Take your next leadership leap with RiseUP – the executive education forum sponsored by the Women’s Leadership Initiative.

Make it to the C-suite. Start your own venture. Get a job where you can really thrive. You know you’re ready. RiseUP will help you achieve your goals.

Informed by the latest research on gender, leadership and learning, RiseUP addresses the specific challenges and opportunities facing women in organizations. In three intensive days, you’ll prepare to move to senior-level leadership roles or the next phase in your career.  Over 30% of past participants moved into new roles within 1 year of the forum.

When

January 24-26, 2024, or
May 1-3, 2024

Where

University of Delaware
Newark, DE

Cost

Registration, materials & meals:
$5,500
$4,500 Non-profit

Who Should Attend

This program is designed for mid-career professionals who are looking to advance in their leadership journey. We welcome participants from all sectors (for-profit, nonprofit, government) and industries who want to move into more senior leadership in a company or start an entrepreneurial venture.

The value of the RiseUP Program

In this video, Wendy Smith, Faculty Director, and two program alumnae explain how the program has helped over 30% of participants advance to a new position or role.
Watch the video

What You Will Gain

The forum is centered around our 3C Model of Leadership:

  • Clarity: Develop a leadership vision for the next 5-10 years based on your unique values, goals and strengths
  • Competence: Build skills that will allow you to be more powerful in your current role and ready to move into a new role
  • Community: Connect to a powerful regional network of women leaders from a variety of industries

You will join unique conversations that will give you the opportunity to address gender-based issues that may not emerge in other programs. You will also earn a Lerner College of Business executive education certificate to build your formal leadership credentials.

Curriculum
During the three-day forum, we address the following topics.
  • Values clarification
  • Strength assessment
  • Emotional intelligence
  • Assertive communication
  • Executive presence
  • Leadership mindsets
  • “Both/and” thinking
  • Networking skills
Organizational Benefits
Organizations benefit when women succeed. Our program:
  • Builds a diverse pipeline of committed talent for middle and senior management
  • Provides a research-based executive education for key employees
  • Enables program graduates to serve as inclusive leaders and champion others to advance a more diverse workplace
Teaching Team

Wendy Smith, Ph.D.

Professor of Management, Co-founder – Women’s Leadership Initiative Lerner College

Wendy believes that leadership success comes from living in the AND. She works to help leaders be compassionate and competent, assertive and engaging, committed to family and committed to work. Her work has been featured in Harvard Business Review and in prominent academic journals. Her book Embracing AND: How to Tap the Power of Paradox for Growth will be published by Harvard Business Review Press in 2021. She earned her Ph.D. at Harvard Business School.

Monica Eboda, MBA, CSP

President and CEO, ImagineX International LLC and Owner, PrideStaff Wilmington, DE

Monica Eboda is an international executive coach and leadership consultant who brings over 25 years of business leadership experience. Her focus is helping executives, women in business and emerging leaders unlock their potential, discover their true passion and ascend to extraordinary levels of performance. In 2011, she was named a Woman of Influence by the National Association of Women’s Business Owners (NAWBO). In 2019, Monica was named a “Talent Person of the Year” finalist by Delaware Business Times (DBT) in partnership with Delaware Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). Monica has numerous certifications and training including Coach Master ToolKit (CMT-WBECS 15 months), GAP International: Executive Challenge Course, and Executive Mastery.

Henna Pryor, PCC, MSA

Founder, Pryority Group

Henna brings a unique combination of expertise and experience to help businesses and leaders achieve next-level results. After a 14-year recruitment career working with top performers, growing managers and C-suite leaders, Henna founded Pryority Group to provide keynote speaking, executive coaching and professional development services with an empathetic but no-nonsense approach for companies ranging from fast-growing startups to Fortune 500. She completed her coaching certification in Leadership Coaching for Organizational Performance from American University and is a Professional Certified Coach (PCC). In addition to her work with UD’s WLI, she is an Executive Coach with Chief and the Women’s Business Enterprise Center East.

Barbara Roche, M.S.

Managing Partner, Barbara Roche & Associates

After many years as a consultant helping organizations advance their employee engagement efforts, Barbara launched her own company in 2005 to combine her three favorite jobs: workplace learning, organizational development, and coaching. She is a certified facilitator with the NeuroLeadership Institute, and author of Commit to Confidence: 30 Strategies to Help Women Step Up and Stand Out.

Rosie Grayburn, Winterthur Museum:
“An empowering three days! Wendy, Monica and Barbara let us to a point of clarity and self-reflection that is hard to come by in my day-to-day work life. I am excited to continue to be connected with this initiative.”

Cancellation Policy

A full refund will be provided for cancellations received in writing by the cancellation date. After this date, you can transfer your registration to the next scheduled forum or to another individual. Transfer registrations are valid for the next scheduled forum only.

Cindy Herlihy, Barclays:
“What a magnificent time learning and growing with this cohort of amazing women. Invaluable time spent and I look forward to implementing these new skills and methods professionally and personally.”

Important Deadlines

January 2024 Forum
Registration – December 1, 2023
Cancellation – December 15, 2023

May 2024 Forum
Registration – March 15, 2024
Cancellation – April 1, 2024

Contact

For more information, please contact Women’s Leadership Initiative at womensleadership@udel.edu