Meet the Keynote Speaker: Dr. Dar Mayweather

Dr. Dar Mayweather is the founder and CEO of Good Mayweather Consulting and a leadership studies faculty member at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. As a first-generation college student, Dr. Mayweather pushed beyond significant challenges to earn a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice, a Master of Science in Education, and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership. His personal journey fuels his commitment to helping students and professionals, particularly those from underrepresented communities, achieve success.

As a sought-after keynote speaker and award-winning educator, Dr. Mayweather focuses on closing the gap between intention and action in student persistence and retention efforts. He uses leadership assessments and interactive activities to help students and professionals understand the intersections of skills, talents, and gifts to maximize peoples full potential. Dr. Mayweather guides organizations and individuals past the fear of “doing leadership perfectly” by fostering trust, empathy, and meaningful human connections. During the conference, we'll hear from Dr. Mayweather in two keynote sessions, Leading Your Way and Putting Your Gifts to Work.

In his role as a faculty member, Dr. Mayweather empowers college students to identify their unique talents and articulate those strengths to industry leaders, ensuring they secure jobs or graduate school placements before graduation. His coaching has led to a 100% success rate in helping students achieve these milestones. He credits his professional growth to the Social Justice Training Institute, the University of Michigan’s Program on Intergroup Relations, and Dr. Eric Thomas’s Game Changers Speaker Certification Program. Dr. Mayweather believes that his story and work can inspire struggling students and professionals worldwide to discover their gifts and find their purpose. He is deeply committed to helping others realize their potential, no matter the obstacles.

Planning as Leadership: Building Strategic Thinking Through Everyday Experiences - Paula Adams

Planning is an essential leadership skill for guiding teams. In this interactive workshop, you will explore how everyday experiences can develop your critical thinking and problem-solving abilities for strategic planning as a leader. We will explore multiple planning approaches, reflect on your experiences, and identify how your skills can grow over time. You will leave with tools to continue developing your planning abilities and ideas for showcasing your skills when seeking jobs or future leadership roles.

Paula Adams serves as the Director of Assessment & Strategy for Student Affairs at Washington State University Pullman. Dr. Adams supports organizational effectiveness by helping teams across Student Affairs grow evaluation and planning skills, advocating for evidence-informed practice, and developing meaningful data analysis strategies.

Marketing Your Student Organization and Events - Sarah Page

Want more students at your events and meetings? This session will cover the best ways to market your RSO using campus resources, social media, digital signage, flyers, branding, and outreach strategies. Learn practical tips to help your organization stand out, attract members, and promote events successfully.

Sarah Page is the Director of Student Affairs Marketing and Communications at Washington State University, where she has spent her career helping connect students with resources, opportunities, and experiences that support their success.

Connection Before Collaboration: Creating Events Built on Trust - Iris Venegas

In today’s fast-paced world, change is constant—whether it’s shifting academic expectations, evolving career paths, or personal transitions. This workshop is designed to help students build the mindset and tools needed to navigate continual change without getting swept up in the chaos. 

Iris Venegas (She/Her) is the Foundational Education Coordinator for Health Education at Washington State University, coordinating educational outreach to support undergraduates. She has facilitated workshops and training sessions for over 1,500 students, staff, and faculty and offers her expertise through her role as a student club advisor for Planned Parenthood Generation Action. Iris has multiple years of experience in community-centered outreach, with contributions including Pullman Pride and the Reproductive Justice Community Forum.

Outreach That Serves: Applying a Public Health Approach to Program Development - Arielle Wilcox

Creating meaningful programming that serves your community's needs can be hard when you don't know where to start. This session will orient participants to a public health approach to program development, implementation and evaluation with a focus on using logic models to create a refine outreach ideas. By the end of the presentation, participants will learn what a logic model is and how to apply it to an outreach idea of their own.

Arielle Wilcox, MPH is the Compliance Education Coordinator at Washington State University’s Health Education Department, a position dedicated to the creation and implementation of state and federally required programs for matriculating students, and the facilitation of harm reduction health education to undergraduate students on a variety of topics. Her background in public health is applied to areas ranging from mental and suicide prevention to interpersonal violence and hazing prevention, creating and implementing health outreaches while also mentoring undergraduate Peer Health Educators on those topic areas. Outside of her professional capacity, Arielle is a dedicated cat mom to her fur child, Tsuki, a lover of teas, and a fan of watching live court coverage on high profile cases.

Small Acts, Meaningful Impact: Bags of Encouragement – Jessica Perone

Participants will decorate brown bags for elementary age students participating in the Pullman Schools Pantry Program, adding messages and designs that promote care and connection. These bags help uplift student well-being, encourage participation in the program, and reduce the stigma around accessing food to meeting basic needs.

Jessica Perone is the Associate Director of Engaged Learning at Washington State University’s Center for Civic Engagement. She supports students, faculty, and community partners in creating meaningful service-learning and civic engagement opportunities. With over 25 years of experience in higher education, K-12 education, and social services, Jessica is passionate about connecting students with real-world experiences that foster leadership, social responsibility, and community impact.

The Gifts in the Room - Dr. Dar Mayweather

Every leader has strengths and areas of growth, but real impact comes from knowing how to use your strengths well. In this interactive workshop, students will explore six key leadership traits, identify where they shine, and practice turning those strengths into real connections with faculty, industry leaders, and peers.

Dr. Dar Mayweather is the founder and CEO of Good Mayweather Consulting and a leadership studies faculty member at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. As a first-generation college student, Dr. Mayweather pushed beyond significant challenges to earn a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice, a Master of Science in Education, and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership. His personal journey fuels his commitment to helping students and professionals, particularly those from underrepresented communities, achieve success.

Playing to your Strengths in Times of Change – Holly Henning

This interactive workshop focuses on how to play to your strengths in times of change. The workshop starts with a quick introduction to personality types and encourages students to consider their level of comfort with change and what they need as they go through a change or transition. This workshop features William Bridges’ work on Transitions and the human aspects of change. Students will learn about their own needs during change and how to work with others through transitions.

Holly Henning is the Swantz Distinguished Professor of Teaching and Learning and a Teaching Associate Professor in the Crop and Soil Science Department of the College of Agriculture, Human and Natural Resource Sciences (CAHNRS) at Washington State University. Holly is passionate about working with people throughout all stages of their career to develop skills in communication, systems, and leadership to help them address complex problems and inequalities in the food system.

Feel It. Don't Carry It. How to Care About People Without Taking on Their Problems – Amy Robbins & Merri Lecoq

College can be incredibly rewarding, but it can also be emotionally demanding. Whether you're supporting a friend through a tough time, leading a student organization, volunteering in the community, or simply trying to balance your own responsibilities, it's easy to feel overwhelmed by the needs of others. This workshop explores the difference between empathy and emotional overload, helping participants understand how to care deeply without carrying burdens that aren't theirs to bear. Through discussion, reflection, and practical tools, you'll learn how human needs shape behavior, why healthy boundaries matter, and how compassion can strengthen relationships rather than drain them. Participants will leave with strategies for supporting others, protecting their own well-being, and building connections that are both meaningful and sustainable.

Amy Robbins is a higher education professional, community engagement advocate, and lifelong champion of student success. As Community Programs Coordinator at Washington State University’s Center for Civic Engagement, she helps students discover their leadership potential through service, volunteerism, and community-based learning experiences. Drawing from more than two decades of experience in social services and program leadership, Amy is passionate about empowering students to lead with purpose, compassion, and integrity. She believes every student has the ability to make a meaningful difference and enjoys mentoring emerging leaders as they develop the confidence and skills to strengthen their communities.

Merri Lecoq serves as the Cougar Food Pantry Coordinator with WSU’s Center for Civic Engagement, where she works with students and campus and community partners to address food insecurity and support student success. With a background in public health and community-based programming, she is passionate about collaboration, student growth, and building supportive communities. Merri strives to model healthy leadership rooted in empathy, authenticity, and caring for others while also caring for ourselves.

What if Being Right is the Wrong Goal? - Julia Freeland

You’ve been getting graded on right answers since you were three. It worked – that’s how you got here. But the grading stops, and the world you’re walking into doesn’t run on right answers. It runs on blank slates, defining problems, taking chances, and iterations. Being a leader in today’s world requires knowing what to do when there’s no right answer and no clear path to follow. So, what happens to people who were trained to be right, the moment “right” stops being available? In this interactive workshop, we will explore the limitations of wanting to be right and discuss how you can strengthen your ability to be the employee companies are looking for today.

Julia Freeland is an executive coach, leadership facilitator, and author specializing in personal transformation, navigating adversity, and bridging divides. She works primarily with upper-level leadership in the fields of engineering, architecture, construction, manufacturing and technology. Julia earned her MA in Education at U.C. Berkeley, her BS in Mechanical Engineering at Oregon State University and her expertise in human skills and adaptability as a six-time career reinventor and a full-time mom of three. She has completed business graduate courses and earned certificates in Leadership Development, psychology-based coaching, DiSC and Council facilitation. However, her biggest source of wisdom, and the key to her success with clients, has been the life-quakes she has risen from and the lessons she learned along the way.

Empowering Others Through Servant Leadership - Oluyemisi A. Oloniyo

In this interactive session, students will explore the meaning, benefits, and key principles of servant leadership through guided discussion, reflection, and practical activities. They will examine how effective leaders prioritize others' needs, build trust, show empathy, and support shared growth. By the end of the session, students will be able to identify servant-leadership practices and apply them through community engagement, teamwork, and leadership opportunities in their everyday lives.

Oluyemisi Ajoke Oloniyo is a doctoral candidate in Educational Psychology at Washington State University and an educational researcher and program evaluator. Her work focuses on teacher preparation, assessment literacy, mentorship, and evaluating learning experiences in higher education and community settings. At Washington State University’s Center for Civic Engagement, Oluyemisi supports service-learning programs and evaluates their outcomes. She has also served as an external evaluator for undergraduate research and fellowship programs. Her dissertation examines how mentor teachers support teacher candidates’ development of assessment literacy during practicum. Drawing on more than 20 years in teaching and educator development, Oluyemisi approaches evaluation with a practical understanding of how educators and students experience programs. She is especially interested in how mentorship, assessment, and experiential learning can improve educational opportunities.

Leadership Is Hosting: How to Create Spaces People Want to Be In - Emma Bianchi

Leadership is not just about running meetings, making decisions, or holding a title. It is also about creating spaces where people feel welcomed, connected, and excited to participate. In this interactive workshop, students will explore how intentional leadership can shape the way people experience a team, organization, or event. Through reflection and hands-on activities, participants will learn simple strategies for designing more meaningful experiences, strengthening a sense of belonging, and creating moments people actually remember.

Emma Bianchi is a Program Coordinator with MSC Programs at Texas A&M University, where she supports student engagement, former student relations, and organizational initiatives. She is also a doctoral student in Educational Human Resource Development at Texas A&M, with interests in learning, leadership, and the ways people and organizations grow and change.

Balancing Act: The Art of Multi-tasking - Brian Shuffield

Ever feel like you can't keep up? This interactive session is designed to develop your skills to juggle the busiest student leader's schedule. Be prepared to move around and participate in this high energy balancing act that is the Art of Multi-tasking.

Brian Shuffield serves as the Executive Director of Student Engagement Services at Washington State University. He is passionate about enhancing the student college experience and enjoys creating experiential and relational experiences for student growth and development.