Upcoming Events
Scheduled Events Offered by the Center for the 2020-21 Academic Year:
VMI is following all COVID-19 guidelines, including guidelines for in-person meetings.
For the safety of all, most of our offerings during the academic year will be virtual. Below is an outline of virtual offerings and a tentative schedule. Bookmark this page or follow us on social media to stay up-to-date with all our happenings!
Fall 2020 Virtual Offerings:
- VMI Leader Journey bi-weekly podcast
- Inspriring Teachers with "STEM Shorts' - video highlights of approx. 3 mn in duration of past STEM speakers. We will post STEM shorts during Sept./Oct. to the STEM Conference website, scheduling TBD
- “Teamwork” social media posts with monthly focus themes - supporting the annual theme of “Teamwork” Out of Many, One” and the annual Leadership and Ethics Conference
- Monthly Focus Sub-Themes:
- August: Return to Post
- September: Diverse
- October: Inclusive
- November: Resilience
- December/January: Cohesive
- February: Team Excellence
- March/April: Common Purpose
- May: Committed
- Monthly Focus Sub-Themes:
- “Teamwork” Themed Webinar - TBD
Spring 2021 Tentative Schedule:
- Feb. 15-16, 2021: 11th Annual Leadership & Ethics Conference titled “Strong Leaders, Strong Teams”
- March 23-25, 2021: 31st Annual Environment Virginia Symposium
2019 Convocation Speakers
Please note: Link below to the VMI Calendar which includes an 'Add to my Calendar' button. Information may be pending or subject to change.
- Link to Video from Nov. 11 Founder's Day Speaker Deborah Lee James, 23rd Secretary of the Air Force
11:00 a.m. in Gillis Theater, Marshall Hall
Courageous Leadership Speakers
During the spring term, featured "courageous leaders" come to post to engage with cadets, staff, and faculty providing their personal insights. Their visit typically includes meeting with cadet clubs, athletic teams, and/or specific classes and culminates in an evening presentation in the Gillis Theater.
Their role as influencers helps support our mission of enhancing the leadership development journey of the VMI community and raise the profile of the Institute to a broader, national audience.
- March 4, 2020 at 8 p.m. in Gillis Theater, Marshall Hall former NFL player for the Ravens, mathematician, and author John Urschel
Urschel is a Ph.D. candidate and an MIT Dean of Science fellow and was voted Forbes' 30 Under 30 for science in 2016-18. He was awarded the 2014 Campbell Trophy, Associated Press All-American in 2013, and a 2011 Sullivan Award winner. Copies of his book, "Mind and Matter, a life in Mathematics" will be on sale (cash preferred) in the lobby and a book signing will follow his talk. This event is free and open to the public. - You can listen to our VMI Leader Journey podcast episode featuring Urschel titled "The First Form of Leadership."
Videos from this series are on our YouTube Channel.
H.B. Johnson, Jr.'26 Distinguished Speakers
The H.B. Johnson Distinguished Speaker series features top-tier speakers who typically have national reputation 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.
- 2019 - Retired Four-Star General Joseph Votel, Keynote for "Disruption: Challenging Leadership at Every Turn" on Tuesday, October 29th at 9 a.m. in Cameron Hall on the Post of VMI
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.
