Free digital conference provides leadership development, connects business leaders to local talent
OVERLAND PARK (April 24, 2020) – The KU Edwards Campus will host a one-day digital conference on Friday, May 1, bringing together area business leaders and KU Edwards Campus students. The Destination Talent conference will provide essential skills training on critical workplace topics, and connect students with employers looking to hire the next generation of talented professionals.
“Good leadership is needed now more than ever to help Kansas City businesses keep going and emerge strong from this unprecedented time,” Carolyn McKnight, KU Edwards Campus director of community engagement, said. “Offering this valuable training online allows important professional development to continue and for employers to meet the rising professionals who will take their organizations into the future.”
The conference features two separate tracks offered on Zoom: one featuring student capstone research presentations and another featuring a series of one-hour trainings on workplace topics, including civility in the workplace, mindfulness at work, and diversity, equity and inclusion. Participants have the option to move between Zoom rooms, allowing them to be strategic in meeting their professional goals, as well as their organization’s needs.
“We’re excited to offer this opportunity to bring employers and students together,” Alex Terwilliger, KUEC’s associate director of student services, said. “By combining discussion on workplace topics with research presentations from our students, business leaders in the Kansas City area can get the training they need, and see how this incoming group of professionals addresses some of the same issues employers are trying to address right now.”
The conference offers up to six Society for Human Research Management (SHRM) credits for HR professionals who attend, providing a valuable professional development opportunity as well as networking.
“We’ve chosen topics and expert presenters who will provide attendees with a broader understanding of best practices to apply to their workplace culture,” Terwilliger said. “We want everyone who attends to come away feeling they’re ready to take on the needs of their market.”
KU Edwards Campus Vice Chancellor David Cook says the online event helps the university continue to meet the needs of businesses and working professionals in the Kansas City area, even at a distance. “We’re glad we can offer this important training and networking opportunity online. It’s vital that Kansas City area business leaders and employers continue to develop their leadership skills, and that our students have an opportunity to demonstrate the outstanding expertise they have to offer,” Cook said. “We know everyone who participates will find the content and the connections they make directly applicable to the work they do.”
Area professionals interested in attending the destination talent conference can register for free.
About The University of Kansas
The University of Kansas is a major comprehensive research and teaching university. Its mission is to lift students and society by educating leaders, building healthy communities and making discoveries that change the world. The KU Edwards Campus at 127th Street and Quivira Road in Overland Park brings the high-quality academic, professional and continuing education programs as well as research and public-service benefits of KU to the Greater Kansas City community in order to serve the workforce, economic and community development needs of the region.
