Master's Conference

“It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.”- Charles Darwin

Managing change in the workplace is an ongoing process. Sometimes what is happening in an organization is out of your control. It is how you react to change that makes the difference. Accepting the inevitability of unforeseen circumstances is imperative to managing the stress inherent in these situations. The importance of recognizing personal barriers, and how they relate to accepting change, will reveal opportunities that naturally exist within every new challenge.

Learning Objectives:

• Realize the correlation between individual behavior and the organization
• Identify barriers
• Learn techniques to embrace change
• Find hidden opportunities
• Discover how attitude effects outcome 

Julie Ann Sullivan, known as the Attitude Enhancer, is a professional speaker, trainer and consultant. She has been deliberately studying human behavior every day for decades. She is the Founder of Learning Never Ends, a company whose purpose is to  create a more positive culture, one person at a time. She has a diverse educational background which includes a BA in Psychology and an MBA in Accounting. Julie Ann was a CPA and spent decades involved in the financial industry and the corporate world. As a Professional Speaker, she has spoken for companies and organizations such as, McDonald's USA, the City of Pittsburgh, Duquesne University, Highmark and Bayer US. Her programs are known for her expertise, innovation, humor and engage-
ment of her participants. Each program is tailored to the specific needs of her client.

Julie Ann is a Professional member of the National Speakers Association and an accomplished author. She is an avid volunteer as a Board member of Pittsburgh’s National Speakers Association, Zonta International, and Pittsburgh Dance Council. Julie Ann also spent four years as a School Board Director. Julie Ann’s ultimate goal is to create the Best Place to Work for all involved, internal talent, customers and the community.       

Choosing to be AMAZING. Ahhh ... the freedom, the control and the drive to do whatever you (and only you) want to do. What an awesome feeling it must be doing and being exactly what you want for yourself.

The prospect of pursuing a really important goal can be both exhilarating and scary at the same time. The road to success is littered with many who have tried but not succeeded. What separates those that succeed and those you never hear about? The people and the companies that succeed take the time to prepare to be amazing. They define their goals with clarity. They have a plan to make it happen. And, they make decisions - big, small, hard, easy, ugly and pretty. In the end, they have a very clear vision of winning.

And when you sit back and look at it, those journeys (physical and mental) leading to success in business and in life travel many of the same roads. Making the choice to be amazing can solidify your destiny in so many ways. And after this choice, one must prepare to be successful. When you do, you will see just exactly what you are capable of accomplishing.

Go Ahead, Dare to be Amazing - What have you got to lose?

Learning Objectives:

• Four driving factors to being successful in business and in life
• Real life examples of how to apply these factors to a vision or goal
• A mindset that will remove self-imposed roadblocks to being amazing

Since his days studying Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of Dayton, Eric Kulikowski has dedicated himself to the pursuit of excellence. The successes he has enabled have been built on a platform of employee engagement, cultural significance and change leadership.

In his role as a senior Operations leader for Philips Respironics, Eric equipped and inspired a highly engaged team to become a world-class operation and the region’s employer of choice. A daily focus on quality, cost, delivery, safety and morale was the backbone of success. Industry Week Magazine and Assembly Magazine independently recognized his two western Pennsylvania assembly plants as being the best factories in North America in 2009 and 2011, respectively.

As a professional coach, speaker and author within his business Dare to be Amazing, Eric inspires and equips leaders and business owners to make change possible. Businesses, entrepreneurs and individuals engage Eric because they want to discover proven ways to eliminate chaos that frustrates them, so they can focus on business growth rather than just survival.

Eric is a Professional member of the National Speakers Association and the International Coaches Federation.

Have you ever felt awkward about what to say or do in business social situations? Have you ever been offended by someone’s email reply or perhaps zipped off a response yourself which you later regretted? While we may think we’re putting our best foot forward, smart people sometimes don’t make smart choices.  Usually no one around you will tell you since people don’t like to give negative feedback. Best practices in business etiquette can increase professionalism with co-workers, members and other constituents. The result is increased teamwork, productivity, membership and income. 

Learning objectives:

• Command new confidence for your next business lunch
• Network with ease and effectiveness in social situations
• Polish digital communication skills to advance your image 

 Karen Litzinger has over 25 years of career consulting experience.  Karen’s business, Litzinger Career Consulting, serves both corporate and individual clients.  As part of her focus on professional development, Karen conducts programs on dining etiquette, power mingling, and business etiquette. Past clients have included Westinghouse, The PNC Financial Services Group, CVS Pharmacy, Eat’n Park Hospitality Group, and dozens of associations and colleges.  Karen also speaks on a variety of career planning topics with audiences from high school through retirement. 

Karen was previously Director of Career Services at Chatham College and Career Center Associate Director at Carnegie Mellon University.

Karen has an M.A. from Michigan State University in Higher Education Administration and a B.A. in Business Administration from Duquesne University.  She has been recognized by the National Career Development Association with the special status of Master Career Specialist.  Karen attained professional member status in the National Speakers Association and is Past President of the Pittsburgh Chapter. 

Before you learn how to relax, you must learn the difference between what chaos you create and what you have no control over. Managing stress involves awareness and the willingness to take action. Relieving stress increases focus, productivity and good health. Many techniques for strategic disengagement are simple. Deliberate choice is key.

In this interactive program, you’ll learn the who, what, why, when and how to truly renew and revitalize.

Learning Objectives:

• Obtain the power to choose
• Recognize stress triggers
• Learn the benefits of a different perspective
• Explore practices for relieving stress
• Identify measurements of success

Julie Ann Sullivan - See Speaker Bio above