By: Andie D'Agostino, Assistant Director of Partnership Engagement

The Rabb School of Continuing Studies recently hosted a professional development webinar series addressing some of today’s pressing topics – from women in leadership to developing a workplace culture in this “new normal” to the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace.

This three-part series featured members of Brandeis – Graduate Professional Studies’ program advisory boards. These individuals offer strategic guidance and expertise on the latest advances and demands in their respective industries. 

“At the Rabb School, we are continuously striving to support our mission and provide innovative educational opportunities to students. The Brandeis corporate team has been collaborating with members of our community and finding new ways of engaging the broader community outside of our traditional course offerings. We are thrilled to have hosted this webinar series and really leverage the expertise of members of our programs’ advisory boards. The success of this professional development opportunity will no doubt lead to similar events in the future!” – Kathryn Wight, Director of Partnership Engagement at Brandeis 

The full breakdown of each webinar is as follows:

Leading and Managing Diverse Teams

Today’s workforces are diverse, and leading them effectively requires leaders to be skillful in their approach. This interactive presentation focused on three key areas of impact for leaders: personal filters and how this impacts perceptions; unconscious bias and the role it plays in leading teams; and finally, how neuroscience is showing the key role that dignity plays in creating engaged teams. 

Led by: Kari Heistad, CEO of Culture Coach International 

Link to recording here

Women in Leadership and the Evolving Workplace

Women now make up the majority of the workforce in the United States, and yet, they continue to face challenges in the workplace. Unfortunately, gender inequality is still a huge problem in the workplace today, and the divide grows wider towards the top. This panel of women in senior leadership positions in their respective industries covered topics including the impact of unconscious bias in the workplace, the importance of representation in leadership positions, and how to include men as allies in the conversation. 

Panelists included:

• Chris O’Connor, Divisional Information Technology Management at MIT Lincoln Laboratory 
• Christine Loredo, President and COO at TiFiPay 
• Diane Menasco, Director of Nursing Informatics at MGB Salem Hospital 
• Subhadra Mahanti, Software Engineering Manager at Medtronic 

Link to recording here 

Managing and Navigating the New Workplace Culture 

Workplace culture is not only a business imperative; it’s also critical to future success. A big part of the workplace experience is the daily interaction with our “work family.” This personal and social aspect of work has suffered a Coronavirus blow. There’s no simple solution to finding future success when employee interactions are virtual, but there are ways to help. In this panel presentation, the panel talked about how their companies have responded to the pandemic, what workplace culture means in a virtual environment, and how employers can support, motivate, and develop their staff at a distance. 

Panelists included:

• Sam Shoolman, Director of Sales at HubSpot
• Christine Zimmerman, Product Marketing Manager at Curriculum Associates
• Sarah Salbu Young, Talent Programs Partner at Pegasystems 
• Michael Katz, Director of Digital Marketing at BitSight 

Link to recording here