Goodwin Great Talks

The Goodwin College of Professional Studies is hosting a webinar series titled, “Goodwin Great Talks.” All students are invited to join their peers, Goodwin College leadership and University campus partners to engage and network with those in the workforce. Special speakers from a multitude of backgrounds will offer a diversity of topics, such as non-profit leadership and future planning. We are excited to have you tune in and boost your transferable skills!

**Leslie Ashburn-Nardo, PhD**
Vice Provost of Faculty Advancement and Inclusion, Drexel University

Demystifying DEI: Addressing Five Common Misperceptions

Tuesday, April 8, 2025
12-1 p.m.

In just a few years’ time, three letters—DEI—have generated much controversy. Drexel University’s inaugural Vice Provost for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion—now Vice Provost of Faculty Advancement and Inclusion—will talk about the changing landscape of DEI. In this session, Dr. Ashburn-Nardo will share evidence to “demystify” DEI and address five common misperceptions:

DEI is unnecessary.
DEI trainings will address all our problems.
DEI only benefits certain groups.
DEI lowers standards.
DEI creates more division than unity.

Engaging in Courageous Conversations about Race: What’s in Your Toolbox?

Tuesday, May 13, 2025
12-1 p.m.

In this interactive session, leadership from the School of Education’s Critical Conversations about Urban Education (CCUE) will share how they use Courageous Conversations’ protocol to engage in schoolwide, interracial dialogue. The protocol includes multiple tools participants can use to talk about race in their own contexts.

**Deanna Hill, JD, PhD**
Associate Clinical Professor and Program Director for EdD in Educational Leadership and Management, School of Education

**Kristine S. Lewis Grant, PhD**
Clinical Professor, School of Education

**Sherri Manson, MBA**
Executive Administrator for the Interim Dean and Associate Deans, School of Education

**Cianni Williams, BS education ’24**
MS Advanced Teaching, Learning and Curriculum ‘25

Past Events

**Kena Sears-Brown, MBA**
Director, Continuing Professional Education & Workforce Initiatives, Goodwin College of Professional Studies

How to Advance Your Career through Professional Development

March 11, 2025: The skills gap — the discrepancy between the skills employers need and the skills that candidates and workers possess — has been a persistent challenge in the job market (Forbes, 2023). Professionals at every career level from emerging leaders to career shifters can benefit from enrolling in short certification courses and industry bootcamps to ensure that they stay relevant and prepared for the ever-changing workplace. Completing a professional certificate in project management, continuous improvement, and leadership development can position a person for salary increases, new leadership roles, and a smooth pivot to begin working in a new industry.

**Jennifer Katz-Buonincontro, PhD**
Professor and Associate Dean of Research, School of Education

Creativity Series, Part 3: Powering Up Your Creativity to Find Workplace Solutions

Feb. 11, 2025: What is creativity, and how can we use novel ideas to transform workplace problems and solve them collaboratively? Some people believe the only point in a college degree is to land a job, build a career and climb the promotion ladder. Even when landing that dream job, it can be fraught with problems. Rarely do we process our experiences and develop new skills to solve these problems. This session invites participants to share their beliefs about creativity from which we will build a common definition of creativity that is also grounded in research. Then, Jen will share essential features of creative problem solving to help learn about and manage the creative problem-solving (CPS) cycle for “self” and “other.” In this session, you will also be invited to reflect on a problem of practice in your workplace, and develop actionable ideas for breaking through these problems using the CPS cycle.

**Wendy Elliot Pyle**
Program Manager, School of Education

Creativity Series, Part 2: Creative & Collaborative Problem Solving Using the “6 Thinking Hats” Method

Jan. 14, 2025: Have you ever felt you did not have all the information and perspectives necessary to make the best decision? During this session, Wendy introduced participants to the basic premise of Edward De Bono’s “Six Thinking Hats” method of problem solving. Together, they practiced role-playing to view a problem from six different lenses used in the decision-making process for personal or professional decisions.

**Daniel Albert, PhD**
Assistant Professor of Management, LeBow College of Business

Innovating and Decision-making with Generative AI

Dec. 10, 2024: In this webinar, we explored innovative applications of recent generative artificial intelligence (gen AI) models, such as ChatGPT. Our goal was to understand gen AI's current capabilities and how individuals can begin exploring both small-scale and revolutionary applications for their work and interests. Demonstrations primarily featured the latest ChatGPT models and Claude.

Creativity Series, Part 1: Mindful Ways to Nurture your Creativity

Nov. 12, 2024: Everyone has creative potential and their unique creative expression, even if you do not think so. No matter if you are a novice or have an established creative practice, continuing to nurture, honor, and reflect in mindful ways at every stage of the creative process is important. During this presentation, we shared a variety of mindful exercises and practices to help you appreciate, begin, rekindle, or expand your creative potential and self-efficacy.

Leading & Working During Organizational Change

Oct. 8, 2024: In this insightful online panel session, "Leading & Working During Organizational Change," senior leaders from esteemed institutions of higher education shared their experiences, strategies and best practices for navigating the complexities of organizational change. This session was designed for educators, administrators and professionals who are looking to gain a deeper understanding of effective leadership and collaboration during times of transformation.