The Monarchs Leadership Conferenceis taking place Friday, February 13th, 2026 from 10:30am-3pm, in the Webb Student Center and Online! This conference provides opportunities to highlight students' experiences gained in hands-on leadership practice at Old Dominion University. Sessions highlight knowledge and experience gained from leadership programs, mentorship, internships, project management, research, advocacy, and activism for community change.   

 

The conference offers sessions facilitated by community members, alumni, faculty, and staff who are also joined by student leaders. Federal Work Study students can receive compensation for each session they attend, and all students can earn raffle tickets to win free prizes, including Monarch Plus! Raffle will be drawn at the end of the day (2:55 pm).   

 

See full details on the Monarchs Leadership Conference 2026 event page in Monarch Groups and via individual session registration links below. A flyer is also attached. 

 

Conference Schedule:   

 

Time 

Sessions 

Presenters 

Location 

Individual Session Registration Link 

10:30am-11:00am  

Registration & Opening with Vice President for SCL 

Dr. Brandi Hephner LaBanc  

Hampton/Newport News Room in Webb Center and Zoom 

11:00am  

Building Your Personal Brand on LinkedIn! 

Michelle Carpenter, Nia Newton, Amie Burdette (Strome College of Business) 

Online 

Start With Duty: Leadership and Career Excellence Through the Eyes of a Cyber Officer 

Mateo Portelli (Cybersecurity) 

Webb Center 

Using Marketing to be a Leader in Accessibility 

Kcatt Christian, Emily Harmon (Perry Honors College) 

Webb Center 

 

12:00pm  

Skills, Mindsets, and Actions of the Future-Ready Leader Panel 

Panelists TBD 

Hampton/Newport News Room in Webb Center and Zoom  

1:00pm  

Student Entrepreneurship in the Age of AI: Communication, Networking, and Building Your Own Path 

Lajuane Lindo Jr., Emily Harmon (Perry Honors College) 

Webb Center 

 

Leading Out Loud - Building Authentic Leadership Together 

Drew Ferebee (Center for Career & Leadership Development), Celeste Kelly 

Webb Center 

 

Campus to Career: Advancing Women's Leadership Through Collaboration and Inclusion 

Ozioko Onyinye Mary, Charlies Mathies (Department of Educational Leadership & Workforce Development) 

Webb Center 

 

2:00pm  

Cultivating a Disability Affirming Environment 

Adam Mandell, Kat Creveling (Department of Human Movement Studies & Special Education) 

Webb Center & On-Line (Hybrid) 

 

Lead With What You've Learned: Turning Coursework and Internships Into a Leadership Statement 

Alison Lietzenmayer (Department of Communication & Theatre Arts) 

 Online 

The ABCs of Work-Life Balance 

Katherine Sasu-Twumasi, Ti'Mani Hargrave (Center for Career & Leadership Development) 

Webb Center 

 

Stone Ethical Leadership Challenge* 

Omicron Delta Kappa & Tiffany Cummings (Institutional Effectiveness and Assessment) 

Webb Center 

*This session is 90-minutes long and will end at 3:30pm 

 

Please consider sharing this information with your students! Have questions? Please reach out to Otis Williams, Assistant Director for Leadership and Career Programs, at ojwilia@odu.edu