New anti-racism course from Rachelle Rogers-Ard: Leading Across Difference
Popular instructor Rachelle Rogers-Ard, Ph.D., is returning to UCOP with a new course offering — Leading Across Difference: Understanding Self, Understanding Leadership.
This workshop-based training experience will focus on disrupting racial bias and anti-blackness, increasing awareness of institutional, structural and systemic inequity through race, and applying this information to increase leadership skills at all levels. You’ll have an opportunity to examine the ways in which your own biases have a huge structural impact while engaging in discussions with colleagues to shed light on your leadership growth areas.
This training is based on Rogers-Ard’s Authentic Leadership model, which moves participants from theoretical concepts to context-driven practice; to that end, you will be challenged to implement systemic and leadership change within your own professional context as a concrete deliverable. Given the transformative, sensitive and often painful content around racism, this training embeds facilitative social-emotional best practices to create a supportive environment. `
During this course, you will:
- Build a foundational understanding of the historical and social foundations of structural racism and anti-Blackness in America.
- Increase your leadership skills towards improved relational outcomes with your colleagues and direct reports.
- Grapple with the question: “Who do I need to become to radically shift my leadership?”
- Become part of a learning community of UCOP leaders who will be better equipped to transform workplace culture.
Participants must attend both sessions:
- Wednesday, April 19, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. (PT)
- Session 2: Wednesday, May 3, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. (PT)
Register online now
Instructor feedback
Rachelle Rogers-Ard, Ph.D., is a published author, adjunct professor, school district administrator, and organizational development specialist with over 25 years’ experience. She has led several previous UCOP courses and workshops, including the Continuing the Conversation on Race course series and Social Emotional Learning At Work: Creating Connection and Belonging at UCOP.
Below is feedback from UCOP colleagues who have taken her courses:
- “Rachelle was very well prepared and easily explained to us a very complex subject.”
- “Dr. Rogers-Ard is patient in her teaching method; she creates spaces in which all participants can think freely and be vulnerable.”
- “What I liked most about the course is Dr. Rogers-Ard’s ability to gently push me out of my comfort zone and to think deeply and seriously about methods of self-improvement. She challenges each student to be vulnerable without judgment. I truly enjoy her courses.”
- “The inclusiveness of the presenter really stood out to me.”
- “Dr. Rogers-Ard made the class feel truly interactive, despite the large size of the group. By the time we entered breakout rooms, I think we all felt a sense of trust and comfort even though we often did not know each other personally.”
For questions about this course, contact ucopld@ucop.edu.
Tags: leadership development, leadership skills, professional development, Rachelle Rogers-Ard