Nov. 10, 2026 
11:30 a.m.-4 p.m. 
Beck Agricultural Center, 4550 U.S. 52, West Lafayette, IN 47906

Schedule

11:30 a.m. — Catered Lunch 
Participants are invited to check in, connect with colleagues, and enjoy a banquet-style lunch catered by Shoups.  

12:00 p.m. — Opening Session 
Cathy Wright-Eger, head swim coach at Purdue from 1987-2008, will deliver a keynote address: 

'Purdue Leadership: A Holistic Way To Keep Soft Skills Alive'

The more technology evolves, the less humans seem to use soft skills. And that doesn’t bode well for our younger generations. I am a firm believer that we need to have a growth mindset, understand change management and reintroduce soft skills into everyday life at Purdue. "Why is that my job?" you may ask. My reply is, "How isn’t it your job?" We are at Purdue to teach and prepare the students for the real world. The real world requires soft skills, soft skills build leaders and leaders change the world.

Wright-Eger received numerous awards over the course of her coaching career, including Big Ten Coach of the Year honors in 1990. In 2008, she founded the John. R. Wooden Leadership Institute.  

The opening session will also include welcoming remarks by Vice Provost Dr. Beth McCuskey, the recognition of award winners, a panel on the future of leadership, and closing remarks by Summit funder Roger C. Stewart.  

1:15-2:00 p.m. — Breakout Session Block #1 

Put Me In, Coach: Developing a Coaching Mindset at Work
Kasie Roberson
Hayes Leadership Coaching Institute, Daniels School of Business

Indy Amplified: Developing Future-Ready Leaders Through Place-Based Experiences
Katie Nelson
Center for Career Opportunities, Purdue in Indianapolis

Building Your Leadership Toolkit
Melissa McKenna, Chris Hanes, and Brandon Cutler
Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) and Fraternity, Sorority and Cooperative Life (FSCL)

From Residents to Leaders: How University Residences & RAI Develop Boilermaker's Leadership Potential
Coree Burton, Rick Towers, Cheryl Brantley, and Connor Wilson
University Residences and Residential Academic Initiatives

2:10-2:55 p.m. — Breakout Session Block #2 

Creating Near-Peer Mentoring Model
Cara Putman
Daniels School of Business

Building Leadership Skills
Kyle Linback and Amruta Inamdar
Dining and Culinary; Center for Career Opportunities

Reflecting at Scale: Using an AI Chatbot to Help Students Connect Experiences to Leadership and Career-Ready Skills
JJ Sadler
Office of Undergraduate Research

Leading the Team You Have
Zach Morris
Naval ROTC

2:55-3:15 p.m. — Dessert Break 

3:15-4:00 p.m. — Breakout Session Block #3 

What is YOUR "Best Next Experience?"
Mark Russell
Professor Emeritus, Agriculture

From Classroom to Campus Culture: Interactive Strategies for Building Student Employment Communities
Nicole McCabe
Center for Career Opportunities

Take the LEAD — Applying the LEAD Competency Skill Framework Assessment to Your Work
Journey Reabe and Laura Todd
Leadership & Professional Development; IDA+A

4 p.m. — Summit Concludes