2025 Staff Development Days
Two days of learning, leadership, and connection at Clark
At Clark’s 11th annual Staff Development Days, hundreds of Clark employees stepped away from their daily work to focus on growth, reflection, and connection. The two-day event, held on August 12-13, offered sessions on everything from crochet to conflict resolution, creating a space to learn new skills, strengthen existing ones, and engage with one another in meaningful ways.
Thanks go to the Staff Development Days Planning Team—co-chairs Vanessa Bural and Andra Spencer, along with Alyssa Montminy, Bria Havlovick, Cath Busha, Carolyn Stark, Haley Tucker, Maggie Li, Mary Chavez, Michelle Golder, Sandra Bush, and Wendé Fisher—for organizing another successful event. Thanks also to MCI for providing snacks and lunch for both days.
Leadership in Focus
In her welcoming remarks, Dr. Edwards reminded the audience of the four tenets of Clark’s strategic plan—with an emphasis on employee engagement, empowerment, and excellence. This theme was carried into Tuesday morning’s Executive Cabinet Q&A panel, when cabinet members shared candid reflections on their own leadership journeys, the mentors who shaped them, and how they balance vision with urgency.
In between rounds their thoughtful responses, the panelists showed their camaraderie through lighthearted rapid-fire rounds using whiteboards to answer questions about one another: Who is most likely to sing karaoke? Forget their office keys? Host a costume party? The laughter and easy banter gave the audience a glimpse of the trust and collaboration within Clark’s leadership team.
Some of the memorable advice offered by the panelists included:
Dr. Karin Edwards: “Take initiative—step up and do it.”
Vanessa Neal: “Be willing to do something others aren’t—helps you grow and develop yourself.”
Dr. Darcy Rourk: “Focus on being grounded, intentional and accountable.”
Sabra Sand: “What works for today doesn’t have to work for every day.”
Dr. Terry Brown: “Better to do things right than do things now.”
Calen Ouellette: “Choose courage over comfort; service over self; impact over ego.”
Dr. Mark Wahlers: “Have purpose, presence and passion that drives you.”
Breaking Organizational Silence
Day 2 opened with a keynote presentation by Stefani Coverson of Jamii Pae Consulting. Her session, “Unmuted,” explored the concept of organizational silence—a widespread, employee fear-based response of withholding of information about potential problems—and the harm it can cause in workplaces.
Through history, stories, and images, Coverson illustrated how silence limits leaders’ ability to make informed decisions and fosters misinformation. One particularly impactful metaphor was the image of individual flashlights in the dark revealing bits and pieces of a mural, with the reminder that we can only see the whole picture when everyone uses their flashlights together. Coverson also offered tools for disrupting silence, from practicing low risk resistance and building coalitions, to using storytelling allyship, and strategic questioning to spark change.
Participants then worked in groups to apply these ideas, brainstorming concrete next steps using the SMARTIE goal-setting method. Most chose to collaborate, turning in their seats to share ideas about how to foster openness and strengthen community at Clark.
Continue Your Growth
Throughout the two days, employees had the opportunity to select sessions to attend including supervisory training, process and policy discussions, professional development, and personal well-being. Visit the Teaching & Learning webpage to view a complete agenda.
The committee welcomes your input, please fill out the feedback survey here.
For employees who wish to continue engaging with what they learned, the materials from each session can be found on the Staff Development Days group on SharePoint.