2021 February 18 University of Georgia Virtual Conference
Letter from the Director Welcome to the 2021 Community Leadership Conference! On behalf of the University of Georgia and the faculty, staff and students of the J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development, I want to thank you for attending our conference, albeit virtually this year. When we gathered a year ago here in Athens for our last Community Leadership Conference, none of us could have foreseen what the ensuing 12 months would bring for our communities. A global pandemic has altered how we work and how we interact with each other. In addition, racial unrest has compelled us to examine ourselves and our communities in new ways and have difficult conversations around issues of diversity, equity, inclusion and racial justice. With the events of the last year in mind, today’s theme focuses on “Leading in Unprecedented Times.”Throughout our conference, sessions will focus on important topics such as leading difficult conversations in your community; diversity, equity and inclusion; and leadership lessons learned during the pandemic. In addition, Fanning faculty will lead a keynote address that will provide leadership tips and strategies around our theme that you can put to work right now. We also look forward to sharing some new initiatives here at the institute that we believe will help communities and organizations build an even deeper foundation of leaders at all levels. Finally, we will present this year’s Innovations in Community Leadership Award posthumously to Superior Court Judge Horace J. Johnson, Jr. Throughout his life and his career, Johnson committed himself to strengthening his community of Newton County by serving others, mentoring future generations and implementing parental accountability and treatment courts. Since 1982, the Fanning Institute has worked throughout Georgia to strengthen communities and organizations through leadership development, training and education. As a unit of the Office of Public Service and Outreach at the University of Georgia, the Fanning Institute is committed to developing leaders of all ages, in every community, from all walks of life. This conference represents one way the Fanning Institute is fulfilling its leadership development mission. This conference would not be possible without the contributions and efforts of many volunteers. I want to thank members of our planning committee, community partners, the Fanning Institute Advisory Board and the Office of the Vice President for Public Service and Outreach for all of their support in implementing the conference. The efforts of so many have resulted in a wonderful conference with multiple opportunities to learn and grow.
Matthew L. Bishop, Ph.D. Director J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development
FANNING FIVE YEAR FAST FACTS
39,815
individuals have received leadership training from the Fanning Institute
2
$1.8M
has been raised by the Fanning Institute through work contracts, grants and private giving
16,928
youth have received leadership training from the Fanning Institute
2021 Community Leadership Conference | Leading in Unprecedented Times
Schedule at a Glance
THURSDAY, February 18
10:00 a.m.
Welcome and Opening Plenary | “Lessons Learned Leading in Unprecedented Times� Fostering Strong Civil Societies through The Silver Linings of Leading Through Conversation (Part 1) a Pandemic (or How I learned to Love Crisis Management)
11:15 a.m.
Innovations in Community Leadership Award Presentation
11:30 a.m.
Lunch on Your Own
12:40 p.m.
Special Guest Speaker | Colonel Jolanda L.J. Walker, Army War College Fellow
9:00 a.m.
1:00 p.m.
Fostering Strong Civil Societies through Conversation (Part 2)
2:15 p.m.
Break
2:30 p.m.
Un-Zipping the Zip Code
3:45 p.m.
Closing Session
4:00 pm
Conference Concludes
Engaging with Your Board Around Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Youth Town Hall Collaborative
J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development, University of Georgia
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Speakers Matt Bishop serves as the director of the J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development at the University of Georgia. In this role, he is responsible for the overall strategic direction and programmatic operations of the institute in fulfillment of its mission to strengthen communities, organizations and individuals through leadership development, education and training. He leads a team of 35 faculty, staff and students in designing and delivering a variety of leadership programs that focus on community, nonprofit and youth audiences. Before being named director of the Fanning Institute in 2012, Bishop served as the Coordinator of Operations for UGA’s Archway Partnership, where he was instrumental in helping UGA expand Archway from three to eight communities. His 17-year career at UGA also includes serving on the faculty of the Fanning Institute and the Carl Vinson Institute of Government and as the Principal Investigator for UGA’s Initiative on Poverty and the Economy. Prior to UGA, Bishop served as Associate Director of the Governor’s Rural Development Council and as Regional Resource Coordinator for the Georgia Department of Community Affairs. He attended Presbyterian College where he majored in political science, and he also holds both a Master of Public Administration and Ph.D. in Public Administration and Policy from the University of Georgia.
Matthew Bishop, Ph.D.
Director, J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development University of Georgia Colonel Jolanda L. J. Walker is a native of Montgomery, AL. She is a graduate of Jacksonville State University in Jacksonville, Alabama where she received a Bachelor of Science degree in biology with a minor in military science and was a Distinguished Military Graduate. She commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army as a Medical Service Corps Officer through the Reserve Officer Training Corps in 1998. Colonel Walker also holds a Master of Science in clinical laboratory science from Rutgers University in Newark, New Jersey and is nationally certified through the American Society for Clinical Pathology. Colonel Walker has served at a myriad of duty stations in various leadership and command positions ranging from Evacuation Platoon Leader at Camp Humphreys, Korea to Executive Officer to the Chief of the Army Medical Corps at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas. She most recently served as the Commander, Troop Command, Dwight D. Eisenhower Army Medical Center; Fort Gordon, Georgia and Deputy Regional Laboratory Manager assisting with COVID-19 Laboratory Response for Regional Health Command – Atlantic. Colonel Walker is currently studying global food security, agrosecurity, infectious disease and population health as an Army War College Fellow at the University of Georgia. Colonel Walker has attended all levels of military education and holds numerous awards and decorations. Colonel Walker is married to Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Ronald Walker of Harker Heights, Texas.
Colonel Jolanda L.J. Walker
Army War College Fellow, University of Georgia Deputy to the 71E Consultant for New Accessions and Recruiting
The theme for this year’s virtual CLC is “Leading in Unprecedented Times.” Entering a new year after an unprecedented 2020, we are at a turning point in our communities. Continuing to face changes in our community connections, business processes and ways of life; we are all looking for answers, assurance and exemplary leadership to guide us. In our plenary session, Fanning faculty will discuss ways we can adapt and lead our communities and organizations into the future.
Maritza Soto-Keen, Nina Johnson, Brandy Walker and Brendan Leahy
Public Service Faculty, J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development University of Georgia
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2021 Community Leadership Conference | Leading in Unprecedented Times
Innovations in Community Leadership Award This year, the Fanning Institute is honored to recognize the late Superior Court Judge Horace J. Johnson, Jr. as the recipient of the Innovations in Community Leadership Award for his commitment to public service and making a difference in his hometown of Newton County. From being a part of integrating the Newton County school system in the late 1960s to serving as both the first Black attorney and Black Superior Court judge in Newton County, he spent his life at the forefront of affecting positive change in his community. As a judge, he fought for justice, fairness and compassion, starting parental accountability courts in Newton and Walton counties and opening a treatment court for veterans. As a leader, he dedicated his time and energies to serving others and his community. He mentored future generations, starting a mentoring program in the county school system and working to start a Boys and Girls Club in his hometown.
The Johnson family accepting the Innovations in Community Leadership Award In 2017, the Fanning Institute established the Innovations in Community Leadership Award to recognize individuals or programs who have moved beyond traditional community leadership programming through innovative practices, partnerships and activities that better serve participants and their communities. When selecting the award recipient, several criteria – including need, creativity, implementation and impact – are taken into account. Granting this award showcases these innovations and the dedicated leaders who strive to make their communities stronger. With the inaugural Innovations in Community Leadership Award in 2017, the Fanning Institute recognized Moultrie businessman Roy Reeves for his decades of public service in Colquitt County, including helping launch the UGA Archway Partnership. In 2018, the institute presented the award to the Middle Georgia Regional Commission and its Middle Georgia Regional Leadership Champions program, which seeks to build regional success in middle Georgia through leadership development. The 2019 award recipient was the Lynda Brannen Williamson Foundation for its work in establishing and supporting an annual women’s leadership academy in southeast Georgia. Last year, the award went to Walnut Grove High School for its development of a student leadership program that utilizes a multi-phased, comprehensive leadership development approach that has improved student achievement and school climate.
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Workshops WORKSHOP SESSION I Fostering Strong Civil Societies through Conversation (Part 1) Terence Johnson, Public Service Faculty, J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development Raye Rawls, Public Service Faculty, J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development Finding ways to engage in conversations that challenge our worldview and reflect our differences while allowing us to remain in community is critical to fostering strong civil societies. The Reflective Structured Dialogue (RSD) approach is one method we can use to facilitate a process of engagement that can lead to mutual understanding, a foundation for problem solving, collaboration and unity—indeed, for peaceful and constructive coexistence. Created over 25 years ago and used around the globe, RSD is a structured conversation designed to provide people sufficient safety to develop understanding of perspectives and worldviews that may be different from their own. RSD is a tool for managing conversations in spaces where “You are either for me or against me” is the prevailing attitude; where people on the sidelines become marginalized, ignored, shouted down, hurt or even killed. The goal of RSD is to open or reopen spaces for communication that have been closed.
10:00 A.M. - 11:15 A.M. The Silver Linings of Leading Through a Pandemic (or How I Learned to Love Crisis Management) Lauren Koontz, President and CEO, YMCA of Metro Atlanta Within 10 days in March 2020, as a result of the pandemic, the YMCA of Metro Atlanta shut our 18 locations for member programming and got to work addressing the sudden flood of food insecurity in our community and the need for essential worker childcare. With traditional sources of revenue hampered by the closures, our commitment to the Atlanta community was still a constant. How did we overcome obstacles to continue our service during this critical time? “Silver Linings of Leading Through a Pandemic” is the story of how our Y locked arms with partners across the city to confront the practical and societal needs of the moment, aligned our capabilities to meet circumstances, shifted thinking about our potential and embraced our role as a crucial leader in the nonprofit and equity spaces for the health and wellbeing of Atlanta. It’s been a challenging ride with joy in the journey.
KEY I N N O VAT I O N S I N LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMING LEADING AND PROMOTING DIVERSE COMMUNITIES LEADERSHIP IN NONPROFIT O R G A N I Z AT I O N S
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2021 Community Leadership Conference | Leading in Unprecedented Times
Workshops WORKSHOP SESSION II
1:00 P.M. - 2:15 P.M.
WORKSHOP SESSION III
2:30 P.M. - 3:45 P.M.
Fostering Strong Civil Societies through Conversation (Part 2)
Un-Zipping the Zip Code
Terence Johnson, Public Service Faculty, J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development
Vrondelia Chandler, Executive Director - Project GRAD Knoxville,
Raye Rawls, Public Service Faculty, J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development Finding ways to engage in conversations that challenge our worldview and reflect our differences while allowing us to remain in community is critical to fostering strong civil societies. The Reflective Structured Dialogue (RSD) approach is one method we can use to facilitate a process of engagement that can lead to mutual understanding, a foundation for problem solving, collaboration and unity—indeed, for peaceful and constructive coexistence. Created over 25 years ago and used around the globe, RSD is a structured conversation designed to provide people sufficient safety to develop understanding of perspectives and worldviews that may be different from their own. RSD is a tool for managing conversations in spaces where “You are either for me or against me” is the prevailing attitude; where people on the sidelines become marginalized, ignored, shouted down, hurt or even killed. The goal of RSD is to open or reopen spaces for communication that have been closed.
Engaging with Your Board Around Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Sayge Medlin, Public Service Faculty, J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development The words, “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion” (or DEI) are being used more and more frequently. What do they mean for your nonprofit currently? What should they mean? How do you ingrain them into practices that become long-lasting components of your organizational culture? This workshop will explore these questions through the lens of board engagement.
Tanisha Baker, Project GRAD Knoxville There are barriers that emerge as a direct result of one’s environment. Before we are understood, we must seek to understand. We must understand community characteristics, perceptions and challenges. Research supports that one’s zip code influences outcomes and opportunities. Predictions of academic proficiency, progress and success are often linked to a student’s demographics. Unfortunately, many people residing in areas with a high concentration of poverty or minority families fall within the lowest bracket when it comes to academic achievement and progression through higher education. There are students that are underserved and underrepresented in higher education due to obstacles tied to environment. There are barriers that emerge as a direct result of one’s zip code. Demographic profiles can be used to identify trends that will guide understanding, assessing and addressing inequities in opportunities and access for communities facing concentrated challenges.
Youth Town Hall Collaborative Lauren Healey, Public Service Faculty, J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development David Meyers, Public Service Faculty, J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development Lori Tiller, Public Service Faculty, J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development Youth-serving organizations across Georgia were forced to change their procedures to continue meeting the needs of youth during the unprecedented events of 2020. The Fanning Institute partnered with two organizations to conduct a series of virtual youth and adult town hall sessions across the state to capture the opportunities and innovations that have emerged. In this session, participants will learn about the town hall design and explore how this process could work within their local communities or organizations.
J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development, University of Georgia
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Community Leadership Conference Organizers Planning Committee Christina Allen-Wise Charlie Bauder Matt Bishop Emily Boness, Co-Chair Lauren Corcino Nina Johnson, Co-Chair Special thanks to the UGA Office of Public Service and Outreach
706-542-1108 www.fanning.uga.edu 8
A unit of Public Service and Outreach University of Georgia 1240 S. Lumpkin Street Athens, GA 30602
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2021 Community Leadership Conference | Leading in Unprecedented Times