Executive Leader Summit explores leader development

The CGSC Foundation in support of CGSC’s School for Command Preparation conducted an Executive Leader Summit on Sept. 6 on Fort Leavenworth. The purpose of the summit was to learn about the Army’s leader development processes and compare and contrast them to the civilian sector and allow the military and civilian attendees to learn from one another. There were twenty-four civilian senior leaders in attendance along with Col. Michael Forsyth, SCP director, and 10 of his faculty members.

Army University Provost and CGSC Deputy Commandant Brig. Gen. Scott L. Efflandt. Efflandt talks to the group about the Army’s leader selection and development processes. (all photos by Dan Neal/ArmyU Public Affairs

Col. Michael Forsyth, SCP director, briefs the group on the preparation given to Army leaders selected for command positions.

The summit began at the Frontier Conference Center where all the attendees gathered for lunch and heard opening remarks from Army University Provost and CGSC Deputy Commandant Brig. Gen. Scott L. Efflandt. Efflandt spoke about how the Army selects senior leaders and develops them through experience and continuing education. After the lunch with Efflandt the group moved over to Eisenhower Hall and the SCP classrooms where Col. Forsyth provided a presentation about how the Army prepares executive level leaders to assume their positions through the efforts of the School for Command Preparation.

The main event of the summit was the roundtable discussion period in which the attendees were in small groups discussing the information presented by the Army leadership and best practices in senior leader development and continuing education. At the end of the roundtable period the attendees met as a larger group again to share what they had learned.

The day ended at the Frontier Army Museum with a VIP reception and tour.

“We’ve received tremendous feedback from the participants in this summit,” said Foundation President/CEO Doug Tystad. “All of them felt the discussions were very beneficial in their own particular leader development challenges. I must also add that Col. Forsyth and his SCP folks really did an outstanding job hosting the event and facilitating the discussions.”

The civilian attendees at the summit were:

Christian Arnold, Principal, Clockwork Architecture + Branding Agency
Janet Barr, VP of Human Resources, Kansas City Southern
Tom Bastron, Regional Director of Operations, Intercontinental Hotels Group
Melissa Beltrame, Chief Marketing Officer, Lead Bank
Terry Betzelberger, President, LBW Advisors, Inc.
Gary Birch, Fire Chief, Leavenworth Fire Department
Chris Bornheimer, CFO, Lead Bank
Scott DeNeve, Founder/CEO, Platinum Realty
William Eckhardt, Col. (Ret.), Emeritus Teaching Law Professor
Terri Foudray, Founder and CEO, Rumble
Ronda Hellings, AVP Talent Acquisition and Employee Relations, Kansas City Southern
Ross Hewitt, Partner, RubinBrown LLP
Steven Hill, Director of Sales & Marketing, Haas and Wilkerson
Brian Huntington, Assistant General Manager, Fairfield Inn & Suites/TownePlace Suites
Patrick Kitchens, Chief of Police, Leavenworth Police Department
Michael Kotary, Group Fleet Manager, Enterprise Holdings
Paul Kramer, City Manager, City of Leavenworth
William Lawson, Senior Director, Military Affairs, Park University
Steve McDonald, CEO, Geiger Ready-Mix Co., Inc.
Paul Oltmanns, Hotel Manager, IHG Army Hotels
Jason Secrest, Production Director, Lenexa Manufacturing Company
Randy Waldorf, COO, Platinum Realty
Joe White, Sales Manager, DuraComm Corporation
Karenbeth Zachiaras, Chair, Division of Humanities and Liberal Arts, University of Saint Mary

The SCP participants were:

Michael Forsyth, Director SCP
Mark McKnight, Deputy Director SCP
Jim Hevel, Command Team Enterprise Program Manager
Todd Ebel, Assistant Professor
Mike Sevcik, Assistant Professor
Command Sgt. Maj. Shawn Carns, Instructor, Brigade Command Sergeant Major Development Program
Command Sgt. Maj. Corbett Whitmore, Instructor, Command Sergeant Major Development Program
Jack Kelly, Assistant Professor
Bill Greer, Assistant Professor
Col. Chris Crotzer, Instructor, Battalion Pre-Command Course/Tactical Command Development Program
Col. Dan Gibson, Instructor, Battalion Pre-Command Course/Tactical Command Development Program

CGSC leader development programs are intended for leaders who ASPIRE to learn and grow, INSPIRE them to further develop themselves and others, and help them MASTER the skills necessary to be better leaders. “AIM” is our guiding principle for these programs. Throughout the year, the Foundation teams with the CGSC Department of Command and Leadership (DCL), the Center for Army Leadership (CAL), or the School for Command Preparation (SCP), plus other academic institutions, businesses, and nonprofits to provide a unique learning experience.

Support for this Executive Leader Summit was made possible by a generous donation to the CGSC Foundation by True Growth, a LWM III Consulting company.

For more photos from the summit see the album on the CGSC Flickr site.