KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
August 17, 10 a.m.–Noon
Take The Risk!
SPEAKER: Benjamin S. Carson, MD, Pediatric Neurosurgeon and Inspiring Storyteller
Ben Carson asks: “By avoiding risk are you also avoiding the full potential of your life?”
His own life dramatically portrays the connection between great risks and greater successes. Out of a perilous childhood, a world-class surgeon emerged precisely because of the risks he was willing to take. Join Dr. Carson in this exploration of the real costs and rewards of risk, how to assess and accept risk, and how risk reveals the purpose of our lives.
A world-renowned pediatric neurosurgeon and a mentor to countless individuals of all ages, Ben Carson carries with him a message of hope for and faith in the human spirit. His life today is far removed from its beginning in the inner cities of Detroit and Boston. It has been his own making—thanks to his mother and a host of individuals who expected the very best from him. Dr. Carson is coauthor of four best-selling books: Take The Risk, Gifted Hands, THINK BIG, and The Big Picture.
Monday General Session
August 18, 8:30–9:45 a.m.
Influencer: The Power to Change Anything
SPEAKER: Joseph Grenny, Business Communications Expert and New York Times Bestselling Author
Some studies indicate that many of today’s organizational leaders have little, if any, influence over the way employees behave. Joseph Grenny says that “If leaders can learn to diagnose the sources of influence that are responsible for the current behavior of their employees, they can create an influence plan for replacing bad behaviors with good ones and ultimately, make change inevitable.”
Over the past twenty years, Joseph has taught and advised more than 100,000 leaders on every major continent from Fortune 500 boardrooms to the slums of Nairobi, Kenya. His expertise in leadership and communication has been called upon by CNN, Bloomberg, CNBC, and "The Today Show". Grenny is coauthor of three best-selling books: Influencer: The Power to Change Anything; Crucial Conversations; and Crucial Confrontations. (Joseph Grenny will also conduct an afternoon workshop on how to apply the Influencer principles to both your professional and personal life.)
Tuesday General Session
August 19, 8:30–9:45 a.m.
Breakthrough Leadership
SPEAKER: Brian D. Biro, America’s Breakthrough Coach
Today’s public works professionals are being called to new levels of breakthrough leadership. As we prepare now for the types of public works and infrastructure services needed to sustain tomorrow’s economies and social structures, we need leaders at every level of the organization who are flexible, ethical, highly skilled and deeply principled.
So take this time to recharge and ignite the “E” Power within you—energy, enthusiasm, and eagerness! Brian believes that we are all breakthrough leaders with the opportunity to move from fear to freedom, failure to faith, from impatience to patience, from good to great. In this extraordinary presentation, you will be energized and revitalized with a fresh sense of your own unstoppable spirit.
Brian Biro is one of America’s most in-demand speakers and trainers and author of Beyond Success: The 15 Secrets of Effective Leadership and Life Based on Coach John Wooden’s Pyramid of Success.
August 20, 11 a.m.–12:15 p.m.
Quantum Leap Thinking: You Can Create Your Future!
SPEAKER: James Mapes, Founder and President, The Quantum Leap Thinking Organization
Albert Einstein said, “The imagination is everything. It is a preview of life’s coming attractions.” In today’s world, our possibilities are limited only by our imaginations, flexibility in thinking, and ability to be creative. James Mapes will challenge you to take back and apply right away the concepts and strategies presented at the 2008 Congress. Learn to recognize and break the habit of “doing it the way we’ve always done it.” James pledges to give you a shot of enthusiasm and the skills to keep going upon your return home.
James Mapes is dedicated to educating, coaching, and encouraging his audiences to be open-minded about new options. He is author of the book Quantum Leap Thinking: An Owner’s Guide to the Mind and The Workbook: The Magic of Quantum Leap Thinking. He is presently writing his new book, Love Matters: An Owner’s Guide to Creating the Best Life Possible.
FEATURED SPEAKERS
SPEAKER: Carole Copeland Thomas, MBA, C. Thomas Associates, Boston, Massachusetts
Carole Copeland Thomas’ personal motto is “Empowerment begins when you believe in yourself.” As a radio talk show host and speaker, she focuses on the key issues affecting today’s global marketplace. Community leadership is Carole’s passion. She is chair of the Multicultural Committee for the Greater Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau. As a professional communicator, she is in demand for her expertise in leadership, diversity, empowerment, management, and youth issues. She publishes the Empowerment Today online newsletter, hosts a weekly radio program on WBNW 1120 AM, Boston, and is author of the book Empowerment: How to Turbocharge Your Life On and Off the Job.
Featured Speaker Session: Sunday, 2–3:50 p.m.
Top Trends from the Trenches: Empowered Leadership for Today’s Public Works Professional
For every leader who sometimes has to navigate through criticism and negative feedback to get the job done, this presentation is for you! Discover how to articulate your vision to others, and get tips for quick ways to assess trouble spots on your team and resolve conflicts and problems. Get insight into how to lead in a diverse environment, how to set team expectations, and open more lines of communication. Finally, it all begins with you—you’ll leave this session armed with a 10-point action plan for leadership success and the know-how for making the connection between intention and action. “Empowerment begins when you believe in yourself.”
Featured Speaker Session: Monday, 10:30 a.m.–Noon
Empowered Leadership through Personal Vision
The difference between good leaders and great leaders is the ability to capture a personal vision that can expand to new levels of achievement. This highly personalized session is designed to discover the focus and direction you need to achieve personal vision, team collaboration, and organizational cooperation. You’ll walk away with the tools to craft a personal vision statement that will be relevant both personally and professionally for decades to come.
SPEAKER: Barbara L. Mackoff, EdD, Seattle, Washington
Barbara Mackoff is widely acclaimed as an expert in understanding the way leaders think. Educated at Harvard, she is currently on the faculty of the Rocky Mountain Public Leadership Program, which is affiliated with the University of Colorado’s School of Public Affairs. She is the author of five books that have been translated into five languages and include The Art of Self-Renewal, Leaving the Office Behind,and What Mona Lisa Knew. She’s also coauthor of The Inner Work of Leaders: Leadership as a Habit of Mind. Be on the lookout for her soon-to-be-published book Come Back from Hell Empty-Handed: Acts of Mind for Challenging Times.
Featured Speaker Sessions: Monday, 2–3:50 p.m., repeated Tuesday 1:30–3:30 p.m.
Leadership Is a Habit of Mind
Managers become leaders by understanding their formative experiences and using them wisely. While many managers demonstrate strategic literacy, exceptional managers enrich their potential by examining their own lives (the influence of parents, teachers, and momentous events.) With this “inner work” they translate the lessons of a lifetime into meaningful habits of mind that create a foundation for their work. Attend this highly interactive session that will focus on the use of personal narrative and storytelling to explore the source and underpinnings of each person’s unique point of view.
PUBLIC WORKS THOUGHT LEADERS
What is a public works thought leader? That concept fits several of the speakers at this Congress who deeply understand the business of public works and the broader societal, political, and economic context in which public works agencies operate. Out of this illustrious group, we’ve picked three of the 2008 Congress speakers and designated their sessions as “Public Works Thought Leader” presentations. These individuals are planning and implementing paradigm-shifting practices and perspectives into the everyday business of providing infrastructure services, projects, and facilities. We encourage you to attend these presentations and decide for yourself whether the innovative ideas and strategies being discussed might be the foundation for future public works delivery.
Pam Broviak, PE, City Engineer/Public Works Director, City of LaSalle, IL
From receiving the Young Engineer of the Year award in 1995 for the State of Illinois, to her current role as City Engineer/Public Works Director for the City of LaSalle, IL, Pam Broviak enjoys thinking about how the next generation of public works leaders will do business. She currently operates a Public Works Resource Center in the virtual world of Second Life, manages a related website, online radio station and online magazine. Don’t miss her Wednesday Workshop, Virtual Public Works—Is This How We’ll Be Doing Business in the Future?
Stephen Coyle, AIA, LEED AP, Director, Town Green, Oakland, CA
Stephen Coyle brings over 30 years experience toward designing diverse, beautiful and sustainable places. His specialty is planning new and redeveloping older affordable, sustainable, and transit-oriented public and private developments. He has synthesized his experiences in both design and development into a holistic approach that integrates architecture, the environment, plus financial and political issues into public infrastructure development. Don’t miss his Wednesday Workshop, Sustainability by Design.
Michael Mucha, PE, Public Works Director, City of Olympia, WA
Michael Mucha has over 15 years of top executive leadership experience in city government. He has a proven track record of putting sustainability to action and moving his organizations forward with a progressive strategic direction. In 2005, the Ash Institute at Harvard University named Olympia Public Works as a finalist for the Prestigious Innovations in American Government Award Competition for the creation of a Sustainable 100-Year Capital Planning Process that over 50 Washington cities are now using. Don’t miss his education session, Leading Sustainability: Will Public Works Rise to the Occasion?
