Kansas State University

Several leadership communication graduate students and Staley School of Leadership Studies faculty represented Kansas State University at the 2020 Association of Leadership Educators conference (ALE). The theme was “In Tune with Leadership: Understanding Research and Best Practices.”

ALE is an international organization aimed at strengthening the expertise of professional leadership educators. Staley School participants in the conference – which was virtual for the first time in conference history – presented in categories of leadership education research and innovative practice, as well as led workshops and roundtable discussions. The group also brought home several awards and had papers selected to appear in a special issue of the Journal of Leadership Education (JOLE).

“The scholarship shared at this conference demonstrates our commitment to research that serves our communities, state, and world,” said Mary Hale Tolar, director of the Staley School of Leadership Studies.

“Our students and faculty showcased engaged research, academic initiatives, co-curricular programs and community collaborations that bring together local and global partners to learn, develop, and mobilize knowledgeable, ethical, caring, and inclusive leadership for a diverse and changing world.”

The 2020 ALE conference participants and presentations included*:

Innovative practice papers:

• Transformative Leadership Education Using Arts-Based Storytelling
  Presentation | Article
  • Tess Hobson, higher education doctoral program, graduate teaching assistant
  • Mac Benavides, leadership communication doctoral program, graduate teaching assistant
  • Aliah Mestrovich Seay, leadership communication doctoral program, instructor, 4-H youth development specialist
    
    Outstanding Practice Paper Award; Selected for Inclusion in Journal of Leadership Education special issue
• Developing Leadership Capacity Using Visual Thinking Strategies
  Presentation | Article
  • Saya Kakim, leadership communication doctoral program, graduate research assistant with the KS-LSAMP program
  • Kerry Priest, Ph.D., associate professor
    
    Outstanding Practice Paper Award; Selected for Inclusion in Journal of Leadership Education special issue

• An Engaged Scholarship Approach to Create and Evaluate a Leadership Development Program for Students
  Presentation | Article
  • Roberta Maldonado Franzen, leadership communication doctoral program, instructor and Cargill Fellow program administrator
    
    Selected for Inclusion in Journal of Leadership Education special issue

Research paper:

• Intercultural Leadership: Theorizing Using Arts-Based Critical Reflexivity
  Presentation
  • Mac Benavides, leadership communication doctoral program, graduate teaching assistant

Poster session:

• Community-Engaged Leadership as Design: An Emerging Framework for Social Change Leaders in Nigeria
  Presentation
  • Onyedika Ekwerike, leadership communication doctoral program, graduate teaching assistant
  • Kerry Priest, Ph.D., associate professor

Roundtables discussions:

• Sociomateriality: An Emerging Lens for Leadership Education and Practice
  • Mafule Moswane, leadership communication doctoral program, graduate teaching assistant
  • Kerry Priest, Ph.D., associate professor

• Introduction to Leadership Concepts and Special Olympics Community Leadership Experience (CLE)
  • Mafule Moswane, leadership communication doctoral program, graduate teaching assistant
  • Andrew Wefald, Ph.D., associate professor

Research methods workshop:

• Qualitative Inquiry: Advancing Methodological Best Practices for Leadership Education
  • Kate McCain, Ph.D., assistant professor, Arizona State
  • Kerry Priest, Ph.D., associate professor
  • Gina Matkin, Ph.D., professor, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Distinguished Workshop Award

Participation in professional associations like ALE not only advances the Staley School team’s work, but also positions K-State as a global partner for change through leadership learning and development.

Learn more about K-State’s leadership communication doctoral students here. Learn more about the Staley School faculty members here.

*All participants listed are representatives of Kansas State University unless otherwise noted.