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Upcoming Events
Scheduled Events Offered by the Center for the 2022-23 Academic Year:
COVID PROTOCOL FOR IN-PERSON EVENTS:
For the health and safety of all in attendance, we also request that if you are feeling sick or have any symptoms of COVID or influenza, you follow the CDC recommendation of remaining at home.
Please direct inquiries about our events to Lt. Col. Kim Connolly, Assistant Director for Conferences and Programs at connollykv@vmi.edu or (540)464-7361
2022-23 Virtual Offerings:
- Virtual Leadership Engagement Programming (VLEP) our social media will feature posts on focus sub-themes to promote awareness, engagement, and dialogue on our Center's annual theme of “The Courage of Convictions” and the annual Leadership and Ethics Conference
To partake, connect with the CLE: Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube LinkedIn
- The Courage of Convictions Focus Topics:
- Courageous followership
- Civil discourse
- Critical thinking
- Intelligent disobedience
- Building trust
- Establishing a culture of candor
- Psychological flexibility
In-Person 2022-23 Conference Schedule:
- Oct. 31- Nov. 1, 2022: 13th Annual Leadership & Ethics Conference — Principled Dissent: Navigating Moral Challenges
- Feb. 23-24, 2023: Commonwealth Cyber Fusion
- March 28-30, 2023: 33rd Annual Environment Virginia Symposium
Courageous Leadership Speakers Series
During the spring term, featured "courageous leaders" come to post to engage with cadets, staff, and faculty providing their personal insights. These speaker events are also open to the general public.
Their role as influencers helps support our mission of enhancing the leadership development journey of the VMI community and raising the profile of the Institute to a broader national audience.
2022-2023 Courageous Leadership Speaker Series Events
February 1, 2023, 7:45 p.m. Shaquem Griffin made history as the NFL’s first-ever one-handed player.
March 1, 2023, 7:45 p.m. —Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Scott Mann is a former U.S. Army Green Beret author of "Operation Pineapple Express."
April 13, 2023, 7:45 p.m. — Amber Smith, author of "Danger Close." She served in the 101st Airborne in Iraq and Afghanistan and was an OH-58 Delta Kiowa Warrior air mission commander.
Recent speakers in this engaging event series have included:
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2022 Courageous Leadership Speakers:
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2020 Courageous Leadership Speaker:
- Former NFL Defensive Lineman for the Ravens, author, and mathematician John Urschel - listen to our interview on the VMI Leader Journey podcast episode featuring Urschel titled "The First Form of Leadership."
- Former NFL Defensive Lineman for the Ravens, author, and mathematician John Urschel - listen to our interview on the VMI Leader Journey podcast episode featuring Urschel titled "The First Form of Leadership."
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2019 Courageous Leadership Speakers
- 2019 Army Ranger Jeff Struecker, whose story was featured in the movie "Black Hawk Down."
- 2019 Pittsburgh Steelers player Alejandro Villanueva - hear his thoughts on leadership with this podcast episode titled "The Importance of Culture and the Academy Advantage with Alejandro Villanueva."
Videos of previous speakers from this series can be found on the CLE's YouTube channel
H.B. Johnson, Jr.'26 Distinguished Speakers
The H.B. Johnson Distinguished Speaker series features top-tier speakers who typically have national reputations renown in the military, public policy, entertainment, business, or other sectors whose personal story and leadership insights align with VMI's mission of developing citizen-soldiers of character and integrity.
These events are free and open to the public.
- 2023 - General (Ret.) Robert B. Neller, Former Commandant of the Marine Corps, was the 37th Commandant of the United States Marine Corps. He will be speaking on post at the 13th Annual Leadership & Ethics Conference - Oct. 31- Nov 1, 2022.
Caroline Dawn Wortham'12 Speaker Series
Established by the Wortham Family, this speaker series honors the memory of Caroline Dawn Wortham.
Caroline "Carrie" Dawn Wortham, passed away at the age of 26, on September 5, 2015, in Hanover County, Virginia. In her short life, she readily impacted others as a force for good and sought to serve God with passion. She was gifted with the skills to encourage others and challenge them to excel. Carrie lived fully and was never afraid of hard work...being persistent, disciplined, and driven.
Having vibrant red hair and a direct and poignant wit tempered by compassion, one always knew when they were with Carrie. Though being a skilled athlete and exceptional student with numerous academic and athletic accomplishments at VMI (among others; Cincinnatus Award recipient, President of VMI’s chapter of Beta Beta Beta, Regimental S-2 Captain, Women's Track and Field team Captain, and 2011-12 Big South Woman of the Year) she remained humble and selfless.
Carrie graduated from St. Catherine's School of Richmond, Virginia in 2008, going on to earn a B.S in Biology in 2012 at VMI. She then dedicated the next two years to Midwives For Haiti, a nonprofit organization which upholds the vision that "all Haitian women will have access to prenatal care and delivery with the assistance of a Skilled Birth Attendant." Her love for and service to the Haitian people led to the opening of the “Carrie Wortham Birth Center” in Cabestor, Haiti, shortly after her death. Her final months were spent in preparation to matriculate into Marine Corps officer training.
Convocation Speakers
Check the VMI Calendar which includes an 'Add to my Calendar' button. Information may be pending or subject to change.
