one of today's most highly sought-after speakers on the stage.
Her latest work is around “The 6% Club,” which is also the name of her upcoming new book and is rooted in her recently published research in the prestigious “Journal of Social Sciences.” The results of her research are jaw-dropping.
Out of the 1,000 people Michelle surveyed in January, only 6% stuck with their goals past….February.
The secrets behind what those 6% did differently to achieve the results they desire and deserve in leadership, business and life are insights that Michelle shares with her attendees worldwide.
Michelle regularly speaks for Fortune 100 and Fortune 500 companies. Her clients comprise some of the most recognizable companies in the world, including Johnson & Johnson, Merrill Lynch, Coca Cola and Pfizer.
She holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in psychology and resides in the greater New York City area with her husband, three kids and two dogs.
Fellows Speakers
Tonya M. Brown, M.Ed., M.S., Ed.D.
Tonya M. Brown, M.Ed., M.S. is an associate professor of psychology at Baltimore City Community College, where she has been a faculty member since 2003. In addition, she is an adjunct professor of psychology at Southern New Hampshire and, in 2017, was awarded the College of Online and Continuing Education (COCE) Award for outstanding instruction in social science.
Teaching for over 20 years influenced Tonya to become a speaker and writer. As the founder and CEO of Professor Brown, LLC, Tonya has developed workshops, conferences, and keynotes on various topics including education and leadership. She is also author of There is Nothing You Can’t Do Freewriting Journal.
Tonya earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Maryland, College Park; a Master of Education from George Washington University, and a Master of Science in psychology from the University of Phoenix.
Charlisa Holloway Edelin, Esq.
Charlisa Holloway Edelin is the co-director of law studies and the assistant dean of students at Delaware State University. She previously served as an associate professor at Wesley College and the program director of the criminal justice master’s program.
Since 2012, Charlisa has taught both criminal justice and traditional law courses. She was instrumental in the transformation of Wesley College’s previous legal studies program into a progressive law and justice studies department that now focuses on educating students for law school, law enforcement, and paralegals. She also developed Wesley’s criminal justice master’s degree program. With that success, Charlisa was tapped to transform Delaware State University’s law studies program into a thriving pipeline for law students.
Charlisa is a published author with several articles in Crimes of the Centuries: Notorious Crimes, Criminals and Criminal Trials in American History (ALI-ABA, 2016). Her articles include the perjury trial of Lil’ Kim and the murder trial of Amy Grossberg and Brian Peterson (two college freshmen accused of throwing their infant in a dormitory trash bin) are included in an encyclopedia used in high school libraries.
Her recently published textbook, Constitutional and Criminal Law: the Minority Experience (KendallHunt, 2024), is being used in several colleges nationwide and is hailed as a novel approach to standard pre-law content.
Charlisa served as the vice president of the Appoquinimink School District Board of Education, which serves 10,000+ students. She was elected to serve on the board for two terms, during which she focused on diversifying the district’s staff to reflect the changing demographic of the community and eradicating the achievement gap for minority children and boys within the district. Charlisa holds both a Juris Doctor degree and and bachelor’s degree in journalism and public relations from Howard University.
Charlisa will facilitate the following:
Soroptimist Leadership Fellows Program
Leadership in a Litigious World
Shirley Anne Smith
Most recently, Shirley Anne Smith served as president and CEO of BCM Georgia, Inc. (formerly Buckhead Christian Ministry), a statewide nonprofit organization serving 800 households annually with eviction prevention, family stabilization, and financial education.
In 2016, Shirley Anne was recruited by the Atlanta Fire Rescue Foundation, Inc. (AFRF) as its first executive director and was promoted to president & CEO during her tenure.
Prior to joining the Foundation, Shirley Anne managed the volunteer experience at the Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta.
She graduated with a master’s in public administration from Nova Southeastern University in Florida and a dual undergraduate degree program in journalism and sociology from Georgia State University
Shirley Anne is a working mother of three children and a wife to a fire department inspector. She’s also a proud aunt to her firefighter nephew.
Shirley Anne will facilitate the following:
Soroptimist Leadership Fellows Program
Team Leadership Presentations
Co-facilitator: Tiffany Tolbert
Jennifer Spear, MBA
Jennifer Spear serves as the president and creative strategist for Clean Slate Strategies and co-founder of Chaos Lab. With a background as a recovering corporate executive, Jennifer is not only a keynote speaker but also a researcher, facilitator, emcee, moderator and trainer.
Her passion lies in embracing challenges and collaborating with clients to Work & Lead UnScripted. Regardless of constraints, Jennifer consistently delivers customized, experiential, engaging and practical solutions for each unique situation, whether in person or online.
A member of the board of directors for Meetings Mean Business Canada, Jennifer represents the Canadian Association for Professional Speakers. She contributes to Forbes and is the author of the upcoming book, "UnScripted." Jennifer is particularly enthusiastic about her recent partnership with Chaos Lab, which produced the Chaos2Clarity research study. This study uncovered that the secret to well-being is how we embrace uncertainty.
Jenifer will present the following:
Soroptimist Leadership Fellows Program
UnScripted Leadership: Leading Through Uncertainty
Tiffany Tolbert
Currently a consultant, Tiffany Tolbert spent time as the executive director of a 25-year-old nonprofit organization. She is known as an influencer, change maker, collaborator and for her compassion. She has over 15 years of experience in the Atlanta nonprofit community. Her leadership style challenges the norm and focuses on identifying and developing the leaders within her teams. Her leadership has also helped organizations grow and further their impact in the greater Atlanta community.
As an avid reader, Tiffany's vision is to ensure that every child becomes literate and develops a love for reading. She made her mark in Atlanta through her career with Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta and volunteerism with the Ryan Cameron Foundation, United Way of Greater Atlanta and Junior League of Atlanta.
Tiffany holds a Bachelor of Arts from Columbia University and a master’s degree in nonprofit management from Case Western Reserve University.
Tiffany will facilitate the following:
Soroptimist Leadership Fellows Program
Team Leadership Presentations
Co-facilitator: Shirley Anne Smith