Leadership roles key at conference
By Kelly Maria Howard
Staff Reporter

The TCU Leadership Council held a conference over the weekend that combined the College Leadership Texas’ State of Leadership Conference with the 8th Annual Leadership Institute, said Cyndi Walsh, a program coordinator for Student Development Services. Combining the two conferences had the benefit of allowing all the participants access to community leaders and the activities of the weekend, plus both conferences were scheduled for the spring semester, she said.

Lisa K’Bedford, assistant director of the Leadership Center, said College Leadership Texas is in its second year and is a statewide organization. She said College Leadership Texas was started at TCU, and is headed up and organized by the Leadership Council.
“College Leadership Texas is the name of a consortium of the schools in Texas who are part of this (leadership) movement,” said K’Bedford.

Walsh said the program, unlike the objective of other conferences, is unique because it gives students a common forum for leadership opportunities and a place to use each other as resources.

The 8th Annual Leadership Institute is a campus conference for students to learn how to be a leader and emphasize the importance of being a leader, said Ceci Burton, a senior business management major and Leadership Council chair.

The State of Leadership Conference started Thursday and came together with the Leadership Institute at a community dinner held Friday night in Amon Carter Museum, said K’Bedford.

At the dinner, each table had community leaders, such as State Senator Mike Moncrief, U.S. Senatorial seat candidate Victor Morales and former Ft. Worth Mayor Bob Bolen, seated with conference participants, said Vicki Witt, Student Development Services administration assistant. She said this made it easier for more one-on-one conversations about leadership roles.

The conference continued Saturday at the PepsiCo Recital Hall for a comedic lecture by Joel Zeff, a leadership speaker and trainer, said Penny Woodcock, director of the Leadership Center. He invited students on stage to participate in improvisations that encouraged leadership, she said.

The participants then went to different sessions about leadership, including “Adding Communication Skills to Your Leadership Palette” and “The Authentic Leader,” said Walsh.

The conference participants also included a group of students from University of the Americas (UDLA) with a Mexican exchange program and local high school students sponsored by the Hispanic Women’s Network, said K’Bedford.

Kelly Maria Howard
k.m.howard@student.tcu.edu

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