Evolving Leaders
Evolving Leaders
Aimed at mid-level leaders who've been in a leadership role for two - five years, the series focuses on the key skills of leading through change, motivating leaders who report to you, innovative problem solving and strategic thinking. Individual coaching sessions with one of the trainers is included.
- Dates: September 2025 – January 2026
- Time: 8:30 am – 12:30 pm
- Location: Taught live via Zoom
- Zoom links will be sent out to participants two weeks before class starts.
- Investment: $1,400 for the first seat, $1,200 for subsequent seats.
- Registration: Register here or by emailing DBR at dbr@dmacc.edu
Leading Through Change
Date: Wednesday September 24, 2025
If there is one word to describe the world of work, in recent times it would have to be CHANGE!! If there is one word to describe what creates the most conflict in the world of work, it would have to be CHANGE!! Serving as a leader during times of change requires strategy, process, empathy and savvy. While change can never be predicted, great leaders can certainly anticipate and prepare for navigating change. Join us for an interactive discussion on understanding the actions leaders must implement to be positioned for success while LEADING THROUGH CHANGE.
Instructor: Cassandra Halls
Cassandra Halls has been training and consulting since 2007, offering a wide variety of business consulting services to corporate, non-profit and local governmental entities primarily in the Midwest. Areas of specialty include: strategic planning, project management, research services, training facilitation, workforce recruitment and retention, generational perspectives, succession planning and operations process improvements. Halls spent 10 years of her career in public administration in Iowa, and then shifted to corporate employment, working in multiple strategic roles for a start-up technology company which grew from 20 employees to over 1,000 employees over the course of two short years! She has served in the Vice President role in both non-profit and corporate operations, utilizing her broad perspective to drive solutions to the challenges encountered in many work cultures and environments. Halls earned a bachelor’s degree in Public Administration from William Penn University.
Motivating Leaders Who Report to You
Date: Tuesday October 28, 2025
Growing capacity in organizations is directly connected to how we grow leaders at all levels. Discover models, apply theories, and test approaches to how we grow and develop others on our team. Engage new skills to help other leaders stretch to the next level of their development. Recognize the importance of succession planning, cross-training, and imprinting our legacy in everyday opportunities.
Instructor: Celina Peerman
Dr. Celina Peerman currently serves as an organizational psychologist with over 27 years of experience from front line to senior level positions, in a wide range of industries and organizations. She is passionate about engaging our human resources in new ways to achieve even better organizational results. Celina has presented at numerous conferences for local, state, and national audiences. Her work in Southeast Asia, Canada and Central America give additional operations experience, further developing her strong international interests with the ability to walk into every type of company daily to learn firsthand the challenges and opportunities to build better performance. Celina holds a Ph.D. in Psychology, a master’s degree in business, with undergraduate degrees in psychology and international studies, and workplace behavior.
Innovative Problem Solving
Date: Wednesday November 12, 2025
Discover the thinking preferences that secretly rule your problem-solving behavior. The “FourSight Mindset Reveal” dives deep into the way individuals solve problems together. Content-rich, fun and immediately actionable, this session introduces the mindset needed to spark and sustain more innovative problem solving.
Instructor: Stacie Lightner
Founder of Courageous Innovations, LLC, Stacie is known for her enlightening perspectives surrounding the human side of individuals and their uniqueness. She has built a business focusing on communication, empathy, employee and team development. For more than 20 years, Stacie has facilitated/coached a range of individuals including women in business, financial institution leaders, middle and high school students, and volunteers. She has worked with for-profit and not-for-profit organizations tying strategy to growth and talent development initiatives. She designs, speaks, and facilitates a wide variety of areas including; customer relations, coaching/mentoring individuals, diversity and inclusion, Emotional Intelligence, and time and organization management. Stacie earned a bachelor's degree in Education from Iowa State University and is certified in several people building programs. She has volunteered and worked for the Urbandale School District, been a PTO board member, mock trial judge and coach, church council member, director of Vacation Bible School, assisting minister, and board member for ATD (Association for Talent Development).
Strategic Thinking
Date: Thursday December 4, 2025
Today’s organization must respond to dramatic shifting forces and a leader's ability to think through complex and changing situations is critical to future success. Practice how to scan the external environment so it improves judgment and decision-making internally. Expand your perspective further, use tools that support strategic thinking and learn ways to engage in new methods daily.
Instructor: Celina Peerman
Dr. Celina Peerman currently serves as an organizational psychologist with over 27 years of experience from front line to senior level positions, in a wide range of industries and organizations. She is passionate about engaging our human resources in new ways to achieve even better organizational results. Celina has presented at numerous conferences for local, state, and national audiences. Her work in Southeast Asia, Canada and Central America give additional operations experience, further developing her strong international interests with the ability to walk into every type of company daily to learn firsthand the challenges and opportunities to build better performance. Celina holds a Ph.D. in Psychology, a master’s degree in business, with undergraduate degrees in psychology and international studies, and workplace behavior.
Budgeting & Payback Analysis: Game Plans & Strategies
Date: Tuesday January 13, 2026
What gets measured gets done! This session will give you practice in setting financial game plans in motion, interpreting the results, and adapting your tactics to win the game. When our financial resources follow our business priorities, we can increase the chance of getting the results we seek. You'll get practice in setting, allocating, and evaluating the performance of scacre financial resources toward the things that will do the most good.
Instructor: Dan Topf
Dan is a successful performance improvement consultant who is passionate about helping people and businesses achieve dramatic performance improvement through business learning. Known for his outstanding skills to make the complexities of business accessible and understandable, Dan serves as a lead facilitator for business simulations and business acumen programs.