The
Illumine
KRAVIS LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE
FALL 2024 NEWSLETTER
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE ................................................................................... 3 NEWSLETTER TEAM ....................................................................................... 4 KLI FACULTY AND STAFF ............................................................................... 5 PROFESSOR DAY’S ILA AWARD ...................................................................... 6 KLI ADVISORY BOARD AND FELLOWS ........................................................... 7 KLI ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER SPOTLIGHTS ............................................... 8 KLI TEAM LEADS ............................................................................................. 9 NEW HIRES SPOTLIGHTS .......................................................................... 10-11 WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT ..................................................... 12 CONVERSATIONS IN LEADERSHIP ................................................................ 13 SEMI UPDATES .............................................................................................. 14 RESEARCH TEAM SPOTLIGHTS ................................................................. 15-16 INSTITUTE TEAM SPOTLIGHTS ................................................................. 17-18 D-CREW SPOTLIGHT & ATH TALK .................................................................. 19 KLI @ THE ILA .............................................................................................. 20 CARNEGIE ELECTIVE CLASSIFICATION .......................................................... 21 KLI BONDING AND CLOSING ........................................................................ 22
A MESSAGE FROM OUR DIRECTOR
David V. Day
December 2024
Academic Director of the Kravis Leadership Institute Steven L. Eggert ’82 P’15 Professor of Leadership George R. Roberts Fellow david.day@cmc.edu
Dear KLI Community, Well, I am back from sabbatical! Where did the year go? A huge thanks to the KLI team and especially Dr. Sherylle Tan for serving as Interim Director in my absence. It was reassuring to know that the Institute was in such capable hands. We are off and running with a very strong start to the 2024-25 Academic Year. A noteworthy accomplishment was recognition by the Carnegie Foundation for the inaugural Elective Classification for Leadership for Public Purpose. CMC was selected as one of 25 campuses for this recognition. KLI played a key role in identifying, curating, and reporting the information that went into the comprehensive application. We will be building on this momentum by co-hosting the 30th Kravis-de Roulet Leadership Conference with the Doerr Institute for New Leaders at Rice University. The conference will take place 7-8 March at CMC with representatives from the other recognized campuses attending and participating in an engaging conference program. The interest in leadership and in KLI is at an all-time campus high. In a typical year we have 25-30 applications for KLI student assistant positions. This Fall we had 130 applications, with most being lodged by first- and second- year students. The downside of this record number of applications is that we had to say no to a lot of very talented and motivated students.We did increase the number of “new hires” at KLI, with the total number of students now at 42. Rest assured that we have plenty of work to go around! As reminder, all KLI students engage in the KLI Leadership Development System to enhance their leadership skills and self-views and support their peers in their respective development efforts around Courage, Creativity, and Collaboration. The Women in Leadership Development (WLD) initiative continues to gain strength with a record number of applicants for this year’s cohort. The initiative is now in its fourth year and is led by KLI Assistant Director Marilyn Pierce. The Student Engagement and Mentoring Initiative (SEMI) is going strong. A new initiative this year is “Office Hours” – a suggestion by some of our students. Much like office hours held by professors on campus, Board members meet with a few KLI students for an hour to discuss different topics. Many thanks to Mike Nutting ’97 P’24 for kicking off this new initiative and to our new Board Chair, Scott Gilbertson ’91 for his support. KLI is proudly one of the 11 Research Institutes and Centers at CMC. As a research institute, we focus on the advancement of research all things leadership. Given the research-based mission of KLI, a little more than half of our student assistants participate across seven research teams investigating a variety of leadership-related topics. Relatedly, we are pleased to welcome back the Post-Doctoral Fellow, Dr. Laura Dannhäuser, to help support the research and leadership education at KLI. Finally, a huge thanks for your ongoing support of KLI! David Day, Ph.D. Academic Director
NEWSLETTER TEAM
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Meet The Newsletter Team!
Jaden Andrews ‘27 Editor-in-Chief Hometown: Happy Valley, OR Major: Government Sequence: Legal Studies
Davis Eglin ‘26 Hometown: Baton Rouge, LA Dual Major: International Relations & French Sequence: Leadership Studies
Riley Hester ‘27 Hometown: Pound Ridge, NY Major: Environment, Economics, and Politics
Amelia Opsahl ‘25 Hometown: Chesterfield, NH Major: Foreign Languages Sequence: Computer Science
KLI FACULTY AND STAFF
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KLI FACULTY & STAFF
David Day, Ph.D. Academic Director of the Kravis Leadership Institute, Professor of Psychological Science & Leadership, Steven L. Eggert ‘82 P ’15 Professor of Leadership
Sherylle Tan, Ph.D. Director of Internships and KLI Research, Visiting Assistant Professor of Psychological Science
Jay Conger, DBA Henry R. Kravis Chaired Professor of Leadership Studies
Marilyn Pierce Assistant Director of the Kravis Leadership Institute
Laura Dannhäuser, Ph.D Post-Doctoral Fellow of the Kravis Leadership Institute, Visiting Assistant Professor of Leadership
Ronald Riggio, Ph.D. Henry R. Kravis Professor of Leadership Studies and Organizational Psychology, Leadership Studies Sequence Advisor
PROFESSOR DAY’S ILA AWARD
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ILA Lifetime Achievement Award for Professor Day Professor David Day's impactful academic career has recently earned him the Lifetime Achievement Award in Leadership Studies, awarded by the International Leadership Association. I had the opportunity to talk with him about this achievement and reflect on his career. The International Leadership Association is devoted to leadership and research. Renowned for advancing scholarly dialogue and practice in leadership studies, Professor Day emphasizes how much of an honor it is to be recognized by his peers— peers with whom he has collaborated and who have also advanced the field of leadership studies. Professor Day started his career working at an auto plant for Ford, where he spent hours melting iron to form cast iron parts for cars. He often found himself wondering if this was all he could do in life. Fortunately, he found an opportunity within Ford Motors to return to school and study what he wanted. Through Ford’s tuition reimbursement program, Day attended Baldwin Wallace College, where he discovered the transformative power of a liberal arts education. As he says, “A liberal arts education saved my life.” In college, Professor Day studied organizational psychology and quickly became fascinated with the field. After earning his bachelor’s degree, he attended the University of Akron, where he encountered his future mentor, Bob Lord. Under Lord’s guidance, Day began to explore leadership from a cognitive perspective and pursued both his master’s and Ph.D. in executive leadership. Inspired by his advisor, Day adopted a new, scientific approach to leadership studies. When asked about his biggest contribution to leadership studies, Professor Day mentions a distinction he made years ago between leadership development and leader development. Professor Day focuses on leadership development and how collectives create shared leadership. He plans to continue researching the capacity of collective groups to lead. Another distinction Professor Day discusses is leadership effectiveness versus leadership emergence. While much of leadership research explores how people come to view someone as a leader—known as emergence—Day emphasizes that emergence has little to do with effectiveness. For example, extroverts and tall individuals may be more likely to emerge as leaders, but anyone can be an effective leader. His research primarily focuses on leadership effectiveness rather than emergence. Reflecting on his career, Professor Day has few regrets, though he wishes he had started his ideal career earlier. Nonetheless, he is thankful for his journey and the lives of students he has impacted. He’s also amazed by KLI’s growth since he joined. Looking ahead, he plans to individualize leadership education within KLI and across CMC. Professor Day’s career in leadership studies has been remarkably impactful. All of us at KLI are proud of his accomplishments and his well-deserved recognition as a pioneer in leadership development.
Article Written by Diego Nunez ‘28
KLI ADVISORY BOARD AND FELLOWS
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The Kravis Leadership Institute Advisory Board
Advisory Board Chair: Scott Gilbertson ’91 Board Members: Michael Barr ’93, Cody Chang '13, Hiram E. Chodosh, Jay Conger, Heather Cowart '12, Tina Daniels ’93, David Day, Gaston Espinosa, Hector Fernandez ‘01, Laura M. Grisolano ‘86, Shamil Hargovan ’10, Matt Horvitz ’08, Daniel Kan ’09, Henry Kravis ’67, Michael Lang ’87, John-Michael Lind ’86 P'26, Mike Nutting ‘97 P'24, Michelle Oden ‘94, Douglas Peterson ’80 P’14 P’15, Sean Rawson '00, Ron Riggio P’10, Mitzi Reaugh ‘99, Kwame Yankson ‘04 Life Members: Jean I. Cox P'92, Steven Eggert ‘82 P’15, Michael Grindon '76, E. David Hetz ‘80 P’10 Kravis Fellows Elisa Alban ’09, Connor Barclay ‘13, Jennifer Bernardez ‘22, Daniel R. Cahir ’05, Katherine Daifotis '18, Emma David ‘21, Saloni Dhir ’19, Benjamin Forster ‘11, Leyna Hong ‘23, Samuel Johnson '22, Julian Laguisma ’14 , Ian Larson ’24, Peter X. Li ’05, Charles McGregor ’15, Maria Mengual-Paredes ‘09, Simeon Nestorov POM ’98, Claudia Raigoza ‘14, Alina Rainsford ’20, Yesenia Rodriguez ’23, Shreya Shome ‘22, Will Su ’16, Linnea Uyeno ’20, Patrick Weisman ‘08, Asher Weiss ’18, Joy Zhu ‘24
KLI FALL AVISORY BOARD MEETING
“The KLI Advisory Board meeting was an incredible experience. KLI's Advisory Board includes many unique industry leaders, and it was a privilege to learn from their wisdom, stories, and advice.” -Fred Neuburger ‘27
THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR BOARD MEMBERS AND FELLOWS FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT!
BOARD MEMBER SPOTLIGHTS
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Introducing the KLI’s newest Advisory Board Chair....
SCOTT GILBERTSON ’91
The KLI is excited to announce that Scott Gilbertson ’91, is serving as the new Chair of KLI’s Advisory Board and began his term this year. Currently, Scott is CEO of Beauty for All Industries (BFA), home to the largest beauty subscription brands in the world, and Partner at TPG Growth, where he leads the operations and business building efforts for the fund. Prior to joining TPG in 2007, Scott was Senior Vice President of Merchandising at Under Armor. He was previously a member of TPG’s operations group, where he held a number of operating positions within the TPG portfolio including three distinct positions as interim CEO, COO, and President of eCommerce at J.Crew Group. Scott holds a BA from Claremont McKenna College and an MBA and JL from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management.
And our newest Advisory Board Member.... KWAME YANKSON ’04
Kwame Yankson is a Managing Director in Wells Fargo’s Corporate & Investment Bank’s Technology, Media & Telecom group. He leads Technology Services investment banking coverage, which consists of companies in the Human Capital Management, Consulting & Outsourcing, and IT & Digital Services sectors. Kwame started his career at Deloitte & Touche and currently serves as Chairman of the 100 Foundations in Education and as a Founding Board Member Emeritus for El Paso Leadership Academy. Kwame graduated from CMC in 2004 with a Bachelors degree in Economics-Accounting and Psychology with a Leadership Sequence and holds an MBA from the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia.
TEAM LEADS
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24-25 TEAM LEADS
I was motivated to become a team lead because of the team leads before me. Sam, Leyna, and Joy were pivotal parts of my CMC and KLI journey and helped me navigate KLI’s resources and build confidence in my own leadership. KLI has provided me with so many amazing research and personal development opportunities, so I’m excited to continue building this community for others. Kaavya Narayan ’25 Research Team Lead Joined the KLI in Fall ‘21
I was inspired to serve as Team Lead to give back to a community that has given so much to me. While at the KLI I have grown immensely thanks to our leadership coaching, mentorship programs, and workshops that have challenge my perspective and leadership approach and enable me to develop both personally and professionally as a result. Moreover, I am grateful for the endless support of the students, faculty, and staff at the KLI that have always made me feel comfortable to express myself and take risks. As Team Lead, I hope to build on our positive culture and support other members on their leadership journeys.” Amelia Opsahl ’25 Institute Team Lead Joined the KLI in Fall ‘21
NEW HIRE SPOTLIGHTS
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INSTITUTE TEAM NEW HIRE SPOTLIGHTS
Hometown : Rocklin, California Major: Intended PPE Fun Fact: My sister named me Diego because she liked Diego and Dora. DIEGO NÚÑEZ ‘28
Hometown: Orinda, California Intended Major: History & Public Policy Fun Fact: I can tap dance! VIVIENNE ARNDT ‘28
RILEY HESTER ‘27
Hometown: Bellevue, Washington Major : Data Science & Economics Fun Fact: I am half-Polish. ROMAN SYCZ ‘27
Hometown : Pound Ridge, New York Major : Environment, Economics, Politics (EEP) Fun Fact: I started my own speciality recycling organization in high school! Hometown: Valeni, Cahul, Moldova Major: International Relations & Economics Fun Fact: I worked as a tour guide at my grandma’s museum for over 11 years! GABE BUYUKLYU ‘28 Hometown : Pleasanton, California Major: Public Policy Fun Fact: My left leg is longer than my right leg. AMRIT DHALIWAL ‘27
Hometown: Reno, Nevada Major: 3+2 Economics Engineering Fun Fact: I can talk a lot about batteries. FRED NEUBURGER ‘27
Hometown : Chappaqua, New York Major: Economics- Accounting Fun Fact: I have a twin sister! HALEY PENN ‘28
NEW HIRE SPOTLIGHTS
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RESEARCH TEAM NEW HIRE SPOTLIGHTS
Hometown : Toronto, Canada Major : BA Economics / MA Finance & History Fun Fact: I have citizenship in three countries. HARRY PATEL ‘27
NETHRA MAHENDRAN ‘28
Hometown : San Diego, California Major : Economics
Fun Fact : I make a lot of my own jewelry and love to craft.
Hometown : Burlington, Vermont Major: Economics & IR & Data Science Sequence Fun Fact: I have skied in 4 countries! AUGUST RINEHART ‘27 Hometown : San Diego, California Major : Economics & Finance Sequence Fun Fact : I run track and cross country for CMS! JONAS PICKERT ‘28
Hometown: Vancouver, BC Major: Media Studies Fun Fact: I play the violin! JASMINE HE ‘28
Hometown: Shanghai, China Major: Economics Fun Fact: I got chased by a coyote at 1 am. VIVIAN GAO ‘28
Hometown : South Pasadena, California Major : Economics Fun Fact: I had a slime business in 6th grade that got shut down by the school. ELLIE LEITER ‘27
Hometown : Bend, Oregon Major: PPE Fun Fact: I have lived in 5 countries and visited over 35 countries! TALIN TYVAND ‘27
DANIEL WU ‘27 Hometown : Shanghai, China Major: Psychology & Data Science Fun Fact: I used to run a tea company!
WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
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What is WLD? The Women in Leadership Development (WLD) is a year- long leadership development opportunity for CMC women that fosters confidence, builds awareness, and develops leadership. Through the WLD initiative, students learn and develop skills to support their leadership development through a retreat, workshops, leadership circles, and one-on-one leadership coaching.
Kickoff Retreat This half-day retreat kicking off the WLD Initiative for the 2024-25 school year brought the Handley Leadership Fellows together to develop connections, learn key leadership concepts, explore issues of women and leadership, and begin their leadership development journeys. The purpose of the retreat was to foster a community of peer support and a sense of belonging to create a psychologically safe environment for women leaders to grow and thrive.
Workshop 1 WLD fellows attended their first workshop on how to "Embrace Your Inner Leader." Fellows learned about the importance of leader identity development, identify the unique barriers and obstacles that women face in their leader identity development.
Workshop 2
The last workshop of the fall semester was hosted on November 21st, titled “Navigating Gender Bias.” Fellows explored patterns of gender bias and expanded their knowledge of intersectionality. At the end of the workshop, students developed and practiced strategies for navigating gender biases.
“As I reflect on the journey that has brought me to being the WLD Student Manager, I’m incredibly grateful to the Kravis Leadership Institute for recognizing a need for women’s development and leadership, and bringing it to fruition. I started as a Handley Fellow and went through the program last year. At the time, I was serving in numerous leadership positions on campus, and the workshops—as well as the community of incredible women—gave me a place to identify obstacles and tools to overcome them. This initiative empowered me, and has made me a better leader, one that is aware of the unique difficulties that women face, especially within different identities. Now, as the student manager, I have the privilege of assisting students on that very journey.” —Ava Kopp ‘25, WLD Student Manager
CONVERSATIONS IN LEADERSHIP
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The KLI’s Spring Leadership Dialogue Series engaged CMC students in conversation about leadership. The Leadership Dialogues tackled important issues connected to leadership and practicing leadership in real world situations. The Dialogues were a KLI-supported, student-led initiative that featured small group discussions facilitated by KLI students. This semester’s leadership dialogues tackled important issues connected to political leadership and seeking out mentorship and guidance when needed. Fall Leadership Dialogues
POLARIZING TOPICS IN CONVERSATION Led by : Amrit Dhaliwal ‘27, Meilan Uyeno ’27, Vivienne Ardnt ‘28, and Roman Sycz ‘27
POLITICAL LEADERSHIP
Led by : Jaden Andrews ‘27, Zach Roerden ’27, and Davis Eglin ‘26
What does it mean to be a responsible political leader? What actions do you think political leaders can take to promote collaboration and bipartisan dialogue in an increasingly polarized political landscape? How do gender or race expectations impact voter perceptions in elections, specifically in the 2024 election?
How can we create a respectful atmosphere in light of controversial discussions? Why is it important to thoughtfully create intentional spaces for these discussions? How do you maintain an open perspective despite personal opinions? What traits would be good to demonstrate an open-minded perspective?
LEADERSHIP COACHING
The KLI Leadership Coaching Initiative includes up to five hourly one-on-one coaching sessions for students to develop their leadership potential with a professionally trained and certified leadership coach. Each coach builds a curriculum specific to each student’s personal goals as a leader. Thanks to the success and effectiveness of the program, in 2024 the KLI was able to open leadership coaching to all CMC students. Since then, participation has grown five fold and this semester, there are 57 CMC students working with a coach to refine their leadership approach and vision.
“Leadership coaching has been an amazing experience for me. My coach not only helped me set goals for improving my leadership but also pushed me to follow through on them. I have experienced significant growth in my abilities as a leader, whether it's the confidence with which I face leadership challenges or the skills to conduct constructive dialogue within teams. Overall, it has been a fantastic experience, and I highly recommend it!” - Jaden Andrews ‘27
SEMI UPDATES
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Board Engagement Opportunities
OFFICE HOURS 30-minute conversations between a Board member and up to 5 KLI students on a topic of the Board Member’s choosing. Ideally, this will be done on campus and in- person. As this is not possible for all, a virtual option is available as well. We conducted office hours with Michelle Oden, Mike Nutting, and Shreya Shome.
The initiative aims to foster developmental relationships between students and Board Members.
MASTERCLASS “Leadership Learning” series of classes presented by Board Members on topics related to leadership they feel are important for students entering the workforce to understand. Ideally presented on-campus and open to CMC. Examples of previous topics: how to effectively present information, why humans should remain central during transitional periods, and how to lead a team when you are the youngest person in the room.
The initiative aims to provide brief, high-quality leadership learning experiences packed with in-depth knowledge.
/ N I G H T
/ N I G H T
Consider Participating Yourself: Reach out to: Davis ‘26 (deglin26@cmc.edu) Zach ‘27 (zroerden83@cmc.edu) Jaden ’27 (jandrews52@cmc.edu) Russ ’26 (rkuan25@cmc.edu) Haley ’28 (hpenn28@cmc.edu)
MEET THE RESEARCH TEAMS
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Assessment
Our team is currently working to assess the various different avenues of communication within KLI. We’ve finished collecting our data and are starting to analyze our results. We hope to finalize our deliverable by the end of this semester and start ideating on a new project.
Mia Nelson ‘25, Shiah Sarkowsky ‘25, Silvana Sik Wan Poon ‘26, Harry Patel ‘27
Competency Mapping
We investigate the key behaviors that are foundational to KLI's three competencies-- courage, creativity, and collaboration. We have completed our collaboration mapping utilizing significant parameters to indicate the difficulties of each behavior. We have also created a structural mechanism to rank these difficulties to maximize objectivity.
Tanzila Jamal ‘26, Tony Pappas ‘27, August Rinehart ‘27, Nethra Mahendran ‘28 27,
Race and Leadership
We’ve focused on advancing our study of leadership and race, with significant progress made despite some challenges. We conducted an exploratory factor analysis of LDBQ data, identifying four key components and beginning to draft labels for each category. Additionally, we ran regression analyses to examine the relationship between company rank and our identified factors.
Samuel Dominguez ‘27, Gabie Ong ‘25, Andy Tu ‘24, Daniel Wu ‘27
Responsible Leadership in Tech We aim to discover which aspects of responsible leadership contribute most to the successful use of technology, particularly AI, in a particular sector. We've conducted a campus-wide survey on what defines a responsible leader in general and cleaned our data. We are now coding our data to see whether there are any characteristics which stick out
Julia Mehlman ‘25, Jacob Detrinidad ‘25, Emre Kocer ‘27, Jonas Rickert ‘28, Jasmine He ‘28
MEET THE RESEARCH TEAMS
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Women and Leadership
We research the motivational theory of role modeling for women in leadership, focusing on how various priming conditions influence the behaviors of women leaders during group tasks. This semester, we are refining the behavioral coding scheme and utilizing AI to code experimental data.
Kaavya Narayan ‘25, Siqi Deng ‘26, Talin Tyvand ‘27, Vivian Gao ‘28
Early Career Success
We aim to find what college activities contribute most to early career success and translates to early leadership positions. Our data set has been obtained and cleaned and we found a positive correlation between Leadership and Extracurriculars. Right now, we are working on a further analysis of data and a more complex model building
Max Jackman ‘25, Savannah Leslie (CGU), Ariel Santiago ‘26
Followership
We aim to to learn more about followers in the workplace and how people perceive the role of a follower. We have created and sent our first survey. We are starting to learn how to code the responses and look for patterns and themes. We hope to utilize MAXQDA to help code our data
Lukas Huntington ‘25, Eleanor Leiter ‘27, Kat Kirkpatrick POM ‘25
MEET THE INSTITUTE TEAMS
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Meet The Institute Teams
Website
The KLI Web Development team manages all of Kravis Leadership Institute's websites and domains, develops web pages for conferences and events, and handles other technology-related needs for the institute.
Lead: Alex Dien ‘25 Members: Fred Neuburger ‘27
Social Media
Lead: Oliver Broegger ‘26 Members: Sinthya Guaman ‘25, Milan Manfredi ‘27, Gabe Buyuklyu ‘28 , Diego Nunez ‘28 achievements of KLI’s faculty and students, broadcast upcoming events, and keep KLI’s board and alums updated! We manage and represent KLI’s online presence on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook. We aim to highlight the awesome
SEMI
We connect board members to current KLI students through two distinct opportunities: leadership masterclasses (hour- long classes with discussion taught by a board member or fellow) and office hours (30-minute small group conversations with a board member or fellow).
Members: Russel Kaun ‘26, Zach Roerden ’27, Jaden Andrews ‘27, Haley Penn ‘28 Lead: Davis Eglin ‘26
MEET THE INSTITUTE TEAMS
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Logistics
Lead: Meilan Uyeno ‘27 Members: Ava Kopp ‘25, Roman Sycz ‘27, Amrit Dhaliwal ‘27, Vivienne Arndt ‘28 We foster a community where students can constructively disagree, connect with faculty, and advance their career goals. Through leadership dialogues, we encourage discussions on leadership topics, promote workshops with KLI professors and leadership coaches, and assist in planning events like conferences to boost student engagement.
WLD
We assist in leading discussions and activities in our monthly workshops, oversee assignment tracking on Sakai, provide make-up sessions to support participants, and ensure our workbooks stay up-to-date with valuable leadership insights. I most enjoy interacting with the women leaders in our cohort, and supporting Dr. Tan and Marilyn!
Lead: Ava Kopp ‘25
Newsletter
Lead: Jaden Andrews ‘27 Members: Amelia Opsahl ‘25, Davis Eglin ‘26, Riley Hester ‘27 We create and produce a bi-annual newsletter that showcases our events, initiatives, and leadership insights of KLI, keeping our community of students, faculty, and alumni informed and connected. We collaborate to ensure the content is aligned with the institute’s mission to foster impactful leadership
D-CREW SPOTLIGHT + ATH TALK
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Development Crew Spotlight
“My D-Crew this semester has been so much fun! The activities that we have done (e.g., our gingerbread house making workshop) have improved my creativity while also helping me to get to know my fellow KLI members on a deeper level. I’ve enjoyed laughing and developing together as leaders and I am excited for our events in the Spring!” - Amelia Opsahl ‘25
The KLI’s Leadership Competency model maximizes student leadership potential
through D-Crews , or small student groups that focus on developing one specific competency (courage, collaboration, or creative) through intentional reflection, discussion, and group events.
“My D-Crew has been an incredible source of support and growth for me this semester. I loved making gingerbread houses and seeing how everyone problem solved when our houses collapsed. Learning from everyone’s unique perspectives has made me a better problem solver and more confident team member!” - Ellie Leiter ‘27
KLI Co-Sponsored Athenaeum Speaker
“CMC alum, and Vietnam combat infantry platoon leader, Robin Bartlett was inspiring to learn from. His service to our country was extraordinary. Faced with unimaginably difficult tasks, he led his troop with intelligence, confidence, and loyalty. He taught us to say "welcome home" rather than "thank you for your service" when showing gratitude towards veterans. Robin illustrated that this salutation is meaningful and shows deep appreciation.” -Haley Penn ‘28
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KLI @ ILA
Igniting Change Panel with Marilyn & Dr. Tan
Professor David Day was honored as one of 3 Lifetime Achievement Award Winners, along with Gail T. Fairhurst, Ph.D. and Robert C. Liden, Ph.D.
See Page 5 for more information!
A Transformational and Path-Goal Leadership Approach for Advancing Nuclear Energy Davis Eglin, Max Jackman, Ava Kopp, Kaavya Narayan Claremont McKenna College
Leadership Theory
Background
Solutions
Increasing standardization, decreasing stigma, and increasing reactor deployment requires strong leadership to build public trust and overcome bureaucratic obstacles. Transformational leadership and Path-Goal theory provide valuable models to help reinvigorate individuals’ motivation to implement nuclear energy and foster support for navigating obstacles.
1. Cleanliness: Nuclear is the cleanest energy source, with the lowest carbon emissions. 2. Safety: It ranks as the second safest form of energy based on accident and emission-related deaths. 3. Reliability: Unlike solar and wind, nuclear provides consistent energy without latency issues. 4. Cost-Effectiveness: According to the IEA, nuclear is the cheapest energy source per MWh based on levelised generation costs. Increasingly, nuclear energy is materializing as a way to provide a consistent energy resource, unlike intermittent options such as wind, solar, or hydropower. In order to implement it, the U.S. needs a leadership-based approach to combat stigma and policy obstacles. As we face the urgent demand to address climate change and reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, nuclear energy has emerged as a viable—albeit controversial—option for producing clean, low-carbon power. Why Nuclear? SDG #15, “Life On Land,” advocates for “promoting a sustainable use of our ecosystems.” As our planet’s land sees increasing deforestation, demands for energy, and fossil fuel usage, the need to protect our Earth’s valuable resources is more imperative than ever. In particular, a shift from our current methods of energy such as coal, oil, and natural gas—finite resources that damage ecosystems—is necessary. The conclusion is simple: the United States, requires a transformation of our current energy portfolio.
Public Information Campaign
Grounded in transformational and path-goal theories to educate the public about nuclear’s low levelized cost of electricity, mitigate concerns about waste and health risks, and drive national implementation. Hosting Open Houses and VR Experiences
Transformational Leadership
Definition: Transformational leadership involves inspiring followers to commit to a shared vision through an exceptional form of influence that moves them to accomplish more than what is expected (Bass and Riggio, 2006).
Leadership Application: Foster idealized influence by allowing public to see nuclear energy practices firsthand–building trust
Open houses and VR tours at nuclear facilities to offer the public a transparent, immersive look at operations
Four Factors of Transformational Leadership Idealized Influence
Creating Educational Media Campaigns
Transparency in the nuclear energy processes helps to role model the clean alternative of nuclear energy for followers.
Media created with environmental advocates and policymakers can spark interest in nuclear energy
Leadership Application: Draws on inspirational motivation, presenting nuclear energy as a hopeful solution
Inspirational Motivation
Displaying optimism for the prospect of nuclear and articulating a compelling vision for the future will motivates followers.
Intellectual Stimulation
Integrating Nuclear Energy into STEM Education
Challenge norms + reframe the problem of climate change and nuclear energy. Stimulate followers’ efforts to be innovative.
Leadership Application: Intellectually stimulates students to explore nuclear energy, aligning with path-goal theory by closing knowledge gap
Include nuclear energy in STEM programs to encourage students to explore nuclear energy’s potential
Individualized Consideration
Pay attention to individual followers’ stigmas and needs for clarity on nuclear energy–through coaching and mentorship
Path Goal Leadership Theory
Policy Recommendations
Definition: Path-Goal Theory in leadership is an approach for leaders to enhance motivation and performance of their followers by 1) providing a clear path, 2) defining goals, 3) removing obstacles, and 4) providing support.
Our policy recommendations are rooted in the Path-Goal approach, aiming to clear the path toward adopting nuclear energy and remove obstacles along the way.
Standardization
Four Leadership Behaviors
Standardized approach to reactor design allowing mass production of reactor components
Reduces costs, improves construction timelines, simplifies training for operators
Participative: Engages stakeholders in political decision-making
Supportive: Builds trust and reduces public fears
Achievement Oriented:
Directive:
Clarifies nuclear processes and regulation
Sets ambitious goals for standardization, safety, and policy
Levelized Cost of Electricity by Technology
Data pulled from OurWorldInData.com
change.
Leaders should clarify goals through public messaging campaigns to tie advancing nuclear energy as the best tool to maximize results in fighting the climate crisis. Leaders should help remove obstacles and provide support for editing or changing intricate regulatory policy through legislative bodies or agencies.
To change policy, you need a leader who can enhance motivation and performance among divided, polarized followers. We advocate for usage of all four leadership behaviors (directive, supportive, participative, and achievement-oriented) to tackle complex regulatory hurdles and galvanize divided followers.
Follower Characteristics: Need for clarity, desire for support, preference for involvement, & high achievement drive
Student Case Competition: Davis Eglin ‘26, Max Jackman ’25, Ava Kopp ‘25, and Kaavya Narayan ‘25
Simplify Environmental Review Procedures
Reforming environmental reviews and implementing categorical exclusions is key to reducing nuclear development delays.
Allow certain reactor upgrades to bypass full reviews if they meet safety criteria + eliminate need for new reviews on each project
Task Characteristics: highly technical, skepticism, interdependency, strict
standards
Removing Foreign Technology Export Restrictions
Reforming or abolishing the 123 agreements could streamline export process
US companies could compete globally while guiding peaceful nuclear use
Motivation
Followers
Goals
CARNEGIE ELECTIVE CLASSIFICATION
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Carnegie Elective Classification
CMC Recognized for Leadership for Public Purpose
The Carnegie Elective Classification for Leadership for Public Purpose is a new recognition introduced by the Carnegie Foundation to honor institutions that demonstrate a strong, campus-wide commitment to leadership initiatives focused on the public good, including justice, equity, diversity, and societal impact.
In January 2020, the Carnegie Foundation, in partnership with the American Council on Education, launched this elective classification, with Claremont McKenna College (CMC) among the nine founding institutions. The inaugural 2024 cohort includes 25 institutions, including CMC, Arizona State University, and Simmons University. The classification encourages institutions from all sectors —community colleges, liberal arts colleges, and research universities—to undergo a rigorous, peer- reviewed assessment of their leadership programs. These programs must demonstrate how they foster responsible leadership that addresses both local and global issues and contributes to the broader public good. For CMC, the effort to earn this distinction involved a comprehensive, four-year initiative led by David Day, Professor and Academic Director at the Kravis Leadership Institute. The college focused on integrating leadership education into every aspect of campus life, from the curriculum and student programming to alumni engagement and staff development. CMC’s leadership programs align with the College’s mission to prepare students for thoughtful, productive lives and responsible leadership in business, government, and beyond. Central to this effort is the Open Academy, which emphasizes ethical leadership, critical thinking, and an understanding of power, privilege, and systemic issues in society. The classification process is not a one-time achievement but part of a broader commitment to continuous improvement. As Day explained, the spirit of the classification is grounded in ongoing self-assessment and the pursuit of further leadership goals. CMC, like other institutions in the inaugural cohort, will continue to evaluate and refine its leadership initiatives, ensuring they remain aligned with the public good and respond to evolving societal challenges. Ultimately, the Carnegie Elective Classification for Leadership for Public Purpose seeks to foster a broader understanding of leadership as a public good and encourage institutions to cultivate leadership that is ethical, inclusive, and focused on the betterment of society.
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