Mainstage Speakers

April 18, 8:30am-9:30am

Reverse Inclusion: Because everyBODY’s gonna need it

Sidelined by childhood bone cancer just shy of his 13th birthday, Damian Buchman found a passion for ensuring noBODY rides the bench. As the founder of The Ability Center, the Wisconsin Adaptive Sports Association, and Co-Founder of The Opportunity Center, Damian will share his personal and professional experience of how everyBODY can play in a “different pair of shoes.

Join Damian for a roundtable session

• Describe at least one best practice in creating welcoming spaces
• Identify at least one common inclusion issue in recreation spaces and methods to improve conditions
• Support peers by sharing opinions and success stories or challenges

April 19, 8:15am-9:15am

Bringing the Outside-In!

April 20, 9:30am-10:30am

Facing Adversity with Boston Strong Resilience

Adrianne Haslet is an exemplar of resilience, a world-renowned professional ballroom dancer at the peak of her career, she was spectating the Boston Marathon when terror struck. Adrianne lost her left leg on impact, along with all hope of dancing again. Yet she pulled from the strength of the city of Boston to not only dance but finish in fourth place at the Boston Marathon this year. Adrianne shares the life lessons she had to learn and relearn with unparalleled strength over adversity.

Join Adrianne Haslet as she shares her story in:

• Facing adversity with a renewed perspective
• Finishing the race in every corporate and personal challenge
• Learning to face challenges with a renewed mindset
• Participants will identify the importance of work/school/life integration and the impact on their mental health

The Power of Human Connection: How Leaders Can Build Belonging in a Disconnected Workplace
March 24, 8:30am–9:30am

Creating high levels of belonging is good for the students we serve and good for the teams we work with every day. As we emerge from the pandemic, only 30% of employees feel connected to their teams and only 20% of employees are engaged at work. What is workplace belonging and what are the key factors for creating belonging for yourself and those we work with and serve? In this inspiring opening presentation, Smiley makes the case that the future of work is human connection. Smiley will share how we can attract, retain, and engage the next generation of talent, increase team connection, and create more belonging by building supportive communities inside the workplace. Smiley will share practical workplace rituals and tools you can use to foster psychological safety on your team and to re-imagine a collaborative, inclusive, purpose-driven culture that ushers in The Great Reconnection.

Embracing Burnout
A More Resilient Approach for Mental Health
March 26, 8:30am–9:30am

Stress is not unheard of in academic spaces. Stress can lead to burnout, which impacts your ability to succeed. Burnout shows up as extreme fatigue and apathy, impacting the mental health of people. Dr. Kate Steiner will introduce you to a self-reflective process used to create a personalized sustainability and wellness plan. This plan is focused on honoring that school and work influence your life and happiness. This is not about finding balance but rather creating a plan that allows you to observe your wellness, prepare for burn events and recover in a personal way. You will develop stronger resilience and build a practice of addressing burn events in their lives.

Learning Outcomes

As a result of attending this program, students will learn:

• Participants will be introduced to research-backed practices meant to increase mental health awareness
• Participants will develop a personal plan to observe, plan, and recover from burnout
• Participants will identify the importance of work/school/life integration and the impact on their mental health