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TEAMING UP FOR 2018 ECONOMIC INCLUSION CONFERENCE

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – The University of Northern Iowa, the Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber and several area agencies will present “Engage, Empower, Act: A Cedar Valley Conference on Economic Inclusion” from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Friday, October 12, 2018, at the Diamond Event Center in Cedar Falls.

“Engage, Empower, Act” will foster a day of crucial conversations on creating an inclusive community in the Cedar Valley. The conference will focus on best inclusion practices in business, community, and K-12 and higher education. Featured are a keynote speaker and several breakout sessions. For the past several years, the Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber has hosted an annual Economic Inclusion Summit. Last year, UNI hosted its first Engage, Empower, Act Diversity Conference. However, this year, the two organizations are partnering to host one conference focused on economic inclusion both in education and industry.

“Economic Inclusion includes everyone. That’s why we are leading a collaborative to host a Cedar Valley Conference on Economic Inclusion that welcomes attendees from education, business and the community. Everyone is welcome,” explains Jean Trainor, chair of the Alliance & Chamber’s Economic Inclusion Council.

“Last year, we saw people coming in with a thirst for more information about putting diversity and inclusion’s best practices into play within their organizations. It was so gratifying for all of us to be able to share knowledge and work on real-time workplace situations,” said Gwenne Berry of UNI’s 2017 conference. Berry is assistant to the president and chief diversity officer at UNI. “We are truly looking forward to bringing together our efforts with GCVA and serving our community in this crucially important area.”

The conference keynote is Dr. Nika White, author of “The Intentional Inclusionist,” a book inspired by philosophies of leadership and inclusion, containing principles to help individuals become more intentional in how diversity and inclusion is understood and practiced at the individual level.

 

Dr. White serves as the senior advisor to the Greenville, South Carolina, Chamber’s Diversity and Inclusion initiatives and is responsible for creating and collaboratively implementing an overarching diversity strategy for the Greenville Chamber as an extension of the executive team. Since taking on the position, Dr. White has helped the Greenville Chamber gain the recognition of the Organization of the Year from the Minority of Economic Development Institute, 2014 Excellence in Diversity Award Recipient presented by Greenville Society of Human Resources Management (GSHRM) and a national platform as a leader in the space of diversity inclusion recognized by the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives. Dr. White is a graduate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Institute of Organization Management (IOM), is a certified trainer with National Coalition Building Institute (NCBI) and is a Certified Diversity Executive (CDE) through the Institute for Diversity Certification (IDC).

The conference is open to community leaders, human resources professionals, recruiters, educators and those interested in developing inclusion strategies for the Cedar Valley. This event will foster the exchange of new ideas and approaches for meaningful and impactful diversity and inclusion.

Companies sponsoring the conference include University of Iowa Community Credit Union as the Premier Sponsor; Diamond Event Center, Table 1912, and Veridian Credit Union as Platinum Sponsors; Cedar Valley Nonprofit Association, Courier Communications, Covenant Medical Center, CUNA Mutual and KWWL as Gold Sponsors; and the Cedar Falls Human Rights Commission, Community Bank & Trust, SHRM and Viking Pump as Inclusion Partners. Sponsorship opportunities are still available.

The following organizations are collaborating to plan the conference: the Cedar Falls Human Rights Commission, Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber, IowaWORKS of Waterloo, Infiniti Enterprises, Legacy Branding and Events, University of Northern Iowa, UNI Center for Violence Prevention and the Waterloo Commission on Human Rights.

Registration for the conference opens mid-August via the UNI Diversity Matters website at diversity.uni.edu/diversity-conference and is free to the public. Organizations and individuals that cannot attend are encouraged to download information from the conference tool kit, available October 10, 2018.  For more information, call 319-883-0219 or visit diversity.uni.edu/diversity-conference.

 

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Leadercast Cedar Valley 2018: World’s Largest Simulcast

Cedar Valley of Iowa, IOWA (March 15, 2018) — Leadercast is the world’s largest one-day leadership conference, broadcast LIVE from Atlanta and simulcast to hundreds of locations around the world on May 4. This year marks the eighteenth year of the annual leadership conference and the fourth year that the Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber will be at hosting the event, this year at the Hilton Garden Inn.

Early bird pricing for Alliance & Chamber investors/members ends March 31.

The theme of this year’s conference is, “Lead Yourself.” What does it look like to lead yourself? How can you intentionally develop your own leadership skills and style? What qualities do you hope to embody as a leader? In 2018, the Leadercast Live stage will highlight leaders who will answer these questions and explain the power and importance of leading yourself first so you can lead others well.

Leadercast Live will allow attendees and viewers to improve their own personal leadership journey with tips for self-evaluation and self-growth. Top leadership experts will inspire more than 150 people attending the local event, and the more than 100,000 people who will attend the event live in Atlanta or at hundreds of other simulcast locations in more than 20 countries.

Speakers

Among the leadership experts speaking this year are:

  • Mae Jemison – NASA Astronaut, Engineer & Physician
  • Ian Cron – Bestselling Author, Psychotherapist, Enneagram teacher and Speaker
  • Andy Stanley – Leadership Author & Communicator
  • Jim Loehr – Co-founder of the Human Performance Institute
  • Carey Lohrenz – The First Female F-14 Pilot, Speaker & Trainer

Pre-registration is required. The individual ticket price for Alliance & Chamber investors/members is $100 and $150 for all others. The ticket includes a light breakfast and lunch. Corporate tables are also available at a discounted rate.

For more information and to purchase your ticket or group tickets to the Leadercast Cedar Valley event, visit https://www.cedarvalleyalliance.com/template.php?preview=true&id=389www.cedarvalleyalliance.com.

Andy Stanley - Leadership Author & Communicator, Leadercast Cedar Valley 2018

Andy Stanley – Leadership Author & Communicator, Leadercast Cedar Valley 2018

Carey Lohrenz, U.S. Navy Pilot, Speaker & Trainer, Leadercast Cedar Valley 2018

Carey Lohrenz, U.S. Navy Pilot, Speaker & Trainer, Leadercast Cedar Valley 2018

Ian Morgan Cron, Bestselling Author, Psychotherapist, Enneagram Teacher and Speaker, Leadercast Cedar Valley 2018

Ian Morgan Cron, Bestselling Author, Psychotherapist, Enneagram Teacher and Speaker

Jen Bricker, Acrobat, Aerialist, Author, and Speaker, Leadercast Cedar Valley 2018

Jen Bricker, Acrobat, Aerialist, Author, and Speaker, Leadercast Cedar Valley 2018

Jim Loehr, Ed.D., Co-founder of the Human Performance Institute, Leadercast Cedar Valley 2018

Jim Loehr, Ed.D., Co-founder of the Human Performance Institute, Leadercast Cedar Valley 2018

Joe Torre, Hall of Fame Baseball Manager, Leadercast Cedar Valley 2018

Joe Torre, Hall of Fame Baseball Manager, Leadercast Cedar Valley 2018

Mae Jemison, Engineer, Physician and NASA Astronaut, Leadercast Cedar Valley 2018

Mae Jemison, Engineer, Physician and NASA Astronaut, Leadercast Cedar Valley 2018

Michael Hyatt, Author, Speaker and CEO of Michael Hyatt & Company, Leadercast Cedar Valley 2018

Michael Hyatt, Author, Speaker and CEO of Michael Hyatt & Company, Leadercast Cedar Valley 2018

Tripp Crosby, Host of Leadercast Live 2018, Host, Leadercast Cedar Valley 2018

Tripp Crosby, Host of Leadercast Live 2018, Host, Leadercast Cedar Valley 2018

World-renowned leaders to be featured in Leadercast Cedar Valley

Community and business leaders can access the knowledge and experience of world-renowned leaders by attending Leadercast Cedar Valley® at the Hilton Garden Inn in Cedar Falls on May 8, 2015.  The all-day event is being hosted by the Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber.

The Leadercast event is broadcast LIVE from Atlanta, GA to hundreds of sites around the world, including the Cedar Valley. This year’s speaker lineup includes:

Andy Stanley – Leadership author and communicator

  • Malala Yousafzai – Nobel Laureate; Founder, The Malala Fund
  • Ed Catmull – President of Pixar & Disney Animation Studios
  • Seth Godin – Best-selling Author
  • Rudy Giuliani – 107th Mayor of New York City (1993-2001)
  • Aja Brown – Mayor, City of Compton
  • Bill McDermott – CEO of SAP AG
  • CMDR Rorke Denver – Navy SEAL Commander & Author
  • Bill & Giuliana Rancic – Award-Winning Personalities & Co-Hosts of Leadercast
  • And more!

Last year, over 130,000 leaders from 35 countries attended Leadercast. Now, in its 16th year, this full day, experiential conference is on track to reach its largest audience to date.

“Leadership development is a key imperative to building a quality workforce and community leaders.  Leadercast is one of those events that we’ve heard a lot of great things about and features some of the most outstanding leaders in their areas.” said Steve Dust, CEO of the Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber “This is an exceptional opportunity not only for our current business leaders, but also for that group of emerging leaders and young professionals.”

Leadercast exists to positively change the way the world thinks about leadership. This year’s theme—The Brave Ones — challenges leaders to lead with a sense of Bravery, possessing a posture of unrelenting boldness. Bring your friends or team members to experience Leadercast and discover what it means to be a leader worth following.

For more information about Leadercast, visit www.leadercast.com.  For local ticketing information, call (319) 232-1156 or visit www.cedarvalleyalliance.com.

The Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber is a regional economic and community development corporation working to increase economic vitality and wealth in the Waterloo / Cedar Falls area and surrounding economic region. The Alliance & Chamber has approximately 750 members that represents over 40,000 employees.

 

 

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Alliance & Chamber Launches New Website to Showcase Leadership in Cedar Valley Schools

The Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber is pleased to announce the launch of a new website, leadervalley.org. This new resource features the Leader in Me initiative that is transforming leadership cultures in Cedar Valley schools.  The Leader in Me is a whole school education transformation process that teaches leadership principles to students in K-12 schools and embeds leadership as a core within their school culture. Leader in Me was developed by corporate and personal leadership trainer Franklin-Covey.

The site and a series of new videos, created in partnership with Mudd Advertising, highlight Cedar Valley students, business leaders, and educators and the impact of Leader in Me in Cedar Valley schools.

Business leaders will see how Leader in Me is investing in tomorrow’s workforce and helping to build a stronger pool of talent.  Examples of how 21st century soft skills are being infused into the school culture are detailed on the site, as well as demonstrations of how authentic leadership opportunities are preparing students to be effective in college, career, and citizenship.

Statistics demonstrating the impact Leader in Me is having in the Cedar Valley is an important component of the site, along with an events calendar, latest news, and testimonials from educators and community leaders. There are also valuable resources for educators, information for parents and community members, and pages that include student leadership projects and stories.

“This new website really is a showcase of the Leader the Me in the Cedar Valley. It is the one place you can see all the exciting things taking place in all of our schools. The amazing student leaders are really the highlight of the site,” says Melissa Reade, Leader Valley Program Director. “We believe that once you go to the site, you will understand the significant role Leader in Me has in the future of the Cedar Valley.”

The Leader Valley talent initiative, born out of the Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber’s priority to develop a strong workforce has been formed to expand the reach of leadership and 21st Century skill and leadership development opportunities to all students in the Cedar Valley. The Leader in Me is the primary focus of Leader Valley. For more information, visit the new website at www.leadervalley.org or contact Melissa Reade at (319)232-1156 or mreade@cedarvalleyalliance.com.
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Young Professional Graduate from Cedar Valley Leadership Institute with Stronger Ties to the Community

Cedar Valley of Iowa (June 10, 2014) – The 2013/2014 Cedar Valley Leadership Institute (CVLI) of the Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber concluded it sessions with a graduation reception at Park Place Event Center on May 28th. Employers, family and Alliance & Chamber staff and board members were on hand to congratulate the 27 graduates.

Cary Darrah, Vice President Community Development of the Alliance & Chamber reflected on the highlights of the year by saying, “This is a dynamic class of emerging leaders for the Cedar Valley. Their leadership qualities go beyond their professional commitments and will be a huge asset to our community.”

“The CVLI program is designed to produce leaders for the advancement of the Cedar Valley. The graduates are making the Cedar Valley a better place to do business and build a career by engaging in volunteer community projects or organization opportunities, and by encouraging others through their experience,” noted Steve Dust, CEO of the Alliance & Chamber. “I would also like to thank the employers/sponsors of this year’s class for investing in the leadership development of their team, as well as the future of the Cedar Valley.”

“CVLI provided an avenue un-like any other that I have traveled down before,” says Patrick Smith a graduate of the institute and Vice President, Institutional Sales at First National Bank, Cedar Falls, “It was more than just an opportunity to network with other professionals; by the end of the class we all built relationships that will extend well beyond the last nine months in the CVLI program.  I personally look forward to working along-side these talented, highly-thought of leaders, as we all grow with the Cedar Valley.”

Members of the class included:

Joshua  Anderson            John Deere Engine Works

Bethany Benner                Next Generation Wireless/Jiva Salonspa

Randy   Bennett                  City of Cedar Falls

David     Betz                       John Deere

Sarah     Bey                        UNI Regional Business Center

Nate      Clapham              UNI Foundation

David     Hansen                 Advanced Systems

Dale       Hartz                     UNI Career Services

Drew     Hektoen                John Deere Waterloo Works

Tina        Hummel               MidWest One Bank

Lisa         Johnson               John Deere Waterloo Works

Amy       Kay                         City of Cedar Falls Engineering

Heidi      Kenkel                  John Deere Waterloo Works

Kaara     Latusick                VGM Group

Kelly      Mangrich             Veridian Credit Union

Kristina Mehmen             Invision Architecture

Joshua  Moon                    Dutton, Braun, Staack, & Hellman

Tara       Sagers                   PDCM Insurance

Adam    Schaefer              US Bank

Patrick  Smith                    First National Bank

Steve    Skram                   Beecher, Field, Walker, Morris, Hoffman & Johnson

Nathan Vandegrift          John Deere Engine Works

Matt      Waller                   VGM Homelink

Cindy     Wiles                     Western Home Communities

Amy       Williams               Lincoln Savings Bank

Harley   Wilson                  CBE Companies, Inc.

Megan  Zuniga                   John Deere Waterloo Operations

Registration for the 2014/2015 CVLI will begin July 1.  Cost of the institute is $795.00 and is limited to Alliance & Chamber investor companies and organizations.

More information can be found at www.cedarvalleyalliance.com  or by contacting Cary Darrah by calling (319)232-1156 or email cdarrah@cedarvalleyalliance.com.

 

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