Three Georgia Tech Scheller College of Business staff members recently graduated from Georgia Tech’s Inclusive Leaders Academy. Malvenia Dasher, assistant director of Executive MBA admissions and recruiting; Nicole Little, assistant director of operations for the Institute for Leadership and Social Impact; and Arianna Robinson, assistant director of business operations for the Ray C. Anderson Center for Sustainable Business completed the course.
The Inclusive Leaders Academy is a professional leadership and legacy development program created by Georgia Tech’s Diversity, Inclusion, and Engagement office to offer managers, administrators, and academic professionals the opportunity to evolve their leadership skills. Students in the program learn three key traits that make an effective leader: self-awareness, social intelligence, and courage. When leaders are more self-aware, they engage their team more and create an inclusive learning environment.
“Participating in the Inclusive Leaders Academy helped me expand my leadership lens as well as helped me understand the science around inclusion so I can develop more effectiveness as a leader,” said Little. “It also allowed me to connect with many different Georgia Tech employees, allowing for more campus-wide collaborations.”
The Inclusive Leaders Academy is a self-guided program that covers three curriculum topics through learning modules, webinars, writing labs, and coaching sessions. The program helps leaders build a community that will transform the culture at Georgia Tech through practicing and modeling inclusive excellence.
“The Inclusive Leaders Academy renewed my courage to interact in the workplace from two of my highest values: authenticity and vulnerability. That’s not always easy to do, especially in roles of leadership where more traditional values of success are typically expected and rewarded,” said Robinson.
“The program taught me how to become self-aware of my biases and how they contribute to my performance in both my personal and professional life,” said Dasher. “As a result of this program, I can say that I have become a better individual, leader, and contributor. For managers and future managers who desire to be a champion for diversity and inclusiveness, I recommend this program.”
