MI-ACE Women's Network Conference Breakout Sessions

Higher education leaders are increasingly asked to advance student success amid polarized conversations and competing priorities. This roundtable focuses on the practical realities of working within a divided policy landscape and how leaders can still make progress.

Conflict is often viewed as something to avoid, yet when approached with skill and intention, it can strengthen relationships, deepen understanding, and drive innovation.

In this interactive workshop, participants will learn how restorative approaches and communication frameworks can shift conflict from confrontation to conversation. Through practical tools and real-world scenarios, women leaders will explore how to regulate emotions, ask interest-based questions, and guide conversations toward collaborative solutions.

Participants will leave with strategies to transform conflict into a leadership advantage and to cultivate cultures of trust, accountability, and connection.

A leader’s internal state is never private; it is an organizational signal. Because a leader’s mood is biologically contagious, "affective resonance" can either stabilize a team or trigger collective anxiety. This workshop, Leading with Calm in High-Stakes Moments, provides a tactical blueprint for mastering Executive Presence when the stakes are at their highest.

We will explore how mindfulness helps a leader act instead of reacting to stressors. Participants will move beyond the theory of emotional intelligence into the physiological practice of regulation. By integrating the S.T.O.P. and S.T.A.R Techniques and Mindful Breathing to maintain cognitive access to their strategic faculties during crises.

The era of relying on intuition or static annual reports is over. Today’s higher education leaders face enrollment pressures, budget constraints, and rising demands for accountability, making financial fluency, data literacy, and data democratization essential. This session offers a high-impact overview of key insights and tools that help leaders move beyond simply having data to acting on it.

Using the book Voices of Women of Color Community College CEOs as a springboard, this session will examine the enduring resilience that has defined our collective network for nearly half a century. The discussion will cover the following chapters from the book: Art of Wisdom–My Sister’s Keeper (a testament to our unwavering commitment to mutual support and the respect we hold for one another’s success and well-being), Glass ceiling or Glass Cliff: Shattering or Impaled (which examines the duality of the modern struggle, acknowledging the invisible barriers preventing ascent, the precarious nature of women in leadership at the top, and the vital safety net of support required in the event of a fall), and The Epilogue–We've Come This Far by Faith (wherein the author discusses the long-term journey defined by consistency and moral architecture intimating that progress is not accidental but driven by a specific set of core values measured not just by the height of the position, but by the values maintained during the climb). The session will also cover the core values/ I.D.E.AL.S. framework which MI-ACE created to ensure that when one breaks through, she leaves a path-not a cliff for those following her. 

This session equips leaders with essential tools to navigate difficult conversations with confidence, compassion, and clarity. We will explore strategies that support psychological safety and reduce defensiveness, enabling more productive and authentic dialogue. Through guided practice, attendees will strengthen their active listening and reframing skills while examining conflict resolution approaches that honor both organizational goals and individual needs. The session concludes with personalized action planning to help leaders initiate, sustain, and model constructive communication. Participants will leave better prepared to lead conversations that build trust, foster accountability, and support healthier workplace cultures.

This session focuses on what it takes to show up with confidence in the moments that matter. Participants will explore how internal dialogue shapes external presence and learn a simple, practical approach to interrupting self-doubt and strengthening their voice. From there, we will focus on how to communicate with clarity and intention through preparation and using structure to guide conversations. Through reflection and real-time practice, participants will walk away with tools they can immediately apply to speak up, contribute, and more confidently own their space in any room.

I approach this topic through a blend of skill building, grounded emotional intelligence, and practical tools. My work focuses on how women lose their voice during high pressure moments and how to return to clarity without shutting down or escalating. The Feel It Framework gives attendees a simple four-part method that helps them recognize their triggers, stay present, communicate with steadiness, and finish difficult conversations with confidence. The session mixes motivation, reflective practice, and real workplace scenarios so participants leave with a repeatable process they can use immediately.

Participants will leave with a clear and repeatable method for communicating through stress, conflict, and emotionally charged moments. They will understand how to recognize their own triggers, how to stay present without shutting down, and how to speak with calm clarity even when the situation feels intense. They will learn practical language, grounding strategies, and real examples they can use the same day in their work and personal life. They will also be able to download a copy of the Feel It book to continue practicing the framework after the session.

Higher education leaders face unique legal challenges that can impact their institutions. This session will provide a practical overview of key risk areas, including compliance obligations, reporting requirements, and strategies for reducing exposure to lawsuits or regulatory penalties. We’ll focus on how proactive risk management and clear policies can help protect both leaders and their campuses. Attendees will leave with actionable insights to identify potential legal risks and implement preventive measures that support institutional integrity and accountability.

Join us for an engaging overview of the Senior Leadership Job Shadow Program as it celebrates its tenth year. This session will include a panel of the 2025–26 mentees, who will share insights from their participation and reflect on how the experience has contributed to their professional growth. The session will also serve as a meaningful gathering space for past participants. Additionally, we will provide key information for colleagues interested in applying to the 2026–27 cohort.

"Leaders in academia often navigate conflict within environments shaped by power hierarchies, identity dynamics, and complex institutional structures. Traditional approaches to conflict can escalate disputes or reinforce inequities rather than foster understanding and repair. This interactive session introduces restorative tools that support both prevention and response when conflict arises.

Using a listening circle format, participants will engage in guided reflection and dialogue focused on understanding conflict dynamics in the workplace. Participants will explore their own conflict signatures—how they tend to react when something “hits a nerve”—to build greater self-awareness about their responses to conflict. The session will also examine how identity and power shape conflict dynamics.

Through facilitated discussion and skill-building exercises, participants will practice restorative communication tools, including affective statements and effective apologies, while focusing on listening to understand rather than listening to respond. Attendees will leave with practical approaches for integrating restorative practices and fostering healthier workplace cultures."

Although Asians are the most educated group in the U.S. workforce, many still encounter a "bamboo ceiling" that limits their rise to leadership roles, with Asian women facing even greater obstacles due to both race and gender. Stereotypes often paint Asians as skilled but lacking qualities like warmth, emotional intelligence, and key leadership traits such as assertiveness and charisma, which can make them seem "smart but meek" and less trustworthy. In this session, Asian women academic leaders share how they reached leadership success by embracing their cultural roots instead of following Western leadership standards. Through interactive interviews, they'll show how Asian values—including teamwork, collective achievement, and cultural know-how—can foster leadership styles that are genuine and inclusive. Participants will be encouraged to rethink traditional leadership norms and see how using one's own cultural strengths can be just as effective for achieving leadership goals.

Our session will provide a research overview of the impact of the menopausal transition on women's work. We will also facilitate an open shared dialogue about this topic to surface individual and structural challenges and opportunities women face. Our approach will model empathy and empowerment. We address the reality that women's leadership trajectories often align with the menopausal transition. We want women to find empowerment in this transition and work to transform higher education to recognize both the challenges and opportunities present with midlife women leaders.

All IRs are asked to join us to inspire while building momentum in today’s higher education landscape!

Networking can feel routine, mundane, or even intimidating. We end up stumbling through small talk, handing out business cards, and hoping someone says, “Sure, let’s connect!” But in the long run, what does that really yield? Often, only a stack of contacts, LinkedIn connections, or QR codes.

This session reimagines networking as more than the sum of its tangibles. It’s about joining communities that are meaningful, where you feel seen, accepted, and supported. Networking done right helps you grow personally and professionally, because when we thrive personally, we excel professionally.