Conference Offers Inspiring Leadership Lessons
Westmont has assembled an inspirational group of renowned speakers for its 10th annual LEAD Where You Stand Conference June 5-6 at the college's Global Leadership Center in Santa Barbara. David Brooks, New York Times columnist and bestselling author, headlines an exceptional and diverse group of speakers that includes: Gayle D. Beebe, Westmont president and author of “The Crucibles That Shape Us”; Dr. Charity Dean, CEO and co-founder of the Public Health Company; Kim Battle-Walters Denu, provost and dean of faculty at Westmont; Marcus "Goodie" Goodloe, a Martin Luther King Jr. scholar; Matthew Luhn, award-winning writer and director formerly at Disney’s Pixar; and Jeff Schloss, T.B. Walker professor of natural and behavioral sciences.
Tickets to the event, which cost $299 per person through May 6 and $399 after, may be purchased online at westmont.edu/lead. Each registrant will receive a complimentary copy of Beebe’s new book, “The Crucibles That Shape Us.”
“In the last decade, this event has quickly evolved into a beacon of inspiration and empowerment, attracting powerhouse speakers and participants who share transformative leadership principles,” Beebe says. “The caliber of speakers and attendees underscores our collective commitment to advancing excellence in leadership, transcending boundaries of industry and service.”
Brooks is the New York Times columnist and author of a number of New York Times Bestsellers, including “How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen,” “The Second Mountain: The Quest for a Moral Life,” and “The Road to Character.” He is one of America’s most prominent political and social commentators, writing a bi-weekly, op-ed column for the New York Times and appearing weekly on PBS NewsHour.
Beebe, president at Westmont since 2007, has spent nearly a quarter century as a college president. He has authored or edited more than 40 articles and 11 books including, “The Shaping of an Effective Leader: Eight Formative Principles of Leadership.” Leading unprecedented growth at Westmont while facing significant challenges, he has loved attracting new resources to build out the campus, developing new academic and co-curricular programs, and pursuing the next horizon.
Dean brings together the best expertise in public health disease control with tech innovation in the private sector to build capabilities for autonomous disease control in scalable software. Prior to this, she served as the assistant director of the California Department of Public Health and part of the executive leadership team directing California’s strategy and response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In her role with CDPH, Dean provided strategic direction and oversight for the Center for Health Care Quality and led public health and healthcare policy development and implementation to benefit all Californians.
Luhn has mastered the art, practice and business applications of storytelling. A writer, animator, director, author and sought-after speaker, he draws upon his 25-year career working on “The Simpsons,” and Disney’s Pixar blockbusters including “Toy Story,” “Toy Story 2,” “Toy Story 3,” “Monsters Inc.,” “Finding Nemo,” “Cars,” “Up,” and “Ratatouille” to help audiences sharpen their storytelling skills for business success. Denu has worked in executive leadership in Christian higher education for more than 25 years, previously as vice president for educational programs for the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities in Washington, D.C. She spent much of her career at Azusa Pacific University as vice president and chief diversity officer. A two-time Fulbright alumna, she has conducted research projects in South Africa and Ethiopia. Denu will address the topic of “Leading Across Differences: Utilizing Soft Power to Build Cohesion.”
Goodloe travels the country mentoring students, educators, business professionals, athletes, entertainers and communities of faith about cultural and interpersonal relationships, leadership, character formation and faith. He has written three books: “King Maker: Applying Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Leadership Lessons in Working with Athletes and Entertainers,” “Habits: Six Steps to the Art of Influence,” and “The Next Level: Growing with God.” Schloss often speaks to public, church-related and secular academic audiences on the intersection of biology and faith. His many academic publications include “The Believing Primate: Scientific, Philosophical, and Theological Reflections on the Origin of Religion,” which he edited with philosopher Michael Murray.
