Sessions

From Head to Heart: Personal Storytelling Practices for Effective Communication

Presenter: Lisa Jong
Track: Relationship Building and Communication   |   Participation Level: Collaborative Engagement

The intentional sharing of brief personal stories is a communication practice recognized as contributing to deeper learning and trust. Hearing a well-selected story from a colleague can also motivate us as professionals by helping us come to see ourselves as part of a larger field or learning community. Many of us may have experienced the power of hearing–and perhaps also telling–these types of stories in our own professional journeys. This session recognizes the value of bringing this experiential and intuitive wisdom to the surface by sharing a framework for intentional personal storytelling for professional purposes that highlights considerations like confidentiality, length of story, timing, power dynamics, vulnerability, and risk, including risk to colleagues, mentees, or others receiving harm from unintended or tacit messages. With this framework in mind, you will be invited into sequence of individual and paired reflection activities aimed at activating your capacity to listen genuinely and deeply to another person as the foundation to crafting or refining a story that you can use in a particular role or context.

Learning Outcomes

• Outline key considerations when selecting and shaping a personal story to share for professional purposes, including confidentiality, length of story, timing, power dynamics, vulnerability, and risk.
• Describe the challenge and value of listening deeply to another person through a reciprocal listening and reflection activity.
• Come away with a personal story to share in their professional context or role that they have intentionally shaped and refined for that purpose.

From Conflict to Collaboration: Turn Differing Perspectives into Productive Solutions

Presenter: Wendy Johnson, PhD
Track: Leadership   |   Participation Level: Interactive Participation

Conflict is inevitable; however, it doesn’t have to be destructive. When managed effectively, conflict becomes a powerful catalyst for creativity, innovation, and stronger team relationships. This interactive session helps leaders and professionals transform tension into collaboration by learning how to communicate with empathy, listen for understanding, and find common ground.  Participants will explore how emotional intelligence, self-awareness, and perspective-taking can shift conversations from defensive to productive. Through real-world examples, guided reflection, and peer dialogue, attendees will gain practical tools for navigating difficult discussions, balancing diverse viewpoints, and fostering a culture of mutual respect and trust. By the end of the session, participants will walk away with strategies to transform everyday workplace conflict into opportunities for connection, problem-solving, and performance growth, turning disagreement into forward momentum.

Learning Objectives

• Differentiate between common types and sources of conflict and assess how perceptions, assumptions, and leadership behaviors influence conflict escalation or resolution.
• Apply self-awareness and emotional intelligence strategies to regulate responses, facilitate constructive dialogue, and create psychological safety during moments of disagreement.
• Develop an actionable conflict-to-collaboration plan that leverages differing perspectives to strengthen relationships, support shared decision-making, and produce productive solutions within their organizations or communities.

Strengthening Communication and Collaboration with Faculty, Learners, and other Administrative Professionals During High‑Stress Times

Presenter: Paul Westerman
Track: Relationship Building and Communication   |   Participation Level: Collaborative Engagement

Strong communication is essential for navigating the fast‑paced cycles of administrative professionals. This session offers clear, manageable strategies to help faculty and staff communicate more effectively, build trust, and support one another during high‑stress periods. We will explore relationship‑building, cross‑team collaboration, and ways to stay connected and grounded during times of change.

Participants will practice approaches for giving and receiving constructive feedback, resolving conflict respectfully, and supporting learners through mentorship. We’ll also highlight how everyday communication habits contribute to a healthy workplace culture. Through discussion and shared experiences, attendees will leave with simple tools they can use right away to foster cooperation and confidence across their programs and teams.

Learning Outcomes

•  Identify communication habits and relationship‑building strategies between faculty, learners, and administrative professionals that help strengthen trust, reduce confusion, and support smoother collaboration during busy or stressful times.
• Practice helpful methods for giving and receiving feedback that helps keep conversations clear and focused on shared goals.
• Use practical tools for addressing conflict early that includes neutral language and structured conversations to maintain a positive, respectful environment between faculty. learners, and administrative professionals.

Take Control and Grow Your Career

Presenter: April McHugh
Track: Career Management   |   Participation Level: Collaborative Engagement

When budgets are tight and time is limited, career growth can feel out of reach—but it doesn’t have to be. This interactive, idea‑generating session focuses on practical, realistic ways to take ownership of your professional growth during periods of constraint and uncertainty.

Participants will engage in guided reflection and peer idea‑sharing to explore how everyday work, relationships, and small strategic choices can create meaningful career momentum. Attendees will leave with actionable ideas and renewed confidence in their ability to grow—no matter the circumstances.

Learning Outcomes

• Leverage current roles, projects, and relationships for professional growth
• Share and gather creative ideas with peers facing similar constraints
• Develop concrete next steps to move their career forward with intention

How to Be Your Own Admin and Take Care of Yourself Too: A Deeper Look at the Wellness Wheel

Presenter: Zoe Ostrowski
Track: Wellbeing  |   Participation Level: Interactive Participation

Administrative professionals are experts at managing systems, schedules, and the needs of others, but those same skills are often overlooked when it comes to caring for themselves. In this informative & interactive session, attendees will explore how self‑administration and well-being are deeply connected through a deeper look at the Wellness Wheel.

Designed specifically for administrative professionals, this presentation reframes wellness as a practical system rather than an abstract goal. Participants will learn how the Wellness Wheel’s dimensions, such as occupational, emotional, physical, and environmental wellness, directly impact daily work performance, focus, and sustainability.

At the end of the session participants will be able to identify the key dimensions of the Wellness Wheel, assess their current level in each dimension, and recognize how small, intentional changes could provide meaningful support to their overall well-being.

Learning Outcomes

• Describe the concept of self‑administration and explain how it relates to the daily responsibilities and mental load of administrative professionals.
• Identify the key dimensions of the Wellness Wheel and understand how imbalance in one area can impact overall wellbeing. Assess their current level of wellness using a guided Wellness Wheel questionnaire.
• Recognize at least one wellness dimension where small, intentional changes could provide meaningful support.

Feeling Empowered: Public Records Requests and Records Management

Presenter: Sarah Grimm and Julie Laundrie
Track: Personal Development and Workplace Skills   |   Participation Level: Active Listening

This training seeks to boost your knowledge and confidence in understanding how the public records law works and your obligations for records management as a public employee. The discussion will cover the basics, give advice, and leave time for questions. Our goal is to help you feel prepared for what to expect, with confidence, when you encounter a public records request at UW-Madison, and how to effectively manage your daily records during your university employment.

Learning Outcomes

• Stronger understanding of the Wisconsin Public Records Laws
• Understanding the connection between public records requests and public records management
• Applying this knowledge to the work you do here on campus and your responsibilities as a public employee to manage your records

Command & Control: Don’t be a victim to the admin villains!

Presenter: Nicole Sment
Track: Personal Development and Workplace Skills   |   Participation Level: Interactive Participation

Do you often find yourself starting the workday with a plan and within the first 20-minutes it is no longer even recognizable?

Do you leave work wondering what you completed on your to-do list?

Do you find yourself losing focus, time, energy, and efficiency more often than you want to admit?

You are not alone, and you are not to blame. Multi-tasking and task switching are the villains of the administrative career. We all recognize that admins switch tasks multiple times each workday to respond to and manage various responsibilities effectively. It’s just part of the job. But did you know that the average American admin is interrupted 275 times a day? That is every 2 minutes! Don’t be a victim to the admin villains.

This presentation will provide attendees with skills and instructions on how to set up a personalized command-and-control center in Microsoft Teams, so that the tools they use, the communications they receive and the materials they need are in one place. No more searching, shifting, or losing momentum. Take control with your own personalized command-and-control center today and take control of your workload once again.

Participants will discover the importance of single source organization, as well as adaptable practices and Microsoft tools to create and set up their own personalized command-and-control center. Topics will include:

Multi-Tasking & Task Switching vs. Monotasking. Learn about:

• the mental and physical health issues associated with multi-tasking and task switching
• the impact multi-tasking and task switching has on work productivity and work quality
• why a personalized command-and-control center is a game changer for your daily workflow

Creating a Personalized Command & Control Center. Learn how to:

• create and set up a private and personalized command-and-control center in MS Teams
• create an automated, real time task list by using MS Power Automate to automatically add flagged emails from your inbox to your command-and-control center
• use MS Planner and MS Lists to include tracking elements for your projects, such as supervising student interns, event or meeting management, and/or agenda creation for reoccurring meetings
• track your annual goals and be able to use MS Power BI to create real time graphs to show progress
• use sample AI prompts to find step by step instructions to include other command-and-control elements that may be desired.

Learning Outcomes

• Attendees will leave the presentation with confidence in their ability to set up a personalized command-and-control center in MS Team to help eliminate task switching and reclaim focus at work
• Attendees leave the presentation with a step-by-step guide on how to implement the steps necessary to use MS Teams, MS To Do, MS Power Automate, MS Planner, MS Lists, MS Power BI and MS Co-Pilot to create their own command-and-control center at work.

Lead From Where You Are: Building Leadership Presence, Expanding Influence, and Driving Meaningful Impact

Presenter: Shana Campbell
Track: Leadership   |   Participation Level: Collaborative Engagement

Many professionals serve as the steady force behind their teams, anticipating needs, solving problems, coordinating moving pieces, and ensuring important work doesn’t stall. Others depend on them. Leaders trust them. Yet despite the influence they carry, they are rarely encouraged to see themselves as leaders.

This session invites you to rethink what leadership looks like in your current role. Rather than waiting for a title to validate your authority, together, we will focus on practical approaches that help you elevate your leadership presence, strengthen decision-making, communicate with intention, and contribute strategically, positioning you as a trusted and credible partner.

Grounded in real workplace dynamics, you’ll gain strategies and tools that are immediately actionable, helping you expand your impact from exactly where you are. Because leadership is not reserved for those with positional authority. It’s already being practiced by the people others rely on most… You!

Learning Outcomes

• Apply practical strategies to elevate your leadership presence and increase your professional impact.
• Demonstrate sound judgment when navigating priorities, decisions, and cross-functional collaboration.
• Use intentional communication techniques to strengthen credibility and build trust across teams.

Building the Blueprint: Crafting Your Team Agreement

Presenter: Christine Congdon
Track: Relationship Building and Communication   |   Participation Level: Interactive Participation

This session will guide participants through the process of creating a meaningful and practical team agreement—a shared, living document that clarifies how a team works together, communicates, and lives out its values.

Participants will explore the key components of an agreement, consider example formats, and discuss why these agreements matter in establishing a clear vision, defining team culture, identifying shared values, and shaping daily practices that support collective goals. The session will also cover the nuts and bolts: determining where the agreement lives, how and when to review and update it, and who it should be shared with—ultimately supporting teams in drafting, refining, and publishing an agreement that remains dynamic, relevant, and central to how they collaborate.

Learning Objectives

• Identify the essential components of an effective team agreement
• Evaluate example agreement formats
• Explain how agreement elements support vision-setting, team culture, shared values, and collaborative working styles

No More Patch Jobs: Rebuilding Trust, Culture, and Connection That Lasts

Presenter: Deborah Biddle
Track: Relationship Building and Communication   |   Participation Level: Interactive Participation

Administrative professionals are often the steady force behind the scenes, the ones who notice when something is not working and quietly find a way to make it work anyway. Over time, though, those quick fixes and workarounds can become exhausting. What once felt helpful starts to feel heavy.

In this session, Deborah Biddle invites participants to pause and take a closer look at the “patch jobs” we rely on to get through the day, processes, habits, and communication patterns that solve the immediate problem but rarely address what is underneath. Together, we will explore how those patterns affect trust, collaboration, and connection at work, and what it looks like to rebuild instead of continually repair.

Through honest reflection, practical examples, and guided conversation, participants will identify small but meaningful shifts they can make in their own roles, whether in meetings, workflows, or everyday interactions. This session is about moving from constant fixing to thoughtful rebuilding, so the work feels more aligned, more human, and more sustainable over time.

Learning Outcomes

• Identify common “patch job” patterns in their own work such as workarounds, unspoken expectations, or unclear processes and recognize how those patterns impact trust, communication, and workload.
• Apply simple rebuilding practices to everyday situations including meetings, handoffs, and decision making to reduce friction and increase clarity and collaboration.
• Use practical reflection questions and conversation prompts to influence positive change in their teams and departments, even without formal authority

Small Changes, Big Impact: Making Your Content Accessible

Presenters: Laura Grady and Leah Bowers
Track: Inclusive Excellence   |   Participation Level: Interactive Participation

Every time we share documents and emails with our audience, we can make that content more accessible to our university community. Accessible content provides access, information, and opportunity to everyone. Even small changes can make a big difference. Join us to learn how you can foster inclusivity and ensure access in your own work for the whole UW–Madison community.

Learning Outcomes

• Become familiar with digital accessibility concepts and standards
• Learn best practices for creating accessible digital documents and emails and techniques for evaluating your own content
• Learn about the resources we have at the university, like our Digital Accessibility Community of Practice and Make it Accessible Guides

Leading Your Career Without Waiting for Permission: Career Management Strategies for Administrative Professionals

Presenter: Sherri Jordan
Track: Career Management  |   Participation Level: Interactive Participation

Administrative professionals are essential to the success of their departments, yet many feel uncertain about how to actively manage their careers beyond their current role. This interactive session is designed to help administrative professionals take ownership of their career paths by learning how to identify strengths, communicate value, and pursue growth opportunities with intention. Participants will explore what career management looks like in today’s workplace, especially when traditional promotion pathways may be unclear or limited. Through practical tools, guided reflection, and real-world examples, attendees will learn how to position themselves as strategic contributors, advocate for professional development, and make informed career decisions aligned with their goals. This session emphasizes realistic, actionable strategies that can be implemented immediately—whether participants are seeking advancement, expanded responsibilities, or greater fulfillment in their current role. Attendees will leave with increased confidence, clarity, and a personalized approach to managing their careers proactively rather than reactively.

Learning Outcomes

• Identify and clearly communicate their transferable skills and professional value.
• Develop a simple, personalized career management plan with actionable next steps.
• Apply practical communication strategies to advocate for career growth and development.

Precision Prompting: Unlocking the Power of UW-Madison’s AI Tools

Presenter: Sara Hagen
Track: Personal Development and Workplace Skills   |   Participation Level: Interactive Participation

For university staff juggling complex departmental needs, AI is less like a new software and more like a digital collaborator—one that requires a specific communication ‘language’ to be truly effective. This interactive 60-minute workshop moves beyond the hype to provide a hands-on class in prompt engineering with Gemini and NotebookLM, tools available at UW-Madison. Participants will learn the Context-Task-Constraint (CTC) framework to transform vague requests into high-quality professional drafts for faculty correspondence, report summaries, and more. We will address the specific needs of the UW-Madison community, ensuring that AI use aligns with university standards while significantly reducing the repetitive work of daily administrative tasks.

Learning Outcomes

• Identify recurring administrative tasks that can be optimized or improved using Generative AI.
• Apply the CTC (Context-Task-Constraint) framework to draft prompts that produce professional, tone-appropriate results.
• Understand how the University’s data governance and generative AI policies apply to this work.

Additional session to be announced.

Active Listening to Support Effective Communication

Presenter: Christina Stefonek
Track: Relationship Building and Communication  |   Participation Level: Collaborative Engagement

Understanding the perspectives of others, building meaning, and creating human connections all stem from listening. Without strategies for active listening, how do you know if you are hearing your supervisor or coworker’s intended message? What information are you missing out on? In this course, dive deep into your patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors to identify internal roadblocks to communication. Learn strategies to connect with others, and stay in dialogue.

This session satisfies the requirements for the Fully Prepared to Lead certificate program and Finance@UW cohort. Participation in either program is not required to attend.

Learning Outcomes

• Reflect on: The communication process and what gets in the way
• Practice: Listening strategies to support greater understanding

“Both/ And” Thinking: How Understanding Polarities Can Help You Foster More Effective Teams

Presenter: Crystel Anders
Track: Leadership   |   Participation Level: Interactive Participation

Administrative professionals often juggle competing priorities, differing expectations, and the complex dynamics of supporting teams. Many of these tensions aren’t problems to solve, but polarities to manage – pairs of values or goals that may look like opposites but actually need each other to create sustainable success.

This session introduces Both/And thinking as a practical tool for navigating those tensions. You’ll learn how to recognize, map, and manage polarities to reduce friction, enhance collaboration, and support healthier and more effective teams. Through examples and hands-on exercises, you’ll gain strategies for moving beyond “either/or” thinking and fostering balance and clarity in your workplace.

Learning Outcomes

• Learn how to name, manage, and leverage a polarity
• Gain insights into how polarities can impact both our personal lives and work teams/organizations
• Understand how leveraging polarities can foster more effective teams

Strategies for Creating, Developing & Leading Productive Teams

Presenter: Wendy Johnson, PhD
Track: Leadership   |   Participation Level: Interactive Participation

High-performing teams do not happen by accident, they are the result of intentional leadership, clear expectations, and consistent development. This session is designed for leaders who are responsible for building, developing, or leading teams and want practical strategies to improve performance, engagement, and accountability. Participants will explore the core elements of productive teams, including role clarity, communication norms, trust, accountability, and alignment with organizational goals. The session examines how leadership behaviors directly influence team dynamics and outcomes, and how leaders can adapt their approach to meet the needs of diverse, cross-functional, remote, or hybrid teams. Through guided reflection, real-world examples, and applied exercises, participants will assess their current team effectiveness, identify common barriers to productivity, and learn actionable strategies to strengthen team performance. Emphasis is placed on creating sustainable team practices that support results while fostering collaboration, ownership, and continuous improvement.

Learning Objectives

• Identify the core elements of productive teams and evaluate how leadership behaviors influence trust, engagement, and performance across diverse team environments.
• Apply practical strategies for setting clear expectations, fostering accountability without micromanagement, and strengthening collaboration within in-person, remote, and hybrid teams.
• Develop a personalized leadership action plan that translates key concepts into actionable steps to improve team effectiveness, navigate challenges, and support individual and collective growth within their organizations or communities.

The Invisible Work: Emotional Literacy for Clear Communication and Well-Being

Presenter: Keana Shatteen
Track: Relationship Building and Communication   |   Participation Level: Interactive Participation

Administrative professionals often carry significant invisible work, managing communication, expectations, emotions, and relationships across departments while maintaining professionalism and efficiency. This session introduces emotional literacy as a practical workplace skill that helps participants better understand, name, and respond to emotions in daily interactions. Using real-world scenarios common to academic and administrative roles, the session explores how emotional labor, unclear expectations, and communication breakdowns contribute to stress and burnout. Participants will learn concrete strategies to strengthen communication, set healthy boundaries, and support well-being in ways that are realistic, professional, and easily replicated across departments.

Learning Outcomes

• Apply emotional literacy tools to improve communication and navigate challenging workplace interactions
• Identify common sources of emotional overload in administrative roles and implement boundary-setting strategies
• Strengthen professional relationships while maintaining clarity, professionalism, and personal well-being

The Five Languages of Appreciation: Strengthening Administrative Partnerships and Team Culture

Presenters: Andrea Luke
Track: Relationship Building and Communication   |   Participation Level: Interactive Participation

Administrative professionals play a huge role in building trust, connection, and communication across teams. Yet many people feel undervalued, not because others don’t appreciate them, but because appreciation is shown in ways that don’t quite land. This interactive session introduces the The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace (Gary Chapman & Paul White) and explores how understanding this framework can make daily interactions smoother, more meaningful, and more energizing.

Participants will take a short version of the appreciation assessment to learn more about their own style. Then, through small‑group conversations, they’ll hear real examples of how different people like to receive appreciation and what truly makes them feel valued. We’ll also touch on generational tendencies and how appreciation may look different across age groups or work styles. The session focuses on simple, practical ways administrative professionals can use appreciation to strengthen relationships, reduce friction, and support the leaders and teams they work with every day.

Learning Outcomes

• Understand your own language of appreciation and how it impacts your work relationships. Participants will take a mini‑assessment and discuss their results with peers to better understand how they naturally give and receive appreciation.
• Recognize how appreciation needs can vary—across individuals, roles, and generations. Participants will explore common generational patterns and discuss how these differences show up in their teams and in the people they support.
• Practice using appreciation intentionally to improve communication and collaboration. Using everyday administrative scenarios, participants will identify appreciation strategies that build trust, support team morale, and strengthen partnerships.

Navigating Squiggly Careers at UW–Madison: Strengths, Skills, and Professional Growth

Presenter: Melanie Hebl and Larisa Roberts
Track: Career Management  |   Participation Level: Interactive Participation

Careers in higher education rarely follow a straight line. Administrative professionals at UW–Madison often build meaningful careers through lateral moves, evolving responsibilities, cross-unit collaboration, and the development of transferable skills that grow over time.

This interactive session introduces the concept of the “squiggly career”, a modern framework that reframes career development as skills-based, values-driven, and adaptable rather than strictly linear. Through guided reflection and peer discussion, participants will explore their own career paths, identify strengths and motivators, and gain strategies for navigating growth and opportunity within UW–Madison. Designed specifically for administrative professionals, this session emphasizes practical takeaways, shared learning, and the power of peer networks as tools for professional development and career satisfaction.

Learning Outcomes

• Recognize and normalize non-linear career paths within UW–Madison
• Articulate their core strengths, values, and professional interests
• Apply practical strategies for directing their own learning and career development

Regulate to Elevate: Practical Nervous System Tools for Sustainable Workplace Well-Being

Presenter: Future Cain
Track: Wellbeing   |   Participation Level: Collaborative Engagement

Administrative professionals are often the unseen stabilizers of organizations managing competing priorities, emotional labor, constant interruptions, and high expectations, often without adequate recovery time. This session reframes well-being beyond surface-level self-care and introduces nervous-system-informed strategies that participants can apply immediately at work and at home.

Grounded in neuroscience and real workplace application, this interactive 60-minute session helps participants understand how chronic stress impacts focus, communication, and energy and how small, intentional regulation practices can significantly improve resilience, clarity, and work/life integration. Participants will learn how to recognize stress signals in their bodies, set healthier boundaries without guilt, and create micro-practices that support sustained performance rather than burnout.

The session emphasizes practical, low-cost, easily replicable tools that can be used in meetings, at desks, during difficult conversations, and throughout the workday, making well-being accessible even in high-demand roles.

Learning Outcomes

• Identify early signs of nervous system overload and apply at least two simple regulation techniques to reduce stress in real time during the workday.
• Implement boundary-supporting practices that protect energy, focus, and emotional well-being without negatively impacting professional relationships or job performance.
• Create a personalized, sustainable well-being micro-plan that integrates brief regulation practices into daily routines, meetings, and transitions, supporting long-term resilience and work/life integration.

How Can Excel Help Me?

Presenter: Abby Terzis
Track: Personal Development and Workplace Skills   |   Participation Level: Interactive Participation

This presentation will focus on intermediate and advanced Microsoft Excel skills to improve work productivity, including lookup functions, shortcuts and “hacks”, if statements, pivot tables, and macros.

Learning Outcomes

• Attendees will be able to utilize intermediate Excel functions that make work processes more efficient.
• Attendees will be able to identify and utilize Excel shortcuts and “hacks” to improve their Excel user experience.

What Does Relationship Intelligence Mean, and What Does a CAR Have to Do With It?

Presenter: Brittany Coleman
Track: Relationship Building and Communication   |   Participation Level: Collaborative Engagement

What if your most powerful workplace skill isn’t organization, efficiency, or multitasking, but relationships?

Every day, administrative professionals navigate personalities, priorities, power dynamics, and pressure. Some days it flows. Other days… not so much. Strong workplace relationships are not accidental; they are built through self-awareness, curiosity, empathy, and intentional communication.

In this interactive and energizing session, participants will explore the core components of strong professional relationships: curiosity, compassion, emotional regulation, empathy, and engagement. They will reflect on their own “Relationship Intelligence” through guided self-assessment and discussion and gain insight into their relationship strengths, blind spots, and patterns at work.

Building on this self-awareness, participants will then learn how to use the CAR Framework (Circumstance–Action–Result) as a practical tool to strengthen, support, and repair workplace relationships. CAR provides a shared language for slowing down, getting curious, and understanding what’s really happening beneath the surface of challenging situations and behaviors.

Using real-life examples and hands-on practice, attendees will learn how to apply CAR to improve communication, navigate misunderstandings, give and receive feedback, and rebuild trust when relationships feel strained.

Participants will leave with greater clarity, confidence, and practical tools to build healthier, more resilient relationships that enhance collaboration, reduce conflict, and increase their professional impact.

Learning Outcomes

• Understand and assess their own Relationship Intelligence by identifying personal strengths, growth areas, and patterns that influence workplace interactions.
• Apply the CAR Framework (Circumstance–Action–Result) to improve communication, give and receive feedback, and navigate challenging conversations with greater clarity and confidence.
• Strengthen trust, collaboration, and professional influence through intentional relationship-building strategies that support effective teamwork and inclusive workplaces.

Behind the Front Desk: Supporting Administrative Professionals Working with Diverse Communities—Reducing Burnout, Strengthening Systems, and Centering Equity

Presenter: Cecilia Gillhouse
Track: Inclusive Excellence   |   Participation Level: Collaborative Engagement

Administrative professionals in mainstream organizations—such as government agencies, nonprofits, healthcare systems, and legal or social service settings—are often the first point of contact for communities of color and immigrant families. While their work is mission-critical, it is also emotionally demanding, culturally complex, and frequently under-resourced.

This interactive session explores the unique challenges administrative staff face when serving diverse communities, including cultural navigation, language access, emotional labor, secondary trauma, institutional barriers, and role strain. Participants will examine how these pressures contribute to burnout—and how organizations can respond with practical systems, tools, and administrative strategies that protect staff while improving service delivery.

Through case studies, facilitated discussion, and concrete workflow examples, attendees will learn how to design administrative structures that support equity, distribute emotional labor more fairly, and empower administrative professionals as strategic partners in organizational success.

Participants will leave with immediately usable tools—such as burnout-risk checklists, workload-mapping exercises, boundary-setting scripts, workflow redesign templates, and communication systems—that can be replicated in any department.

Learning Objectives

• Identify the hidden labor and systemic pressures administrative professionals experience when working with diverse communities.
• Recognize early warning signs of burnout, compassion fatigue, and moral distress in administrative roles.
• Apply practical tools to redesign workflows, distribute workload equitably, and create psychological safety for frontline staff.
• Implement low-cost systems—such as scheduling models, documentation protocols, language-access workflows, and boundary-setting practices—that reduce stress and improve service outcomes.
• Advocate effectively within their organizations for structural supports that sustain administrative teams.

Talking about Retirement Together: Sharing Resources and Wisdom for Employees at all Stages of Work Life

Presenters: Carol Hulland, Mary Czynszak-Lyne, Tonya Messer, Hassan Pasha, Mario Pennella, and Brian Shore
Track: Wellbeing   |   Participation Level: Interactive Participation

Beginning with introduction to a rich, linkable list of resources created by the UW Retirement Issues Committee (RIC), this session invites participants at all stages of work life to ask questions, and share their experiences and wisdom related to preparing for retirement (and other big transitions) – financially, emotionally and mentally. Feedback from previous sessions notes that information shared has contributed to participants’ well-being and resilience. Examples – employees continue conversations with work colleagues beyond the session; many were inspired to learn more about contributing to university sponsored retirement savings options; many noted that they feel curious and likely to explore resources. This session also outlines a process for initiating and facilitating work group discussions about preparing for retirement.

Learning Outcomes

• Become comfortable with preparing for retirement as an ongoing process throughout the work/life cycle
• Identify individual steps to support personal development and preparation for retirement – taking small steps that contribute to wellness and resilience
• Provide resources for and model a discussion that can be set up within a small work unit to discuss preparation for retirement – inclusive of employees from early to late stage career

Leading with the Brain in Mind: Managing Emotional Energy in Meetings

Presenters: Kelvin F. Alfaro
Track: Personal Development and Workplace Skills  |   Participation Level: Interactive Participation

Even the most well-designed meetings can derail when emotions rise, power dynamics surface, or participants disengage. Great facilitation requires more than managing an agenda; it requires actively managing the emotional energy of the group. Drawing from the NeuroLeadership Institute’s SCARF model (Status, Certainty, Autonomy, Relatedness, Fairness) and the Organizational Relationship Systems Coaching (ORSC) frameworks, this session explores how you can create psychologically safe, adaptive spaces for better group collaboration and decision-making.

Learning Outcomes

• How to recognize when the brain perceives threat vs. reward in meetings and the behaviors that result (defensiveness, withdrawal, dominance).
• Centering and self-regulation techniques to stay present under pressure.
• Practices for reading emotional undercurrents in the room and responding with curiosity instead of control.
• Tools for resetting group energy when meetings go off-script, including brief grounding, reframing, and “naming the weather.”
• You’ll leave with practical micro-skills for improving trust, engagement, and agility, so meetings become catalysts for connection, not stress

AI Risk Universe and Application

Presenter: Imad Mouchayleh
Track: Personal Development and Workplace Skills  |   Participation Level: Interactive Participation

In this session, attendees will explore the evolving AI risk universe and how it intersects with practical AI adoption across institutions. The presentation will examine key categories of AI risk—including governance, legal and regulatory compliance, data integrity, cybersecurity, ethical considerations, and operational impacts—and distinguish among AI technologies currently in use or emerging.

Participants will gain an understanding of how to evaluate where and how AI can be applied responsibly within their institution and how risk profiles change across use cases, data inputs, and deployment models. The session will also address common misconceptions about AI capabilities and limitations, helping attendees differentiate between strategic opportunities and areas requiring heightened oversight.

By the conclusion of the presentation, attendees will have a clearer understanding of how to assess AI applicability, identify and mitigate associated risks, and align AI initiatives with institutional objectives, controls, and accountability structures. The session will equip participants with practical insights to support informed decision-making as AI continues to expand in scope and influence.

Learning Outcomes

• Learn the AI risk universe and what risks AI applicability presents
• Choose the AI application that best fits your needs
• Explore ways to successfully and securely integrate AI in your day-to-day operations.

Additional sessions to be announced.