International Leadership Association's
24th Global Conference
Online October 6 & 7, 2022, and/or
Onsite in Washington, D.C., October 13-16, 2022
Building off of last year’s successful HyFlex conference, this year’s global event will feature more downtime between the online and onsite portions of the conference – PLUS special pricing for those who can only attend virtually. Stay tuned for more details, conference agenda, keynote speakers, and more. If you do not already receive ILA mail, be sure to sign up for our mailing list to be the first to hear when registration opens!
Did you submit to present? Status notifications for all submissions will be emailed by or on 7 June 2022.
100s of Presentations & Workshops
Engage in interactive workshops, symposiums, panels, presentations, roundtables, and posters with presenters from around the world. Sessions are divided between days online and days in Washington, DC the following week.
Networking
Expand your global network through special networking activities including member community events, receptions, and the exhibit hall. Meet old friends and discover new colleagues who share your commitment to leadership. The virtual realm also allows you to schedule video chats on the conference platform!
Plenary Sessions With Top Leaders
ILA's signature bridging of theory and practice brings together top leaders and thinkers to discuss complex leadership questions.
15 Streams & Specialties
ILA's unique cross-sector, cross-disciplinary conference invites you to explore topics organized across 15 themes and specialties.
Theme Statement
Wisdom in Times of Crisis
The 24th Annual International Leadership Association Global Conference theme invites an inquiry into how wisdom might catalyze transformation in global systems contributing to environmental, social, economic, and political crises. The Chinese hanzi for crisis consists of two components: danger and crucial pivot point. The crucial pivot point is a moment in time — a moment when a leader takes some action to address the crisis or challenge. In that moment, information is incomplete and/or missing, and indeterminacy prevails. In that moment, speculation on a certain outcome is futile, and it is easy to see the danger of a wrong decision. But in that moment, that crucial pivot point, a leader has the potential to make a difference. How can we help leaders — as well as followers — stand and meet that important moment?
The 24th Annual International Leadership Association Global Conference theme invites an inquiry into how wisdom might catalyze transformation in global systems contributing to environmental, social, economic, and political crises.
The Chinese hanzi for crisis consists of two components: danger and crucial pivot point. The crucial pivot point is a moment in time — a moment when a leader takes some action to address the crisis or challenge. In that moment, information is incomplete and/or missing, and indeterminacy prevails. In that moment, speculation on a certain outcome is futile, and it is easy to see the danger of a wrong decision. But in that moment, that crucial pivot point, a leader has the potential to make a difference. How can we help leaders — as well as followers — stand and meet that important moment?
Rumi, a renowned 13th century Persian poet, wrote about the connection between changing the world and wisdom. He was believed to have written “Yesterday, I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today, I am wise, so I am changing myself.”
Hidden in that message is an implicit connection between changing the world and changing oneself. In today’s historical moment, we might think of this as the connection between our inner wisdom and our ability to wisely understand and see the systemic and reciprocal relationships between business, politics, economics, public health, the environment, and other world issues.
However, this is difficult to do. Business as usual demands leaders to make daily and often rapid decisions at work, in communities, and in schools. Leaders of various levels respond and react and engage in the dynamics of trying to meet multiple stakeholder needs. Followers also respond and react and engage in the dance of the push-pull of power and authority. These responses and reactions are based on the logics of our current economic, social, and environmental systems—and these logics, we suggest, need to change. That is where wisdom comes in.
The current logics underneath ‘business as usual’ often value human desires over planetary flourishing, economic indicators over individual wellbeing, and perpetuate a world that is becoming more and more fractured, polarized, and polluted. New logics, narratives, and qualities of leading and following are needed to heal, restore, and repair the systems that are currently in place. The new logics must rise above the either/or polarization to see the larger wholeness and interdependence of all systems, of all peoples, and of all nature.
This is where wisdom comes in. Wisdom offers us exciting possibilities to see opportunities in crises, paths forward in complex systems and unpredictable dynamics, and wholeness in times of fracturing. Wisdom is creative inner work with outward manifestations that allow possibilities for systems flourishing. Wisdom is deep listening, or what some call ‘with-nessing’ in community. Wisdom is more than intellect and cognition—it is a way of being and relating to the world and to oneself that heals, brings joy, and offers compassion and dignity to all.
Ultimately, wisdom offers hope for a better future, and we invite conference submissions to help us engage in this exciting conversation with ILA members and friends from around the world by addressing these broad questions:
- What is the role of wisdom in leading and following in this historical moment?
- How does one become wise?
- What are the practices, attributes, and characteristics of wise leaders? Of wise followers?
- What ways can leadership development increase access to and utilization of personal and shared wisdom?
- What are the conditions that support wisdom?
- What is the role of a leader or follower in cultivating, developing, and sustaining the conditions where wisdom can flourish?
- Can an organization be wise? If yes, how?
- How might Indigenous and other non-Western wisdom traditions contribute to large systems change?
- How might we (both followers and leaders) create opportunities to cultivate, nurture, and catalyze system change? What is the role of wisdom in the emergence of these opportunities?
- How might leaders and followers become more aware of their highest inspirations – beyond logic – that can inform creative and generative futures?
#ILA2022Global will offer an expansive space for exploring wisdom and its role in this historical moment, in this historic place. The largest gathering of those who research and study leadership, teach and develop leaders, and engage in the practice of leadership will gather to share creative new ideas, cutting edge practice and theory, hopes, innovations, and suggestions for the future. Come with your ideas and leave inspired!
Conference Team
Conference Chair
Betsy Myers is a leadership expert, author, and advocate. She is consulting, speaking and leading workshops on head & heart leaders and women and leadership.
Myers’ experience spans the corporate, political, and higher education arenas. Most recently, as founder and director of the Center for Women and Business at Bentley University and executive director of the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.
A senior adviser to Presidents Clinton and Obama, Myers served as the Chief Operating Officer and Chair of Women for Obama during President Obama’s 2008 national presidential campaign. During the Clinton Administration, Myers launched, and was the first director of, the White House Office for Women’s Initiatives and Outreach. She also served as the director of the Office of Women’s Business Ownership at the SBA.
Her book, Take the Lead — Motivate, Inspire, and Bring Out the Best in Yourself and Everyone Around You, was released in September 2011 and named the Washington Post’s Best Leadership Book that year.
She received her bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of San Diego and her master’s degree in public administration from Harvard’s Kennedy School, where she was also a Public Service Fellow.
Conference Program Co-Chair
Ina Gjikondi is a teacher, speaker, mother, creative thinker, innovator, poet and co-curator of creative learning experiences that expand consciousness in the world. Ina serves as the Director of Executive Education & Coaching, as well as the Founder & Director of the e-Co Leadership Coaching Program, and the One Humanity Lab at the George Washington University’s Center for Excellence in Public Leadership. Prior to moving to the U.S., Ina was an active United Nations advocate, political campaign professional, and founder of several nonprofit organizations in her native home of Albania.
Ina Gjikondi is a teacher, speaker, mother, creative thinker, innovator, poet and co-curator of creative learning experiences that expand consciousness in the world. Ina serves as the Director of Executive Education & Coaching, as well as the Founder & Director of the e-Co Leadership Coaching Program, and the One Humanity Lab at the George Washington University’s Center for Excellence in Public Leadership.
Ina works with people across the globe to awaken the leadership capacity through whole-system knowing and being, mobilizing the capacities of spaciousness, perception, imagination, inspiration, intuition and creativity. Ina believes that our work as humanity is not about finding answers, it’s about getting very clear in our questions and getting ourselves out of the way, allowing the collective field to emerge in active experimentation and action.
Ina holds two Master’s Degrees from George Washington University, one in Political Management and the other in Human resource Development. She is currently working on her doctorate in Human and Organizational Learning focusing on new materialist pedagogies and Goethean science.
Prior to moving to the US, Ina was an active United Nations advocate, political campaign professional and founder of several nonprofit organizations in her native home of Albania. She is inspired by her son Hadrian, who teaches her to slow down and show up for life with genuine curiosity. Ina’s calling for the world is summed up in four words, two of which have been attributed to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe as the last pronounced words before his death, “More Light and Love!”.
Links:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/inagjikondi/
e-Co Leadership Coaching Program: https://leadershipcoaching.cepl.gwu.edu/
Hadrian Series: https://www.hadrianseries.com/
Conference Program Co-Chair
Julia Storberg-Walker is Chair of the Human and Organizational Learning Department, Program Director of the Organizational Leadership and Learning Program, and an Associate Professor at the George Washington University. After serving in various leadership roles at Deloitte & Touche and Deloitte Consulting (1985-1999), Julia received her PhD in Work, Community, and Family Education from the University of Minnesota in 2004. She has been recognized for her critically-informed teaching, research, and activism/service as the recipient of multiple awards including the R. Wayne Pace Book of the Year Award by the Academy of Human Resource Development (2019), the Laura Bierema Critical HRD Award (2017); and the Outstanding Research Award from the International Leadership Association (2015).
Julia Storberg-Walker is Chair of the Human and Organizational Learning Department, Program Director of the Organizational Leadership and Learning Program, and an Associate Professor in the Department of Human and Organizational Learning in the Graduate School of Education and Human Development at the George Washington University.
After serving in various leadership capacities at Deloitte & Touche and Deloitte Consulting (1985-1999), Julia received her PhD in Work, Community, and Family Education from the University of Minnesota in 2004. She has been recognized for her critically-informed teaching, research, and activism/service as the recipient of multiple awards including the R. Wayne Pace Book of the Year Award by the Academy of Human Resource Development (2019), the Laura Bierema Critical HRD Award (2017); and the Outstanding Research Award from the International Leadership Association (2015).
Julia was inducted into the Academy of Outstanding Faculty Engaged in Extension by North Carolina State University; while there, she was the recipient of over $1.2 million dollars in grants and created the Master’s of Science in HRD program. She is a former Vice President and Board member of the Academy of Human Resource Development, former Editor-in-Chief of the scholarly journal Human Resource Development Review, and currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Management, Spirituality and Religion Interest Group of the Academy of Management.
Her activist/scholar work is generative and aims to develop equitable and compassionate frameworks, models, and processes for the purpose of catalyzing whole planet interdependence and flourishing. This work is transdisciplinary and grounded in contemporary philosophical perspectives including posthumanism, new materialism, quantum field theory, and wisdom traditions spanning diverse cultures and historical moments.
Theme Statement Team
- Karen Wilhelm Buckley, President, Communicore Consulting, LLC.
- Ira Chaleff, Author, IC Publications
- Nicole Dillard, Assistant Professor Organizational Leadership, Northern Kentucky University
- Michael Harvey, Provost, Washington College
- Crystal Hoyt, Professor of Leadership Studies and Psychology, Thorsness Chair in Ethical Leadership, Jepson School of Leadership Studies
- Prasad Kaipa, CEO Coach and Advisor, Kaipa Group
- Les Miles, Community Solutions Program Manager, Leadership Practice; IREX
- Judi Neal, President, Edgewalkers International
- Robin Roberts, Assistant Professor, Management and Technology, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
- Anita Sanchez, Founder, Sanchez, Tennis and Associates
Conference Venue
Located in downtown Washington, D.C. and just blocks away from the National Mall and the White House, we couldn’t ask for a better spot to gather, connect, and share.
ILA has secured special rates for conference attendees at the Grand Hyatt and two additional D.C. hotels.
Why Attend
#ILA2021Global Conference Co-Chair Amanda Ellis, Executive Director of Global Partnerships at ASU’s Global Futures Laboratory, discusses the critical importance of Reimagining Leadership Together, the big conversations that will take place at this year’s conference, and why everyone’s voice is needed.
Find out why Dr. Konstantin Korotov, Professor of Organizational Behavior and Faculty Lead of the Executive MBA Program at the European School of Management and Technology (ESMT Berlin), is bringing 40 students to this year’s ILA Conference!
What is the most important word in Reimagining Leadership Together? Peter Cunningham, #ILA2021Global Program Chair and Head of Leadership at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy, shares his thoughts and why he’s so excited about this year’s conference.
Plenary Speakers
Plenary sessions (Keynotes & Keynote Panels) bring together top leaders and thinkers to discuss complex leadership questions with ILA’s signature bridging of theory and practice. They challenge us to think more creatively and inspire us to reimagine leadership together. Additional plenaries plus dates and times of each will be announced soon. Please note: All plenary sessions, whether they are given in-person in Geneva or live online, will be recorded and available for registrants to view through the end of the year. For complete bios, visit our plenary page.
Scroll Through to See All of Our Plenary Speakers!
John, Lord Alderdice is a member of the House of Lords in the Parliament of the U.K. He is also Director of the Centre for the Resolution of Intractable Conflict, President of ARTIS (Europe) Ltd. Lord Alderdice served as the first Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Dr. John Antonakis is Professor of Organizational Behavior in the Faculty of Business and Economics of the University of Lausanne, Switzerland. His research is frequently quoted in media outlets such as the New York Times, BBC News, Wall Street Journal, and more.
Kehkashan Basu, Founder, President, Green Hope Foundation, Winner of 2016 International Children’s Peace Prize
The Right Honourable Kim Campbell served as Canada’s nineteenth and first female Prime Minister. She is the Founding Principal of the Peter Lougheed Leadership College.
Jagan Chapagain is the Secretary General of The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the world’s largest humanitarian network. Appointed in 2020 and based in Geneva, Jagan has 25+ years' experience working across Europe and Asia for the IFRC.
Martin Chungong is Secretary General for the Inter-Parliamentary Union and is the first African and first non-European to be elected to this position. He also chairs the Global Board of the International Gender Champions.
Jonathan Gosling is Emeritus Professor of Leadership at Exeter University in the UK.
Ambassador Thomas Greminger is the Director of the Geneva Centre for Security Policy and is the former secretary general of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in Vienna.
Anuradha Gupta is Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. Since joining Gavi in 2015, Anuradha has led efforts to put equity and gender at the centre of Gavi’s programmatic planning and to tailor support to countries within Gavi’s strategy.
Dr. Deanne Den Hartog is Professor of Organizational Behavior and Director of the Research Institute in the Amsterdam Business School at the University of Amsterdam. She is an elected member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Dr. Barbara Kellerman is Founding Executive Director & Emerita Faculty of Harvard Kennedy School’s Center for Public Leadership. Her latest book is The Enablers: How Team Trump Flunked the Pandemic and Failed America.
Pauline Koelbl is AfriProspect GmbH’s Founder and CEO as well as ShEquity’s Founder and Managing Partner. She is an innovation expert in developing & emerging economies, impact investor and seasoned impact-driven team leader with over 20 years’ experience in venture philanthropy.
Dr. Sanjeev Khagram is CEO, Director General & Dean, Thunderbird School of Global Management.
Leah Lizarondo is Founder and CEO, Food Rescue Hero, a social enterprise that aims to fight hunger and promote sustainability by preventing perfectly good food from entering the waste stream and directly distributing to organizations that benefit those who are food insecure.
Henk Rogers is founder and chairman of Blue Planet Foundation. The mission of his newest initiative, Blue Planet Alliance, is to regenerate the environment, become 100% sustainable by 2045, and create a world in which humanity and nature live in harmony.
Dr. Peter Schlosser is the Vice President and Vice Provost, Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory, Arizona State University and the Director and Distinguished Sustainability Scientist at ASU's Global Institute of Sustainability and Innovation.
Shirley Sherrod is a former Georgia State Director of Rural Development for the United States Department of Agriculture.
Ambassador Yvette Stevens is Executive in Residence at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy and former Permanent Representative of Sierra Leone where she was active in human rights issues including women and children, trade, and disarmament.
Pavan Sukhdev, Founder & CEO, GIST; President, WWF-International; UNEP Goodwill Ambassador
Dr. Éliane Ubalijoro, Global Hub Director, Canada, Future Earth, Executive Director, Sustainability in the Digital Age
Tatiana Valovaya is the 13th Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva (UN Geneva) and the first woman to occupy this position. She has more than 35 years of experience in public service, diplomacy and journalism.
Maestro Karim Wasfi is a Conductor, renowned cellist, and leadership strategist. As founder of Peace Through Arts, he has given performances at locations as diverse as the 9/11 Memorial & Museum to improvisations at the sites of car bombings in Iraq.
Sibusiso (S’bu) Zikode, President, Abahlali baseMjondolo, South African shack dwellers' movement
International Student Case Competition
Compete in Undergraduate or Graduate Division
Team Sign Up Now Open!
Deadline: Monday 27 September
Conference Theme
Reimagining Leadership Together
Together, how can we more fully unleash the abundant potential of people, including ourselves, to collaborate across today’s many multi-faceted opportunities and complex issues? How can leadership be a greater catalyst for societal and eco-systemic advancement? How can leadership create the conditions for more equitable relationships across divides, even across lines of conflict?
Hotels in Geneva
ILA is contracting with several hotels in Geneva for special ILA rates beginning at 140CHF (including breakfast, service fees, and VAT).
Ibis budget Genève Aéroport
Novotel Genève Centre
Ibis Genève Centre Nations
Ibis Genève Centre Lac
InterContinental Geneva
Ibis Genève Aéroport
About ILA
The ILA is the largest worldwide community committed to leadership scholarship, practice, development, and education. We accomplish our mission to advance leadership knowledge and practice for a better world by creating a trusted space for leadership learning and by providing trusted leadership resources. For over twenty years the ILA has convened extraordinary talent across sectors, cultures, disciplines, and generations.
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