By Erik Bean, Ed.D.
Associate University Research Chair
Center for Leadership Studies & Organizational Research
Slated for a traditional global conference setting from Nov 5-9, 2020 in the land of the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, the annual International Leadership Association (ILA) symposium, like many of the best laid plans this year, was forced to go online due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the association’s first all virtual showcase offering. The theme Leading at the Edge was met head on with more than a half dozen University of Phoenix scholars in a variety of scholarship examples including panels, conceptual pieces, research findings, and best practices.
Among the many keynote speakers included Alonzo King, a visionary ballet choreographer, Author Otto Scharmer, best known for his groundbreaking books Theory U and Presence, Xanthe Scharff, CEO and cofounder of the Fuller Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to groundbreaking reporting on women worldwide regarding injustices, Former Canadian Prime Minister, The Right Honorable Kim Campbell, Former Greece Prime Minister George A. Papandreou and Gregory T. Moore, president and CEO of Promise of Democracy Foundation, to name a few.
Our scholars were right there virtually with scholarship on that leading edge. For example:
Developing strong women’s leadership in business and beyond
Renee Green, University of Phoenix
Effective leadership for the 21st century: Emotional intelligence versus artificial intelligence
Debra Sandberg, Michael Linquist, University of Phoenix
Ho’oponopono: A Hawaiian family conflict resolution practice for school based conflict
Jane Schumacher, University of Phoenix
The Journal of Leadership Studies: Smoothing the edges of scholarly publishing
Mark Ludorf, Stephen F. Austin University, Anthony Middlebrooks, University of Delaware, Corey Seemiller, Wright State University, Hinrich Eylers, University of Phoenix, Mark McCaslin, University of Phoenix, Dan Jenkins, University of Southern Maine, Erik Bean, University of Phoenix,
Authentic educational leadership at the edge: perceptions of faculty ethical decision-making
Cheryl Burleigh, University of Phoenix
Provoked to the edge? Stepping outside the lines of our own thinking
Janice Cardwell, Renee Green, University of Phoenix
Using the collaborative autoethnography to contribute to women’s development of their leader identity
Lynne Devnew, University of Phoenix
Congratulations to all UOPX scholars who once again made their presence virtually known as so many alum, faculty, students, and staff, of our College of Doctoral Studies (CDS) have done so for more than 20 years now. What’s next? All eyes are focused on our nation’s capital, Washington, D.C. where the 24th ILA Annual Global Conference Reimagining Leadership Together is scheduled to take place on ground (and perhaps yet again online) October 26-29, 2022.