This Friday and Saturday, the Oz Pathway to Leadership - Spring Leadership Conference invites student leaders in organizations, residence hall communities, peer educators and other campus roles to build skills and community in support of individual and organizational growth.

Hosted by the Office Student Engagement and Leadership (SEL), the event kicks off with a keynote talk at 5 p.m. Friday, Jan. 27, by Derek Greenfield titled “Better Together: Building Compassionate, Innovative, and Inclusive Communities in Times of Challenge.”   

His talk is free and open to the campus community.

“Friday night is open to anybody on campus and I really think it’s going to be a high-energy session,” said Mike Paestella, associate director of leadership development for SEL. “Derek is going to make his keynote interactive and valuable. Anybody who is interested in leadership and in building an inclusive community would enjoy it.”

Greenfield is a nationally recognized thought leader, speaker, educator and activist committed to inclusive excellence and positive change. With his dynamic, interactive style and transformational ideas, Greenfield's powerful workshops and keynote presentations have inspired and informed audiences from Texas to Tonga, with clients including CBS Sports, Visa, the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks and over 300 colleges and universities. 

By modeling approaches to break down barriers and establish spaces of inclusive excellence, Greenfield will offer a real-time encounter that will offer practical strategies for implementation in the work of campus leaders and help create an even deeper sense of community at SUNY Oswego. The session will conclude with a special opportunity for participants to share more openly and celebrate one another, offering a dynamic experience that fosters enhanced trust and commitment. 

Saturday’s activities, running from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Marano Campus Center, will appeal most to current officers and aspiring officers in student organizations. That day’s activities will start with a return from Greenfield to continue the momentum of his keynote.

“Derek will recap and continue the charge, while the brief breakouts will continue Derek’s message but also provide additional opportunities for engagement and motivation,” Paestella said.

Three rotating breakout sessions of approximately 25 minutes will introduce themes such as service and social justice programming in support of your organizational purpose, promoting and publicizing your organization and events, and communication and motivation from a personal and organizational level.

A working lunch will be provided on Saturday to attendees.

For further details about the conference, check out the event page in Laker Life.

For more information, email Paestella at michael.paestella@oswego.edu.