On Monday, August 19 – two days prior to the start of their junior year – the Class of 2015 took part in an intensive half-day Leadership Academy at NC State’s Jane S. McKimmon Center.

The Leadership Academy is a longstanding component of the Park Scholarships experience; however, it has taken many forms since its inception. In shaping this year’s program, Park staff and Class of 2015 Park Faculty Scholars Lianne Cartee and Barry Croom worked closely with Leadership Academy instructors Steve Barr and Paul Mulvey – faculty members in the Department of Management, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship and former Park Faculty Scholars themselves – to incorporate suggestions from past participants. Together, they developed a program intended to address leadership issues commonly encountered by Park Scholars in the latter half of their undergraduate careers.

This year’s Leadership Academy featured topics such as self-awareness, skill development, receiving feedback, and networking. Barr and Mulvey will expand upon these themes and introduce others throughout the coming months by hosting periodic sessions for the junior class to practice public speaking techniques and to discuss concepts relevant to motivating others, implicit bias, and transformational leadership. Later this semester, the students will conduct interviews with leaders from across the country to gain a deeper understanding of the leadership strategies and styles these individuals find most effective.

One highlight of the Class of 2015 Leadership Academy was the first-time inclusion of Leadership Coaches: individuals representing a broad range of professions who spoke candidly with students in small groups about the challenges they face as leaders in their respective workplaces. These conversations illustrated for participants the practical application of leadership theories presented during the program; however, they also served as opportunities for students to make connections with influencers in their fields of interest. The team of Leadership Coaches comprised the following:

- Ann-Cabell Baum Andersen – Owner/Broker, Glenwood Agency - Charles Boney – Vice President, LS3P Associates, Ltd. - Chesca Colloredo-Mansfeld – Executive Director, miraclefeet - Mickey Fearn – Professor of Practice, College of Natural Resources, NC State - Suzanne Gordon – Chairman of Board, Communities in Schools of Wake County - Kristin Murphy – Global Competitive Sales Intelligence Manager, SAS Institute - Sanjiv Sarin – Vice Provost for Research, Graduate Program and Extended Learning and Dean, Graduate School, North Carolina A&T - Jim Wilkins – Vice-Chairman, Person County School Board - Randall Williams – Physician, Williams, Benavides, & Kaminski, MD, PA

“Leadership is a vital component of the Park Scholarships program,” said Croom. “The Park Scholars of today are the business and community leaders of tomorrow.”