INDIANAPOLIS, IN, February 2 – 4 and 9 -11, 2018 – Alpha Kappa Psi kicked off the first two weekends in February with the Principled Business Leadership Institute held in four cities across the country.
PBLI 2018
Brothers from across the globe came together in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, and San Francisco Bay Area to spend the weekend bonding, learning professional development skills, and advancing their journey to becoming Principled Business Leaders.
The 2018 PBLI was the first step of the new Leadership Pathway. This includes Officer Training and Chapter Success Plan strategy.
Among the programs and activities offered were breakout sessions with topics including negotiating your first salary, preparing for your first job, and receiving advice from HR managers and recruiters. There was also an idea lab to foster creative business concepts and several opportunities for resume reviews and mock interviews.
Guest Speakers
Keynote speakers inspired the crowd in each location. Debbie Barrett, Jeff Blade, Chris Riche, and Bryan Burdick all shared insight on the changing landscape in the workplace, applying the professional skills taught in the fraternity, and having the foresight to make impactful decisions.
Notable Appearances
Fraternity President Mike Dickerson and Executive Vice President Jackie Ginarte attended two PBLIs each during the back-to-back weekends. CEO Steve Hartman traveled across the country to attend all four locations within the two-week time-frame.
Case Competition
The stakes were high for the Case Competition participants. Each group had the task of creating a business venture inspired by the United Nations’ Transforming our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The groups then presented their ideas to a panel of judges made up of volunteers, alumni, and business professionals for the chance to win a monetary award for their chapter to pursue the business. The winners of each location are as follows:
- Boston – ULLR Skis, University of Wyoming
- Chicago – be-WISE-er, University of Toledo
- San Francisco Bay Area – H2OFlow, San Jose State University
Distinguished Service Awards
A few deserving brothers were presented with the Distinguished Service Award.
First Degree Silver Distinguished Service Award
- Jasmine Chery, University of Central Florida, ’09 – Life
- John M. LeVering, Boise State University, ‘95
- Allison H. Moore, Florida State University, ’94 – Life
- Sydney L. Stenhouse, Winthrop University, ’07
- Stephanie A. Van Dellen, University of Oregon, ‘08
First Degree Bronze Distinguished Service Award
- Diana D. Correia, Syracuse University, ‘14
Officer Training
As the first step in the Leadership pathway, officers attended programming Saturday evening and Sunday morning to learn operational skills for their respective positions. Later, they came together with their executive board to begin strategizing their 2018 – 19 Chapter Success Plan.
More Highlights from PBLI 2018
- Heritage Center Staff, Melinda Rosenthall, Director of Student Services, was initiated as an honorary member of the Nu chapter at Boston University.
- Georgia Tech represented their chapter well by sending brothers to all four PBLI locations. The chapter funded the registration and travel for each brother.
- Volunteers keep Alpha Kappa Psi events running smoothly. Thank you for helping stuff bags, working registration, facilitating breakout sessions, and making the 2018 PBLI experience one to remember.
- A brother from the Psi Mu chapter at the University of Rochester and the faculty advisor from the Zeta Pi chapter did a fantastic job leading the anthem in Boston.
- New Regional Director Training took place in Atlanta and Boston. Our newest Regional Directors learned the ins and outs of their positions to help our brothers become Principled Business Leaders.
Find more photos and video from the event on our Facebook page.
