Mercer University’s Center for Executive Education continues its Women in Leadership Series Aug. 27 at 11:30 a.m. with a discussion on “Mindful Decision Making for Effective Leadership” led by Dr. Morgan Kiper Riechel, assistant professor of counseling in the College of Professional Advancement.
The series, which features speakers from the College of Professional Advancement and Stetson-Hatcher School of Business, provides useful information and tools to help develop female leaders, innovators and problem solvers.
“In the College of Professional Advancement, the majority of our students are female, and many of our graduate students come from professional backgrounds and are pursuing a master’s or doctoral degree to enhance their professional practice,” Dr. Riechel said. “My session on mindful decision making for leaders will highlight some of the work done by one of our Ph.D. students on mindfulness.”
On Sept. 10, Dr. Jacqueline Stephen, director of the College of Professional Advancement’s Office of Distance Learning, will lead a webinar on “Building Virtual Teams.”
This virtual event will focus on common challenges that leaders face as a result of the sudden shift to working in virtual environments and will offer strategies team leaders can employ to establish productive virtual teams.
Dr. Stephen said the webinar embodies the overall theme of Women in Leadership greatly.
“Women today are not only working from home, they are also taking care of children and other family members, as well,” she said. “It is really important for leaders to engage in practices that help women to maintain a healthy work-life-family balance.”
The webinar series will conclude on Sept. 17 with Dr. Briana Stenard, assistant professor of management and entrepreneurship in the School of Business, discussing “Is Your Quarantine Business Idea Worth Pursuing?”
Building off of the webinars, the Center for Executive Education has planned two days of in-person Women in Leadership workshops Oct. 22-23 on Mercer’s Atlanta campus.
Dr. Lynn Clemons, associate professor of organizational leadership and chair of the Department of Leadership in the College of Professional Advancement, will participate in the workshops, leading a session Oct. 23 on “The Magic of We: Leading Teams,” which will provide insight and tools leaders need to build an effective team.
“Leading teams is a fundamental role of all leaders,” Dr. Clemons said. “It is an important task of leadership no matter the gender. Organizations must invest in women.”
Dr. Clemons said it has been a goal of the College of Professional Advancement to include this type of programming. The College offers a Women in Leadership concentration “so that students can dig deeper into the important issues of women in leadership,” she said.
For more details and to register for the Women in Leadership webinars and workshops, visit business.mercer.edu/centers-initiatives/executive-education/women-in-leadership-series.
