Keynote Speaker: Randall G. Sleeth, Ph.D.

Keynote Address: Leading Your Project Management Career with Vision

About the Speaker

Dr. Randy Sleeth has delivered scores of professional workshops, training programs and speeches, and he has authored or co-authored over 40 newspaper columns and over 60 academic papers that have appeared in The Leadership Quarterly, The Personnel Administrator, Journal of Operations Management, Journal of Management Education, Journal of Managerial Issues, Journal of Business & Psychology, Education Journal, Information Executive, The Journal of Technical Writing and Communication, Group and Organization Management, International Journal of Instructional Media, Information and Management Journal, S.A.M. Advanced Management Journal, Education, The Dental Clinics of North America, The Practicing CPA, and in the referred proceedings of numerous academic societies. He has served as reviewer for the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, The Leadership Quarterly, Organization Management Journal, Journal of Managerial Issues, Journal of Management Education, Journal of Business Ethics, several publishers, and academic societies, earning listing as a best reviewer from the Organizational Behavior and Management Education and Development divisions of the Academy of Management.

With degrees in Physics (B.A., 1968) and Business Administration (Ph.D., 1977), he has consulted and trained at more than sixty corporations and government organizations. Dr. Sleeth helped launch the VCU School of Business Fast Track Executive M.B.A. Program and the Ph.D. Program, developing and teaching courses in Motivation and Leadership and in Research Methods and serving on fifteen dissertation committees. He has also developed and taught courses in Organizational Behavior and in Project Management for degrees and programs at the executive, masters and undergraduate levels. In 2005, Dr. Sleeth earned the School of Business Faculty Award for Outstanding Service.  

Joanne Aaronson

About the Program - Enlightened Leadership

This one-hour program presents the case for a needed paradigm shift in corporate America today; one that is defined by the qualities of Enlightened Leadership.  The negative forces at play are described and then, how they can be countered by the positive forces of Enlightened Leadership. Successful leaders understand how to use self-empowerment, their own inner wisdom and maximizing their inner creativity as facilitators of success. You know who they are by the degree of respect, admiration and loyalty their subordinates as well as their peers have for them.  They are sought out for the solutions to the big problems as they always have the answers. Enlightened Leaders use their inner light to provide the right solution at the right time. They use their heart and not just their head to deal with interpersonal problems and they understand and use their power wisely.

Working level examples are presented to encourage leaders at every level of the organization – whether the project manager, team lead or executive to make the shift.

In addition, an Imagination Exercise is included for the participants to conceptualize and “create” their perfect job.

About the Speaker

Joanne Aaronson, PMP, has a degree in physics and post-graduate certification in technology management. Combined with over 20 years of project/program management experience in both the public and private sectors, she has used her techniques to successfully bring in projects on time and within budget both nationally and internationally.  Ms. Aaronson is the recipient of several industry awards for excellence in project management.

Joanne's been a frequent speaker at PMI programs and members of her audience have declared her presentations as "awesome" and an "amazing combination of concise, to the point, yet exciting material". Her full day Enlightened Leadership Workshop was extremely well received. Don’t miss this one-hour glimpse at some of the important concepts.

Mark Buchholz

About the Program - Communicating Project Management

You’ve got your project scheduled, resources identified, you think you’re managing your stakeholders, and your project is underway.  But you keep getting pushback, sometimes it seems like everyone.  No one seems to understand what’s going on, or why, and tempers are starting to flare.  You keep sending them schedule updates, status reports, and meeting minutes.  But that doesn’t seem to be enough.  In this presentation, we’ll explore some fine points to keep in mind when project managers communicate with stakeholders.  We will go over some rules to live by, and some pitfalls to avoid.

About the Speaker

Mark Buchholz, PMP, has over 18 years of Project Management experience and his Masters in Public Administration.  As a Senior Consultant with ASI, he mentors and advises ACAT level DOD Program Managers in performance based acquisition and project management.  He is an expert in Performance Based Acquisitions, and planning/scheduling/executing/monitoring IT projects.  Prior to ASI, he was responsible for numerous national and international projects delivering time-sensitive critical IT infrastructure to a wide variety of law enforcement agencies.  

Mark co-facilitated or led workshops at the November 2006 NDIA/SCEA/PMI-CPM Integrated Program Management Conference and the PMI College of Performance Management Conference EVM World 2007.  Mark is the lead-developer and co-instructor of the ASI class “Integrated Planning and Scheduling.”  Mark is a frequent speaker at PMI events including the 2007 Fall Knowledge Exchange, M2D2 and Skyline/Baileys Crossroads lunch meetings of PMI-WDC.  

Earlier this year, Mark authored ASI White Paper/Advisory “The Agency PMO – A New Approach to Managing Performance.”  Mark is also the lead-author of the ASI White Paper/Advisory “Earned Value Management and Performance Based Acquisition.”

Michael Dobson

About the Program - War in the Office

Is there a war in your office? Too often, offices resemble battlegrounds, with nasty politics reigning over productivity. What can you do? In WAR IN THE OFFICE, Michael Dobson, PMP, author of numerous books on project management and office politics, helps you analyze and diagnose the situation, and apply the rules of war to build your personal strategy for success.

About the Speaker

Michael Dobson is the author of six books on project management, including Practical Project Management (SkillPath, 1996), The Juggler’s Guide to Managing Multiple Projects (PMI, 1999), and most recently The Six Dimensions of Project Management (Management Concepts, 2007). He's also a novelist, co-author of three military thrillers, Fox on the Rhine, Fox at the Front, and MacArthur's War. His additional business books include Managing UP! and Enlightened Office Politics, both with wife Deborah Singer Dobson. Enlightened Office Politics was named to Library Journal’s “Best 100 Business Books of the Year."

He helped build the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum, led game design operations for TSR, Inc., and has managed numerous projects in a wide range of disciplines. Michael has taught project management since the early 1990s and with Management Concepts since the turn of the century.

Alan Malinchak

About the Program - Leading By Example

The acronym “ICRELIEF” is used as a conceptual framework to present various leadership concepts germane to a professional position within an organization.  These concepts can be applied to both an individual’s personal and professional life.  How an individual reacts to choices, change, commitment, creativity, control, confidence, responsibility, enthusiasm, leadership, investment, expectant attitude and humor, largely determines whether they have what it takes to “Lead by Example – by Exemplifying the Behavior they want to see in others.” 

About the Speaker

Over thirty years of leadership, management, administrative and investigative experience with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Gray Hawk Systems, ManTech International and several academic institutions.  Areas of expertise include establishment of a corporate university, professional leadership development, strategic change initiatives, project and organizational management, needs assessment, program audits, alternative dispute resolution, and executive education, coaching and mentoring.  

Academic positions included a tenured Associate Professor, St. Thomas Aquinas College, Sparkill, New York, 1978–1984, as well as former Adjunct Professor at the University of Virginia 1992-1995, and both a graduate and undergraduate Adjunct Professor at George Mason University, 2002 to 2005. Publications include, Crime and Gerontology, Prentice-Hall, 1980, and several unclassified publications for the FBI in the 1990’s.  

David Maurer

About the Program - Why We Must Negotiate

 Effective leadership as a project manager requires more than planning, executing and monitoring.  The very best leaders and project managers know the importance of understanding themselves and their colleagues.  This presentation will reveal what may not be so obvious about how we can reach successful conclusions, even without “winning” at every turn.  We will use historical examples to demonstrate the positive impact of interest-based negotiation and leave you with a tool that will help you apply these negotiation principles to your work and everyday life. The results are improved communications, increased productivity and reduced conflict.

About the Speaker

Dave Maurer is a Vice President of Axiom Resource Management, Inc., the Project Director for the Continental United States Military Transition Assistance Program delivered by Inverness Technologies, Inc. through the Department of Labor, and the Chief Operating Officer of Synergy Development and Training, LLC, all headquartered in Northern Virginia.  In his various leadership capacities, he supervises more than 100 staff members and trainers while ensuring quality service and support to all clients and customers. 

Dave is a native of Trenton, New Jersey and earned his bachelors degree in economics from Seton Hall University and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Army’s Adjutant General Corps through the ROTC program there.  He served in a wide variety of command and staff positions in the United States and overseas throughout his 22-year military career.  His service included tours with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, and the Joint Staff in the Pentagon and culminated as the 72nd Adjutant General at the United States Military Academy at West Point. 

He holds a master’s degree in management from Central Michigan University and is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP). He has always been active in the community, serving as a director of several civic organizations and as a Hospice volunteer.  He has also served as a member of the board of directors of the USO of Metropolitan New Your City and currently serves on several boards including the Washington D.C. chapter of the Project Management Institute (PMI), the George Washington chapter of the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) and the Heritage chapter of the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA).  

 An energetic and sought after public speaker, Dave offers a wide variety of relevant topics for diverse audiences and organizations.  His speaking clients have included the United States Marine Corps, The United States Air Force, The CIA, the FBI, the World Bank, the Project Management Institute, selected faculty members at West Point, and the National Summit on Project Management Excellence, among others. He has also guest lectured for the University of Maryland’s MBA Program and the Virginia Tech Executive MBA Program.

He is the co-author of a newly published book, “Are You the King or Queen of Conflict in Project Management?”

PMIWDC Toastmasters Club

Toastmasters International has become a world leader in helping people become more competent and comfortable in front of an audience. The nonprofit organization now has nearly 226,000 members in 11,500 clubs in 92 countries, offering a proven – and enjoyable! – way to practice and hone communication and leadership skills.

A Toastmasters meeting is a learn-by-doing workshop in which participants hone their speaking and leadership skills in a friendly atmosphere.  Members learn communications and leadership skills.  A typical Toastmasters group meets weekly or biweekly to practice public speaking techniques.

In this session, the Toastmasters will demonstrate how a typical Toastmasters meeting is conducted.

Sheila Savar

About the Program - The Power of Networking

Are you a terrific or terrified Networker?  Are you familiar with networking, what it is and what it can do for you, professionally and personally?  Have you heard the expression ‘It’s not what you know but who you know’?  It’s true!  People who understand the importance of developing a network comprised of diverse contacts are in demand Power People!  They never have to fear loss of income or business due to lack of sales, finding or losing a job, finding new business or new employees, buying or selling their business or home or even finding the best doctors or daycare centers.  Why?  Because they just have to turn to their network or contacts and ask!

Please join network expert Sheila Savar of Savar & Associates in this interactive presentation where you’ll learn:

• How to create your networking strategy based on your goals and objectives
• How to prepare for the networking event (when you’re NOT in the mood)!
• How to make a lasting first impression!
• Whom to approach and whom to avoid
• How to meet, greet and engage with others
• The art of graceful disengagement
• Networking Do’s & Don’ts
• How to use business cards to build your Powerful Network!

About the Speaker

Sheila Savar was 12 years old when she discovered she had a talent for teaching. Later, that ability blossomed into many forms of communications:  presenting, training, motivating, consulting, coaching and mentoring. Today, that talent remains at the heart of the services Savar & Associates provides its clients.

Savar & Associates trains multicultural companies on how to provide exceptional customer experiences that earn client loyalty.
Its dedication to serve multicultural environments comes from an understanding and appreciation of the inherent strengths of diverse cultures and how this enhances an organization’s value to its clients.

Sheila Savar’s twenty plus successful years in business is owed to her natural empathy for people, a genuine desire to resolve business challenges, an exemplary work ethic and her core belief that interacting with honesty, integrity, courtesy and dependability creates a win/win outcome.

In 2005, the business community recognized Savar & Associates as a finalist for the prestigious ACE Awards, hosted by the Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce (GRCC).

Savar & Associates gives back to the business community by offering pro bono services to the Women’s Business Center, GRCC, local Small Business Development Centers and other non-profit organizations dedicated to supporting start-up and small businesses in our community.

Tina Taylor

About the Program - Communication Skills for Business Success

com·mu·ni·ca·tion  -  a process by which information is exchanged between individuals through a common system of symbols, signs, or behavior

Communication is arguably the most critical soft skill in business today.  Effective communication skills are necessary to reach any level of professional success; whether you work in a corporation or run your own company.  A recent study revealed a direct link between one’s professional earning power and one’s verbal skills.  Many new business technologies place emphasis on written skills.

This presentation reviews the essence of communicating, speaks to the value of becoming a skilled communicator and highlights the attributes of skilled communicators.

Those who are interested in better managing their professional profiles and their interactions with others will benefit from this session.

About the Speaker

Tina Taylor is President of Lifetime Leaders Inc., a leadership training firm headquartered in northern Virginia.  The firm specializes in helping organizations improve productivity and performance by developing its people.

Prior to Lifetime Leaders, Ms. Taylor served in various leadership positions at Sprint, Burger King and Kraft General Foods.  Her diverse leadership and management experience includes roles in Logistical Operations, Strategy, Customer Support, Marketing and Project Management to name a few.  Tina has proven ability to successfully address business challenges and lead organizations through periods of change and growth.

Ms. Taylor earned a Master of Business Administration degree from Howard University and a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from Texas A&M University.  She currently serves on the Howard University School of Business Advisory Board and is affiliated with several professional and social organizations in the Washington Metropolitan area.