INDIANAPOLIS (August 18, 2016) – During the last weekend in July, 28 presidents from the Atlantic Gulf Coast and Pacific Northwest regions gathered in Indianapolis for a pilot program – the Presidents Academy.
The Presidents Academy is an educational leadership experience and is designed to provide chapter presidents with in-depth learning focused on self-awareness, understanding vision, and how to be a coach to those they are leading. This weekend experience sought to provide participants with an intimate knowledge of servant leadership, necessary tools to educate peers and other officers, improve communication, and develop an overall chapter operational plan.
The presidents hit the ground running as soon as everyone arrived. Their days were packed with an engaging mix of servant leadership deep dives, real life examples from facilitators, case studies and activities. When asked what they took away from the Presidents Academy, Briana Alvoid-Preston, Stetson ’13 said, “The best part of the weekend, for me, was getting to hear all of the ideas that were shared among the brothers. We were able to take the information and apply it directly to our chapters, and bounce those ideas off each other. I learned that leadership isn’t one size fits all, but with the correct direction and skills we can all be better leaders.”
Jeffrey Harmon, Central Florida ’95, president of Brilliance Within Coaching & Consulting and Jason Pierce, Director of Education led the interactive discussions throughout the weekend. Also assisting the presidents during group discussions and activities were five invaluable facilitators: Pacific Northwest Regional Director Wendy A. Wendroff, Tri-State ’80-Life, Atlantic Gulf Coast Regional Director Jacqueline M. Ginarte, Florida International ‘04 and Heritage Center staff members Mackenzie A. Lauka, Toledo ‘10-Life, Alec Morand, Loyola Marymount ‘14, and Cady E. Tabeling, Southern Indiana ’11-Life.
“It was humbling to be able to converse with fellow brothers and presidents across the U.S. that have gone through similar successes and struggles,” said Caroline Danner, Gonzaga ’15. “I was excited to find a strong sense of brotherhood amongst the participants, most who had never met before. Learning from Jeff and other AKPsi directors was a unique experience unlike any other leadership training I have attended before. I not only learned about servant leadership, but also feel confident in my abilities to be a servant leader for my chapter. It was a weekend I will never forget and feel extremely grateful to Alpha Kappa Psi to have been a part of it.”
Presidents Academy Attendees: | |
Michael J. Acosta, Florida ’14 Rheina Agosa, Washington ’15 Rashaan J. Ahmad, Miami ’15 Kaysha Alvarez, South Florida ’15 Briana N. Alvoid-Preston, Stetson ’13 Aisha B. Burwell, Florida Atlantic ’15 Rubin Chervak, Boise State ’15 Grace E. Cleland, Emory ’14 Wyatt L. Croucher, Washington State ’15 Caroline Danner, Gonzaga ’15 Alicia D. De Leon Mendoza, Oregon State ’15 Danish Dhanani, Georgia Tech ’14 Farin M. Fukunaga, Seattle ’14 Carlos Gonzales Jr., Georgia ’15 |
Brendan Herron, Western Washington ’14 Brionna L. Husted, Eastern Washington ’15 Daniel Lazo, Florida International ’15 Zoe Y. Lin, British Columbia ’15 Jennifer Menjivar, Florida State ’14 Adam Moran, Oregon ’13 Jacqueline A. Musser, Central Washington ’14-Life Sheila Nguyen, Calgary ’15 Christopher R. Ramirez, Nova Southeastern ’14 Katie R. Richmond, Portland ’14 Kiarra Sanford, Georgia State Marcus A. Tivis, Central Florida ’14 Eileen W. Tom, Portland State ’13 Sheridan Younge, Florida A&M ’15 |