High Point University hosted the first Elizabeth Miller Strickland Women’s Leadership Summit on April 20. HPU welcomed Lynn Good, president, president and CEO of Duke Energy, as the keynote speaker for the event. Good, left, speaks to Laurna C. Godwin, right, a member of the Strickland Women’s Leadership Council and president of Vector Communications in St. Louis, Missouri, during a question and answer session.
Lynn Good, President, President and CEO of Duke Energy, was the keynote speaker.
HIGH POINT, North Carolina, April 25, 2022 – High Point University hosted the inaugural Elizabeth Miller Strickland Women’s Leadership Summit on April 20 at Congdon Hall. HPU welcomed Lynn Good, president, president and CEO of Duke Energy, as the keynote speaker for the event.
Members of the Strickland Women’s Leadership Council and the LIFT Fellowship Program participated in a panel discussion on the journey to becoming a female leader. Pictured, left to right, are Dr. Rhonda Butler, HPU Strickland Women’s LIFT Fellowship Director; Maddie Drobny, an HPU junior; Deborah Kennedy Kennard, retired counsel for Mobile Oil Corporation; Lindsay Scott, HPU Graduate and Head of Talent Development for Coca-Cola Consolidated; and Sue Downes, CEO of MyEyeDr.
Students, faculty and staff filled the audience to hear Good speak and learn about growing and developing their leadership and life skills. The event included a Q&A session and panel discussion, as well as a networking opportunity afterwards for students to connect with the Strickland Women’s Leadership Council.
Good addressed the importance of female leadership during her keynote address and the three characteristics that make a great leader.
“When I think about women and the role we play, we can have a big impact,” Good said. “I think there’s magic that comes from a leader with empowered, driven, capable people. They can do great things.
She went on to say that statistics show that female leaders not only empower people but also impact performance success.
The event included a Q&A session and panel discussion, as well as a networking opportunity for students to connect with the Strickland Women’s Leadership Council.
Three key takeaways from Lynn Good’s speech:
- Curiosity: “If you are pursuing your career and serving as a leader of an organization, adopt a posture of curiosity. Spread your influence as widely as possible and put yourself at the center of problem solving.
- Empowerment: “The posture of a leader is less about you than him. The power of the team is with people who look and think differently from you. As a leader, it is above all about attracting talent, to motivate them and empower people, who together can do great things.
- Resilience: “Faced with big problems, it is the role of the leader to energize and motivate the team to solve the problem. It’s a skill you’ll need all your life.
Good and Laurna C. Godwin, a member of the Strickland Women’s Leadership Council and president of Vector Communications in St. Louis, Missouri, answered questions from HPU students during a question-and-answer session. Students asked Good for advice on how to uplift and support female colleagues in the workplace, and the importance of developing working relationships.
“One of the mistakes I see people make is only caring about the relationships above them,” Good added. “It’s not a good idea. You have to care deeply about the people who work for you and for your peers. Invest in those relationships, and then you can care about the relationships above. I think it’s important to examine your position in the company as a whole.
Sophomore Julia Velasquez, a junior neuroscience student from Chicago, Illinois, is a member of Strickland’s first Women’s LIFT Fellowship Program, which provides networking, leadership, development, mentoring, and coaching to female students interested in career positions. direction. Velasquez introduced Good before speaking to the audience.
“Introducing Lynn Good has been an incredible honor,” Velasquez said. “It’s always a wonderful opportunity to hear from women leaders like Ms. Good. She embodies our values as the Strickland Women’s LIFT Fellowship, and she was the perfect speaker for our first Women’s Leadership Summit. Having him on campus was also a great opportunity for the entire HPU community.
the Strickland Women’s Leadership Council premiered in August 2020 as part of a generous $12 million gift from Elizabeth Miller Strickland. The council was founded on Strickland’s belief that empowering women in business and leadership is a life skill worth pursuing.
