Past Events

Leadership Series Workshop 4 — Lunch Lounge Chat with Dean Estela Zarate

Curious about the real-life lessons behind effective leadership? Join aspiring and current leaders from CFD's Leadership Series Cohort, Department Chairs, and faculty leaders across the LMU campus for a special lunchtime conversation. We will be sitting down with Dean Estela Zarate of LMU’s School of Education to explore her insights on balancing leadership and family life, fostering inclusive environments, and aligning personal values with institutional missions. A hearty lunch is provided for all attendees! If you have any questions, please contact the facilitator of this event, Myla Bui (mbui@lmu.edu). 

Facilitators: Dr. Myla Bui
Date:  Wednesday, February 4, 2026
Time: 12:00PM-1:30PM
Location: University Hall 3030

Leadership Series Workshop 5 - Negotiations Training with Brie Loskota 

Join leadership expert Brie Loskota for a practical and engaging negotiations workshop focused on navigating difficult conversations, building consensus, and leading with confidence. Through actionable frameworks and interactive exercises, participants will strengthen their ability to listen deeply, manage conflict constructively, and find common ground in complex situations. Even if you have not attended prior leadership series events you are welcome to join us. A hearty lunch is provided for all attendees! If you have any questions, please contact the facilitator of this event, Myla Bui (mbui@lmu.edu).  

Facilitator: Dr. Myla Bui
Date: Wednesday, March 11, 2026
Time: 12:00PM-1:30PM
Location: University Hall 3030

Leadership Series Workshop 6 — Lunch Lounge Chat with Dean Brietta Clark

Curious about the lived realities of leadership in higher education? Join aspiring and current leaders from CFD’s Leadership Series Cohort, Department Chairs, and faculty leaders across LMU for an informal lunchtime conversation with LLS Dean Brietta Clark. This Lunch Lounge Chat offers a candid opportunity to hear from Dean Clark about her leadership journey, lessons learned along the way, and the perspectives that shape how she approaches leadership today. Designed to be conversational and reflective, this session invites dialogue, curiosity, and shared learning across roles and disciplines. A hearty lunch is provided for all attendees! If you have any questions, please contact the facilitator of this event, Myla Bui (mbui@lmu.edu). 

Facilitator: Dr. Myla Bui
Date: Friday April 17, 2026
Time: 12:00PM-1:30PM
Location: University Hall 3030

2025-2026 Leadership Series Cohort Year End Reflections — Looking Back, Leading Forward

Looking Back, Leading Forward is an opportunity for our Leadership Cohort to pause together at the close of the academic year—to reflect on what this year has shaped in us, what we’ve learned about leadership (and ourselves), and what we want to carry forward. This gathering is less about outcomes and more about meaning: making sense of experiences, naming growth, and reconnecting with the purpose that brought us into leadership in the first place. As we look ahead, we’ll spend time in conversation and reflection about how this year informs the way we want to lead next—within our roles, our communities, and our lives. We hope you’ll join us for this closing moment of shared reflection and connection. If you have any questions, please contact the facilitator of this event, Myla Bui (mbui@lmu.edu). 

Facilitator: Dr. Myla Bui
Date: Friday April 17, 2026 
Time: 1:30PM-2:30PM
Location: University Hall 3030

2026 Department Chairs Retreat

The Office of the Provost and the Center for Faculty Development will be hosting the 2026 Department Chairs Retreat. This retreat is designed to build community, trust, and shared purpose among chairs. The retreat provides dedicated space for reflection, dialogue, and peer learning, positioning chairs as partners in leadership and stewards of departmental culture. Key areas of focus include building a culture of belonging, reflecting on the chair role and its impact, learning from peers across departments, and strengthening relationships that support effective leadership. 

Date: Friday, January 16, 2026
Time: 8:00AM-3:00PM
Location: Jamaica Bay Inn - Marina del Rey

Community of Practice (CoP) for Department Chairs

This CoP provides an ongoing, chair-driven space for confidential peer dialogue and shared problem-solving. Topics are shaped by Chairs’ interests and current leadership challenges. CoP sessions emphasize topics ranging from course scheduling, FSR support, peer consultation, and collective sense-making to strengthening leadership relationships over time. Refreshments will be provided for all attendees! If you have any questions, please contact the facilitator of this event, Myla Bui (mbui@lmu.edu). 

Facilitator: Dr. Myla Bui
Date: Thursday, February 26, 2026
Time: 2:00PM-3:00PM
Location: University Hall 3030

Community of Practice (CoP) for Department Chairs — Year-End Reflections & Leading in Community

As we close out the academic year, this CoP gathering offers department chairs a space to pause, reflect, and take stock of the leadership work carried this year. Grounded in confidential, peer-driven dialogue, this session will focus on collective sense-making—what has been most challenging, what has been learned, and what chairs want to carry forward into the next academic cycle. Together, we will reflect on themes that have shaped our work this year, including navigating complex leadership responsibilities, supporting faculty and programs, and strengthening relationships over time. The session will emphasize shared reflection, peer consultation, and closing the year in community, with an eye toward sustaining ourselves and our leadership moving forward. A hearty lunch is provided for all attendees! If you have any questions, please contact the facilitator of this event, Myla Bui (mbui@lmu.edu). 

Facilitator: Dr. Myla Bui
Date: Wednesday, April 22, 2026
Time: 12:00PM-1:30PM
Location: University Hall 3030

Leadership Cohort Connection & Kick-off Luncheon

The 2025-2026 Leadership Cohort is invited to kick-off the academic year with a luncheon designed to build community, spark mentorship, and set the stage for a year of growth and leadership development.

Facilitators: Dr. Myla Bui, Dr. Máire Ford, & Dr. Rebecca Sager
Date: October 7, 2025
Time: 12pm – 1:30pm
Location: University Hall 3030

Leadership Series Workshop 1 - Navigating Conflict with TKI Strategies

Using the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument (TKI), leaders will identify their own preferred conflict-handling modes and consider how to skillfully choose alternative modes that support conflict resolution.  Participants will learn to distinguish between five different conflict modes and when each one is most effective, identify the conflict modes of others and learn to adapt for better outcomes, develop communication strategies that de-escalate tension and foster productive dialogue, and turn conflict into an opportunity for collaboration and stronger relationships. Hearty brunch provided!

Presenter: Dr. Zandra Wagoner
Facilitator: Dr. Myla Bui
Date: September 18, 2025
Time: 10:30AM-12 PM
Location: University Hall 3030

Leadership Series Workshop 2 - Effectively Managing Performance Feedback

This session approaches giving feedback by stressing the ongoing nature of feedback given in short, constructive guidance that addresses two aspects of performance – what is done well and what might be done differently in the future.  This skill will help LMU faculty identify what feedback is, how to craft feedback in productive ways, how to distinguish between an observation, an interpretation, and a judgment, what gets in the way of giving feedback and how to handle those obstacles. Hearty brunch provided!

Presenter: Dr. Brie Loskota
Facilitator: Dr. Myla Bui
Date: October 2, 2025
Time: 10:30AM-12 PM
Location: University Hall 3030

Leadership Series Workshop 3 - Leading from the Middle: Managing Up & Down

This panel workshop of leaders will lead the discussion on how to equip Chairs, Directors, Associate Deans, and leaders with practical strategies for balancing the needs of deans, faculty, and their own role. Take aways will be leaders learning to Manage Up by aligning requests with leadership priorities and bringing solutions while Managing Down by being transparent and set clear expectations and building trust. Lunch will be provided!

Presenter: Dr. Máire Ford, Dr. Adam Fingerhut, Dr. Josh Spizman, & Dr. Suzanne Larson
Facilitator: Dr. Myla Bui
Date: November 4, 2025
Time: 12pm – 1:30pm
Location: University Hall 3030

CoP for Dept Chairs: Mentorship Mapping

Peer to peer exchange on mentorship mapping designed to help Chairs map their current mentoring network, identify unmet needs, and plan how to expand their existing networks to meet current needs. The Loft Membership and refreshments provided!

Facilitator: Dr. Myla Bui
Date: September 25, 2025
Time: 12pm-1pm
Location: University Hall 3030

Dept Chairs Luncheon: Exploring Administrative Pathways

Department Chairs are invited to join a  panel luncheon to hear about different ways in which current leaders have navigated pathways opportunities in academic administration. The goal is to help Chairs begin to see possibilities for their own leadership and professional development.

Panelist: Dr. Heather Tarleton, Dr. Jonathan Rothchild, Dr. José Badenes, & Dr. Franca DellOlio
Facilitator: Dr. Myla Bui
Date: October 23, 2025
Time: 12pm-1:30pm
Location: University Hall 3030

CoP for Dept Chairs: Community Building Conversations

Peer exchange on Chairs’ topic of choice surrounding scheduling, staffing, and supporting teacher–scholars, among others. The Loft Membership and refreshments provided!

Facilitator: Dr. Myla Bui
Date: November 13, 2025
Time: 12pm -1pm
Location: University Hall 3030