Leadership Forum

Location: J. David Rosenberg College of Law

8:30-9:30 a.m.: Check in
 
9:30 a.m.: Keynote address, “Mastering Gentelligence: Understanding and Leveraging Generational Diversity in the Workplace” (75 minutes), Megan Gerhardt, Ph. D., Grand Court Room
 
10:45 a.m.: Break
 
11 a.m.: Large session: Collaboration (50 minutes), Megan Gerhardt, Ph. D., Grand Court Room
 
12 p.m.-1 p.m.: Box lunches
 
1:10 p.m.: Breakout sessions
Topic A: Prioritizing Wellness in the Workplace (50 minutes), Kim Releford, UKY Mental Health Clinician, Room 399
Topic B: Generative AI and the Future of Work (50 minutes), Trey Conester, Ph. D., Director of CELT, Room 397 
2 p.m.: Break
 
2:10 p.m.: Closing Keynote, “Change in the Workplace,” Fredrick Martin AVPHR, UKHC, Grand Court Room

Mastering Gentelligence®: Understanding & Leveraging Generational Diversity in the Workplace  
Featured in Harvard Business Review, The Washington Post, Time Magazine, NBC News, and more, Gentelligence® was developed to help organizations change how they approach generational differences. Learn why the Gentelligence approach was named a Harvard Business Review Big Idea in 2022 and chosen as one of the 10 most definitive management ideas of the year in 2024!  
 
With five generations currently in the workplace, many leaders view this dynamic as frustrating and challenging. In this engaging workshop, you will go beyond the core concepts to now activate and apply the strategies of Gentelligence® to your organization’s unique generational challenges.  
 
We will: 
 

• Explore the barriers that often prevent organizations (and individuals) from effective intergenerational collaboration.
• Conduct an assumption audit to push beyond lazy stereotypes to understand generational and age differences as a valuable and complex form of diversity. 
• Practice replacing generational judgment with curiosity.
• Examine how to develop organizational cultures that normalize intergenerational learning and collaboration. 
• Learn how to have smarter intergenerational conversations using power questions.  

Prioritizing Wellness in the Workplace  
Join UK Health and Wellness mental health therapist Kim Releford to learn practical ways to encourage and prioritize wellness in the workplace. This session will focus on the role leaders play in prioritizing wellness by communicating the importance of physical and mental wellbeing and by modeling healthy habits as leaders. 
 
Generative AI and the Future of Work 
Though it has been available for only a year and a half, generative artificial intelligence (AI) has already profoundly impacted—and perhaps disoriented—our sense of the future of work. In these conversations we encounter a range of speculation on issues such as the stability of job sectors, shifts in required competencies, the task of upskilling a diverse workforce, and existential challenges to our understanding of what work "is." In this breakout session, we will first demystify generative AI in ways that clarify both the possibilities and the pitfalls for its future in the workplace. Next, we will explore a small number of use-cases that illustrate how work itself may change, but it also will continue to require workers' critical engagement with new technologies and infrastructures that enhance our agency and labor. 

Megan W. Gerhardt, Ph. D. is a Professor of Management and Leadership at the Farmer School of Business at Miami University, where she also serves as Robert D. Johnson Director of Leadership Development.  Megan speaks and consults with top organizations around the world on ways to leverage generational diversity in the workplace. In addition to her academic research, she is the author of the book Gentelligence: A Revolutionary Approach to Leading an Intergenerational Workforce. Her Gentelligence work has been showcased as Harvard Business Review’s Big Idea in March 2022. It was also chosen as one of Harvard Business Review’s Top 10 Must Reads for 2024.  Megan’s work on leveraging generational diversity has also been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Time Magazine, NBC News, The Washington Post, and CNN, among others. Dr. Gerhardt’s work focuses on leveraging unique differences to achieve impact and extraordinary levels of performance.  
 
Kim Griswold Releford, MSSW, LCSW, is a mental health therapist at the University of Kentucky Human Resources Health and Wellness where she provides therapy to UK employees, retirees, and their families. Ms. Releford received her Bachelor of Arts in Social Work from UK and her Master of Science in Social Work degree from the University of Louisville, Kent School of Social Work. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker through the Kentucky Board of Social Work. Ms. Releford has over thirty years’ clinical experience and extensive knowledge of domestic violence, sexual violence, mental health, substance use and disability issues. She has over twenty years’ experience in project coordination, staff development and supervision, community organization activities and team building. Ms. Releford is a part-time instructor/adjunct faculty at the UK College of Social Work, Brescia University Marilyn Conley School of Social Work, and the Indiana University School of Social Work. 
 
Trey Conatser, Ph. D. is the director of UK's Center for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching (CELT), where he represents UK’s teaching community to stakeholders within and beyond the University. He also oversees CELT services, initiatives, and operations in pursuit of innovative, inclusive, effective, and engaging teaching and learning. Dr. Conatser has led and supported a range of efforts in collaboration with UK leadership around institutional priorities such as the rise of generative artificial intelligence (AI). He co-chairs UK ADVANCE, the University task force charged with providing guidelines and recommendations regarding the use of generative AI in education, research, clinical care, and other operations. Dr. Conatser holds a Ph. D. in English from The Ohio State University with a specialization in writing studies, digital humanities, and teaching and learning.
 
Fredrick J. Martin, MBA, MCA is the Associate Vice President of Human Resources and Associate Vice President of Human Resources UK HealthCare. Fredrick is an accomplished Organizational Transformation Executive with a track record of creating business value and driving sustainable change across highly competitive and complex environments. He is a top-performing business leader who specializes in the exploitation of a company's core strengths to facilitate transformation and maximize cultural potential while expanding diversity, equity, and inclusion. With vast experience in leading cross-functional teams across human resources and external operations, he consistently delivers game-changing cultural shifts, optimizing team performance, and enhancing the employee experience. As a certified Master Change Agent (MCA) with expertise in Digital Adoption, Human-Centered Design, and Workday Value Realization, Fredrick is the go-to executive for those seeking to navigate and prepare for the future of work.