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Emerson Leadership Institute’s Dignity-Based Leadership Development Series Concludes April 22

04/14/2025

The Emerson Leadership Institute’s Dignity-Based Leadership Development series for 2024-2025 concludes with an event titled "Negotiating through Dignity and Belonging." The event will be from 8 a.m. to noon on Tuesday, April 22, in L30 in the Chaifetz School of Business. 

The 2024–2025 Dignity-Based Leadership Development Series will conclude with a final workshop on Negotiating through Dignity and Belonging led by Dean Jackson Nickerson, Ph.D.. 

The event will feature a workshop from 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. with a lunch and social form 11:30 a.m. to noon. 

Registration can be done online. 

Launched in fall 2024 under the guidance of Nickerson, the Emerson Leadership Institute’s (ELI) Dignity-Based Leadership Development Series is deeply rooted in the Jesuit call to be men and women for others, and redefining how leadership is understood and practiced at Saint Louis University and beyond. Since its inception, the ELI has offered a variety of professional development workshops, including Fostering Dignity and Belong (three iterations), Formulating the Right Problem, and Leading Change from the Middle.

The series has also featured a signature Fireside Chat on Dimensions of Dignity with panelists: Harvard professor Donna Hicks, Nickerson, Fr. David Suwalsky, Ph.D., S.J.; and Rochelle Smith. A cornerstone event of this year’s program, the 4th Be Heard – Women in Leadership Conference, was held on March 28, 2025. The conference welcomed over 210 registered participants—more than half of whom were SLU faculty and staff—further highlighting ELI’s growing visibility, impact, and commitment to serving the SLU and St. Louis communities.

Looking ahead, the Dignity-Based Leadership Development Program will continue into the 2025–2026 academic year. The ELI remains committed to integrating Jesuit values and the principles of IAJU’s Inspirational Paradigm to promote dignity and belonging throughout the university and the greater St. Louis community.