Leadership Cattaraugus

Live, Learn, Lead: Maximize Your Potential

2017 Leadership Summit Speakers

 

Keynote Address
The Trust Factor: A Critical Component of Effective Leadership

In this keynote address, Matrecia S. Long James, Ph.D., will emphasize the importance and impact of authentic leadership in today’s society. Trust is identified as a critical component and essential building block that supports and enhances job involvement, citizenship behavior and long-term commitment to leaders and organizations.

Aspect and dimensions of trust will be highlighted as the foundation of team building and performance. Leadership is based on human interactions, relationships and influence. Without trust, these phenomena are weak, fragile and short-term. Dr. James will identify ways to build trust and enhance the power and effectiveness of leadership.

Dr. James is the dean of the School of Business, Swan Business Center, at St. Bonaventure University and is founder and primary program developer of Multi-level Sustainable Leadership Consulting (MSL Consulting). She obtained her Ph.D. in Business Administration with a major area in Organizational Behavior and a support area in Human Resource Development and Behavioral Dynamics from the College of Business at the Florida State University.

She obtained a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Business Administration with a minor in Accounting from the School of Business and Industry at Florida A&M University and a Master’s Degree in Business Education from the College of Education, also at Florida A&M University. Her research centers on cynicism in organizations, social influence, spirituality in the workplace and leadership. Her work has been published in numerous journals and conference proceedings. She is the former associate dean and director of graduate programs at the Davis College of Business at Jacksonville University, where she was the Shircliff Endowed Chair of Business Ethics. Dr. James also has experience in the retail and personnel development industries.

Read more about Dr. James
Dr. James has developed and facilitated a number of leadership development seminars, organizational development practicums and individual enhancement workshops and certificate programs. She is the leadership program designer and primary workshop facilitator for the hallmark “Leadership Matters” program jointly developed by Jacksonville University-Davis College of Business and the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce-Jacksonville Women’s Business Center. Dr. James has specialized in assisting individuals in developing unique individual development plans. She has developed and facilitated personal leadership strategies for executives and individuals in various organizations including, but not limited to, Florida Blue, FIS, Merrill Lynch and Bi-Lo Holdings. She focuses on executive coaching, talent management, organizational change management and personal leadership development. Additionally, Dr. James has presented her research, served on panels, organized caucuses, and facilitated professional development workshops at the Academy of Management, American Psychology Association, Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychologist, Society of Consulting Psychology and the Southern Management Association in the United States, Montreal, Canada; Berlin, Germany; and Taipei, Taiwan. Dr. James was a guest lecturer in Tokyo, Japan, on June 21, 2014, where she shared knowledge and insight on effective organizational change, emphasizing the impact and influence of individuals, groups and the organization. On October 20, 2016, Dr. James was a featured speaker for Turknett Leadership Group 2016 Women in Leadership Series. Her topic of discourse was “Why You Should Never Stop Learning and Developing as a Leader.” She has been featured and in Entrepreneurs Anchor, Advantage Magazine, and CEO Magazine.

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Breakout Session #1 | 10:15-11:30 a.m.
{Select 1 of 4 presentations}

Dashboards, Metrics and Scorecards: Donald Hahn
Ever glance in the cockpit of a 747 as you boarded the plan for a trip? If you are like me, you probably were astonished at the number of dials, lights and instruments, shaking your head with the seeming complexity of it all. In truth, pilots use four primary dials to make sure their plan stays on course and remains airborne. Providing one of their key dials suggests a problem, the pilot then gains greater insights by digging deeper into an associated dial. This dashboard is critical to focus on the most important performance indicators. Running a business is in many ways equal to or more challenging than keeping a plane airborne. Business owners need to measure and monitor several key “business dials” that highlight the health of their business. These dials are key performance metrics, which, when combined creates your business dashboard.  This dashboard generally consists of 5 or 6 dials that measure the success of your business. What business dials are on your dashboard? What about the associated dashboards of those departments within your organization? Join us in building a focused dashboard for your organization. 

Read more about Hahn
Prior to founding Hahn Training in 2000, Mr. Hahn spent more than 25 years in Fortune 500 firms as a successful sales rep, coach and adviser. As a sales leader he has spearheaded channel development, marketing and sales operations for global sales enterprises of up to 1,000 people. A serial business coach and consultant, Hahn is passionate about enabling organizational change through developing exceptional leaders. A certified Franklin Covey Coach, certified in psychometric assessment tools, a sales trainer and business consultant, Mr. Hahn has worked with hundreds of businesses and thousands of sales professionals in creating change-ready organizations. As a leading talent manager, he is a member of TTI’s elite Chairman’s circle and a chosen member of TTI’s International Faculty.

The Block Shop Gang. Morphed!! From Skepticism to Trust: Larry A. Penman
In this presentation, Larry Penman will describe how his fellow employees in “the Block Shop” successfully took “ownership” of Safety, Quality, and Production by keeping a People First philosophy in mind. Through empowerment, servant leadership, and specifying goals not methods, substantial gains were achieved by the members of the department. We have all heard those buzz words, but are we putting them to good use? Are we really living it, or just talking it? This discussion will give a great examples of an actual situation in which skepticism turned to trust.

Read more about Penman
Mr. Penman is a production supervisor at Cutco Cutlery Corp., where he has been employed for the past 20 years. Prior to working at Cutco, Mr. Penman owned and operated Laboheme Trucking Company for 16 years. A member of the Leadership Cattaraugus Class of 2011, he has been honored with the JCC Distinguished Alumnus award as well as the GOACC Volunteer of the Year Award. Mr. Penman went back to school at 40 years old and graduated in May 2004 from JCC with an Associate Degree in Business Management. He was inducted into Phi Theta Kappa while attending JCC with a 3.8 GPA. His volunteer experience has included Rebuilding Together, Rally in the Valley co-chair (15 years), and the JCC Alumni Association Board of Directors. He is a past member of the Board of Directors for the Olean Area Industrial Management Council and has served as a Leadership Cattaraugus mentor.

As a Leader – Building Work Relationships: John StevensJohn Stevens
This session includes:
– understanding what affects your likeability at work
– how listening skills help build good working relationships
– tools to build trust in your organization

The format moves quickly and includes self-assessments, table discussions / group interaction, and a handout as a takeaway. 

Read more about Stevens
Mr. Stevens is an instructor in the Department of Management at St. Bonaventure. He previously served as director of the MBA program and director of the Achievement Center for Continuous Learning at the university. He is also president of JB Stevens Organizational Solutions, a management consulting and training business. He has more than 35 years of experience in organizational development, training, consulting, teaching, administration, human resources, communications and public relations. He is a former VP of Human Resources at a 500-employee agency. Before joining St. Bonaventure, he was the Manager of Training and Employee Development at Cutco Cutlery Corp. He is a Certified Performance Technologist (CPT) and a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR). He is a former president of the Greater Olean Area Chamber of Commerce. He holds a BA in Journalism from St. Bonaventure and a master’s degree in Business and Policy Studies from the Empire State College division of the State University of New York.

Succeeding in Turbulent Times: Going Beyond the Creative Edge: Joe Pillittere
Innovation is essential to any successful organization, especially during turbulent times. However, an organization cannot depend on either the imaginative, holistic, right brain or the rational, analytical, left brain to be successful. Instead, an organization must engage both halves to create innovation and creativity on a level that fosters success. These “both-brain” organizations successfully capitalize on new ideas and concepts on a continuous basis. According to Harvard Business Review (June 2009), “The world’s most innovative companies often operate under some variation of a both-brain partnership.” Learn how to take innovation and creativity to the next level in your organization. 

Read more about Pillittere
Mr. Pillittere was appointed commissioner of the Cattaraugus County Department of Public Works in June 2011, after serving as deputy commissioner for 11 months. He is responsible for the overall operation of the department and the maintenance of the county’s infrastructure. The department includes 228 employees, a $30 million budget, and six departmental divisions. He is an adjunct instructor at Jamestown Business College and Jamestown Community College, where he teaches business classes and corporate/continuing education courses. He is the vice chairman of the Route 219 Corridor Development Committee and Thatcher Brook Watershed Task Force, and a member of the Traffic Safety Board, Cattaraugus County Planning Board, and Conewango Watershed Commission. He holds a master’s degree in Communication from Central Connecticut State University and a bachelor’s degree in Business from the State University College at Buffalo.
Breakout Session #2 | 12:30-1:45 p.m.
{Select 1 of 4 sessions}

Mentoring: An Overview of Benefits and “How Tos”: Kate Ebersole
Mentoring is a very effective employee development tool. Mentoring can be either formal or informal, and in both cases it provides tools, guidance and support for newly appointed or promoted employees, or any employee taking on new tasks or responsibilities. Kate Ebersole has been mentoring in different organizations for the past 10 years, and brings that experience plus information about mentoring best practices to this interactive session on mentoring. Participants will learn about the benefits of mentoring to the mentee and the organization and will practice mentoring skills and be provided with tools to prepare themselves to become mentors. 

Read more about Ebersole
Ms. Ebersole, owner of KEE Concepts Consulting, is a trainer, facilitator and coach. She combines her 20 years of manufacturing experience and her five years of work in a population health improvement non-profit with extensive training as a coach and facilitator in her work with organizations and individuals. Her areas of expertise include team coaching for nonprofits and service agencies, supervisory and management training courses in applied emotional intelligence to help manage change, and facilitation of visioning and strategic planning sessions, collaborative learning groups and community level meetings. She works with organizations across New York state and northwest Pennsylvania.

Strengths-Based Leadership/Development: Kirk Young
A person’s talents — those thoughts, feeling, and behaviors that come naturally —are the source of his or her true potential and power. The key to personal development and leadership success is to fully understand how to apply your greatest talents and strengths in your everyday life. It has been said that, “people don’t change that much. Don’t waste time trying to put in what was left out (rather) try to draw out what was left in. That is hard enough” (Buckingham & Coffman, 1999). Instead of spending inordinate amounts of time helping associates become “well-rounded,” many of the world’s best managers have instead invested time in learning about the individual talents of each of their associates, and managing with those unique talents in mind. “This concept not only applies to managers, but to educators, administrators, students, salespeople, leaders of faith communities, and essentially anyone who desires to heighten their self-awareness and change their paradigm from one of becoming average in many things to excelling in a few (key) areas” (Hodges). Dr. Young’s presentation will consist of a description of strengths-based development, as well as what it means to lead from our strengths. This interactive and engaging presentation will provide a fundamental overview of this leadership approach as well as ideas for how it can be incorporated into the leadership practices of those in attendance. 

Read more about Young
Dr. Young’s presentation will consist of a description of strengths-based development, as well as what it means to lead from our strengths. This interactive and engaging presentation will provide a fundamental overview of this leadership approach as well as ideas for how it can be incorporated into the leadership practices of those in attendance. Dr. Young is the vice president for Institutional Advancement and Enrollment Management at Jamestown Community College, a position he has held since August 2014. In this position, Dr. Young oversees the offices of Admissions, Recruitment, Public Relations, Marketing and Athletics, as well as the JCC Foundation. He is the Chief Enrollment Officer and Chief Information Officer for the college. Dr. Young holds a Ph.D. in Leadership Studies from Gonzaga University as well as a master’s degree in Sociology and a BA in Psychology. His educational focus has been on leadership development, especially around the employment of 360-degree assessment feedback into a comprehensive personal leadership development plan. He is also passionate about strengths-based leadership development, transformational leadership, appreciative inquiry, and positive psychology.

Examining and Addressing Critical Issues – An Interactive Workshop: Pamela Witter
In this session, attendees participant in an interactive, hands-on workshop. We begin by reviewing the value of transition or critical issues planning before or between strategic plans, based in part on Kotter’s 8 Stage of Organizational Transformation. By defining the difference between strategic and operational objectives, participants will identify and narrow in on the goals in progress and aspirational goals, and where they should sit in the organization. Groups will discuss a few of the critical issues identified, examining insights in order to refine their scope. Using Eisenhower’s Decision Matrix we learn to rank issues and subsequently develop the who, what, where and when for achievement. We will conclude by exploring strategic agendas that will drive progress on achievement of goals at the team level. 

Read more about Witter
Ms. Witter is a nationally-published author and higher education administrator. She serves as the Vice President for Development and Community Engagement for Trocaire College in Buffalo. A 2001 graduate of St. Bonaventure and a 2016 graduate of Empire State College, she holds a B.A. in Journalism and Mass Communication and an MBA. Witter is the recipient of the 2014 Citizen of the Year Award from the Allegany Pomona Grange, 2012 Alumna of the Year award from Leadership Cattaraugus, 2011 Buffalo Business First “40 Under Forty” honoree, and 2012 Outstanding Achiever Award from the Greater Allegany County Chamber of Commerce. She was named an Athena Young Professional Finalist by the Buffalo Niagara Partnership in 2016. Witter has served as co-founder and chairwoman for Leadership Allegany, Resource Leader for Allegany County 4H, board member for the Greater Allegany County Chamber of Commerce and Cuba Memorial Hospital, patient volunteer for Hospice, and Trustee for Cuba First Baptist Church. She is on the Board of Directors for the Association of Fundraising Professionals WNY and chairs the Professional Development Committee. Her professional blog can be found at www.BeASeedPlanter.com. Ms. Witter frequently writes, speaks, and teaches classes and conference sessions on topics in communications, fundraising, leadership, and life. She has offered keynotes or acted as session speaker at more than 40 conferences throughout the country and offers limited consulting to select organizations.

Build your Culture through Employee Engagement: Brian GeorgeBrian George
Employee engagement is critical to the long-term sustainable success of an organization. In this session we will discuss the vision and tools necessary to build your culture through people. New programs and catch phrases typically get your attention, but we will offer real life application and a lessons learned approach to time spent on building an impactful work environment. We will also discuss the process used to activate your people to be the catalyst in growing your own unique cultural brand. 

Read more about George
Mr. George is a human resources coordinator at Cutco Corporation, where he has held a number of positions during his 19-year-tenure. He was the USW Local 5429 safety representative and chairman for 12 years and served as Local Union president for three years. Born in Rochester and raised in Olean, Mr. George attended Jamestown Community and Elmira College for Business Administration. An alderman representing Ward 7 in the city of Olean, Mr. George is president of the Salvation Army Board of Directors and vice president of Leadership Cattaraugus’ Board of Directors. He is also active as a volunteer with Rebuilding Together and as a youth soccer, basketball and baseball coach. He and his wife, Amy, live in Olean and have five children.
Breakout Session #3 | 2-3:15 p.m.
{Select 1 of 4 sessions)

Professionalism and Ethics in the Workplace: Amber Stuck
There is no such thing as one job that is to be performed professionally, and another that is not. Regardless of its size or nature, every job can be performed in a professional manner. By learning what it means to be a professional and then to think and act professionally, participants will expand their experiences, improve their abilities, and increase their career and lifetime rewards, success, and happiness. Participants will learn about the important keys to being a true professional in the workplace. Being of good character (making ethical decisions) can be difficult. In a world full of economic, professional and social pressure, the moral issues can get buried as we try to make our own way through the world. Just as in our individual lives, sometimes character issues arise in the workplace – views can clash and we are forced to rank the issues according to the consequences of our choices. Participants will learn how to make ethical decisions and receive practical tools to assist them in making those decisions. 

Read more about Stuck
Ms. Stuck has more than 10 years’ experience as the executive operations manager for Allegany County Community Opportunities and Rural Development, Inc. (ACCORD), the clerk of the ACCORD Board of Directors and of the Genesee Valley Improvement Corporation Board of Directors, and as a New York state notary public. Recognizing the importance of often overlooked soft skills such as professionalism, etiquette, ethics, and customer service, Ms. Stuck developed customized internal trainings in these areas that she presents to both new and existing ACCORD staff members. Ms. Stuck has extensive experience working with all organizational levels, creating, promoting, and delivering training solutions designed to support the organization’s mission and success, as well as the success of each individual employee. She is passionate about creating an interactive, professional, ethical, and enjoyable workplace environment by ensuring that employees understand the elements of professionalism, etiquette, ethics and customer service and how each element directly relates to their individual roles – regardless of job title and/or status with the agency. She also strongly believes that workplace culture is established at the leadership level.

Beyond the Divide: Presenters: Christina Lopez and Mike Marvin
The gender war is over — and if it isn’t, it should be. Most people are willing to work for gender equality that leads to positive and productive relationships with the opposite sex. Applying the current social and interpersonal tools available often leaves them feeling frustrated and exhausted. These “best practices” are built on a flawed adversarial system of “us vs. them,” which perpetuates the gender gap — a divide between men and women. Mike Marvin and Christina Lopez help men and women get beyond the divide and experience the power of working together. 

Read more about Lopez and Marvin
Mike Marvin and Christina Lopez have 30 years of combined experience in the IT field, where they began working together in 2006. Their shared interest in overcoming gender bias and stereotypes for both men and women helped them find solutions to gender inequities in a wide variety of settings. They have developed strength-based materials for corporate managers, college campuses, youth groups, rape crisis volunteers, and survivors of sexual assault and their families. The solutions they present are based on more than nine years of investigation and collaboration breaking down the stereotypes and bias that causes conflict between men and women and excludes people that do not fit within rigidly defined gender roles. Their blogs have been featured on The Good Men Project and they have presented their keynote address on various college campuses, including Stanford University. They co-authored the book “Beyond the Divide — Men and Women Learning from Each Other”in January of 2016.

Becoming a LinkedIn All-Star: Ryan Michelle Wilcox
In this seminar, learn to create and optimize your LinkedIn profile, expand your network and utilize the site’s resources including training, recruiting, advertising and job searching. We will discuss our overall online presence, including on Twitter and Facebook, as well. 

Read more about WIlcox
Ryan Michelle Wilcox serves as manager of donor services at the Cattaraugus Region Community Foundation. With a background in communications, she has held positions as a reporter, communications and donor services director and social media specialist. She earned a degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from St. Bonaventure University. A 2007 graduate of Leadership Cattaraugus, Ms. Wilcox is also secretary of the Cattaraugus Community Action board of directors. She lives in Olean with her “ark” – two kids, two dogs, two cats and her fiancé. Find her on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/ryanmichellewilcox.

Winning the War Within – How Checking Your Ego and Taking Ownership Can Make You A Better Leader: CJ Mackey
As human beings it’s easy to pass blame when things go wrong. Especially when your reputation is on the line and your ego is damaged. Most people will pass that blame, thinking that they’ve saved themselves from scrutiny and prevented their image from being harmed. However, effective leaders understand that this couldn’t be further from the truth. This session will reflect on how checking your ego at the door and taking ownership of any situation not only strengthens your reputation, but the trust that your team has in you. 

Read more about Mackey
Mr. Mackey has worked as a quality engineer at Cutco since 2011. A former field sales manager with Vector Marketing, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Gannon University, Erie, Pa. Mr. Mackey is a graduate of the Leadership Cattaraugus and Leadership McKean programs. He lives in Bradford, Pa., with his wife, Katie, and their two dogs.