Professional Development Webinars

A Smarter Approach to Digital Marketing

Presented by Sarah Felmet
Wednesday, April 8 | noon–1 p.m.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by digital marketing trends, tools and constant platform changes, this session will help you cut through the noise and focus on what truly drives results.

This webinar explores practical, easy-to-implement strategies that make digital marketing more effective without adding unnecessary complexity. Rather than focusing on every new tool or trend, the session highlights smarter ways to leverage existing platforms to streamline efforts and maximize impact. Participants will gain insights into simplifying their approach while making more strategic marketing decisions with greater efficiency and confidence. Through real-world examples and clear frameworks, you’ll learn how to focus on high-value activities, eliminate wasted effort and create a more intentional, results-driven digital presence.

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

• assess current digital marketing efforts and pinpoint specific areas where processes can be simplified and optimized.
• apply practical strategies to increase engagement using current platforms and tools.
• evaluate marketing activities to prioritize high-impact initiatives over low-value tasks.
• develop a simplified, strategic action plan to improve efficiency and measurable results.

Sarah Felmet is a marketing strategist and educator with expertise in brand management, marketing operations, and content creation. She develops innovative curricula and learning experiences that integrate technology, AI, and ethical marketing practices. Sarah empowers students and professionals to apply marketing principles in real-world contexts, fostering authenticity, consumer trust, and meaningful brand connections.

Program Strategy and Change Management 

Presented by Edward Minnema
Wednesday, April 15 | noon–1 p.m.

"What is" is more important than 'what should be'. Too many people are looking at 'what is' from a position of thinking 'what should be'" - Bruce Lee

It seems we are constantly reacting to change these days — personally, professionally and culturally. How do we lead effectively when norms, values and expectations appear to be shifting before our eyes? Traditional approaches to program strategy and change are rooted in transactional models of success based upon sequential processes, hierarchical decision making and data-driven outcomes. In assessing 'what is',  program leaders must be able to meet unexpected challenges with creative, systemic approaches to leadership and change management. 

In this webinar, we will revisit the traditional approaches to program strategy, including strategic planning and project management, while adding space for creative change management tools such as decentralized rapid-response, 360-degree storytelling and heightened stakeholder advocacy.

By the end of this session, participants will be able to: 

• revisit the foundational importance of actionable values within staff development and program management.
• reflect upon decentralized power and decision making within the context of transition/change.
• recognize the role of servant leadership in building and supporting powerful program networks. 

A seasoned leader and educator, Edward Minnema specializes in coaching teams through evolutionary transitions, drawing on his background as a professional musician to inform his approach to organizational harmony. His extensive experience includes serving as vice president of operations for the Native American Community Development Institute and teaching strategic management as an assistant professor at the University of Minnesota Duluth.

CONNECT Before CONTENT

Presented by Jim Robinson
Wednesday, May 13 | noon–1 p.m.

We can have the best PowerPoint, the most compelling arguments and the most engaging stories, but if our nerves get the better of us the audience may only remember our shaking voices and our furrowed brows. Our first goal, then, is to reassure our listeners that they are in good hands. In other words, we need to connect with our audience and put them at ease before we ask them to pay attention to our content.

This webinar will explore ways that we, as presenters, can calm our own nerves in order to make that crucial connection with our audience. Using techniques that ground us in the present moment, we will learn how to get through our (often healthy) anxiety and do justice to our ideas.

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

• recognize how anxiety manifests itself in our bodies.
• employ simple, readily available techniques to calm our nervous systems.
• identify the skills we use in conversation and apply them in more formal settings.
• use the “limitations” of online presentations to our advantage.

Jim Robinson is an instructor and performer who integrates improvisation and mental health across academic and professional settings. He has taught psychology at the collegiate level for over 20 years and has led communication workshops for organizations such as the Guthrie Theater and the Disney Cruise Line.