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| JHLP NewsletterSummer 2023, Vol. 1
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Hello, Friends:
I am pleased to share the first volume of the Summer 2023 newsletter with you. JHLP has accomplished so much this year that the newsletter is being published in two volumes. Much of the content was provided by members of JHLP's Media Committee, other HLAs, and graduate assistant Henry Mbogu. This publication is enhanced by their unique voices and photography and I very much appreciate their contribution of time and talent. Look for more of their work in Volume 2 next month.
Many of you have also contributed time, talent, and treasure to help students in the Gallogly and Mewbourne Colleges develop as effective and ethical leaders. Your impact as guest speakers, mentors, workshop facilitators, and donors sets an inspiring example. Thank you.
With appreciation,
Kim Graves Wolfinbarger, Director
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JHLP Welcomes New Associates
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JHLP welcomed 36 new associates to the program in the fall, bringing the total number of active HLAs to 81. The new group included undergraduate and graduate students active in a variety of student organizations within engineering programs and across campus.
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October Welcome Meeting by Sydney Potts
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| HLAs practice creating a Leadership Development Plan.
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Holmes Leadership Associates welcomed their new counterparts at the October meeting. The goal of this meeting was for new HLAs to gain understanding of the program, meet other HLAs, and get familiar with JHLP Capabilities and the Leadership Development Plan. A professional photographer took individual portraits, and each HLA received a digital copy for their personal use.
At the beginning of each semester, associates create an individual Leadership Development Plan. Students choose three target capabilities from JHLP's Leadership Capabilities list, set a goal for each capability, and create an action plan to help them achieve the goal. To help new associates become familiar with the process, returning HLAs guided small groups of new HLAs as they practiced creating a leadership development plan. Each group chose a leadership capability and set a SMART (specific, measurable, actionable, realistic, and timely) goal related to the capability. They then identified three actions to help reach the goal. Once each group had completed their Leadership Development Plan, a representative presented the plan while receiving feedback from Dr. Wolfinbarger and other attendees.
At the end of the meeting, members volunteered to serve on JHLP committees including Media, Membership, Mentor-Alumni Relations, and Campus Connections. Overall, this meeting allowed associates to develop relationships, learn about the JHLP Leadership Capabilities, and understand how creating and implementing a goal can help enhance their abilities and leadership.
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Students Build Communication and Conflict Management Skills at Retreatby Miremba Kaile Mulimba
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| Kayaking was a highlight of the student leadership retreat.
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The annual Engineering & Geosciences Student Leadership Retreat, sponsored by Boeing, took place in late October at St. Crispin's Camp near Wewoka, Oklahoma. This two-day intensive event was open to all Gallogly and Mewbourne students, from freshmen to doctoral candidates, and was designed to help students learn practical leadership skills. Holmes Leadership Associates contributed extensively to planning and leading the program. Twenty-four students attended for an enlightening and enjoyable camp experience. Friday's activities began with icebreakers led by HLA Tina Nguyen. Camp staff facilitated high and low ropes activities, including a diverting game where the objective was to cross a log bridge above the ground with an option to request support from teammates. The lesson was the importance of having a support system and being able to request help when needed. In another activity, students crossed three different crates without touching the ground between the crates. This game called for teamwork and creativity in using two wooden planks, one shorter than the other and both too short to be placed directly between the crates.
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Boeing engineers joined the students for dinner and then participated in a panel discussion facilitated by HLA Mousa Hamad. The Boeing representatives discussed leaders' responsibility for curating effective communication strategies to ensure that every member of their organization feels safe and heard. Panelists encouraged attendees to “Treat others the way they want to be treated” as opposed to the age-old saying, “Treat others the way you would like to be treated.”
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| Shannon Mathers gestures during the Barnga game.
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Saturday’s program opened with a session about conflict and negotiation led by HLA Esther Kayondo. Participants played the simulation “Ugli Oranges” and assumed roles of research scientists competing for a limited resource. They learned the importance of trust and working toward mutually agreeable solutions during negotiations. For the second session, Retreat Chair Patrick Oketcho introduced the challenging card game Barnga, developed in Liberia by USAID to support diplomats’ training in intercultural communication. The rules forbade speaking and writing, requiring students to devise creative approaches to communicate nonverbally.
After lunch and free time for games, hiking, and kayaking, attendees reflected on their learning, identified new leadership development and organizational improvement goals, and created an action plan for pursuing those goals.
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David Walters Shares "Oklahoma Theories of Leadership"by Tadiwa Aubrey Mugwadi
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In November JHLP hosted the Hon. David Walters, former governor of Oklahoma, for the Fall 2022 edition of Distinguished Speaker Series. Walters, an OU Industrial Engineering alumnus and president of Walters Power International, spoke to a standing-room-only audience of students, faculty, staff, and friends about “Oklahoma Theories of Leadership.” Prior to the talk, he enjoyed dinner with a small group of HLAs and other student leaders. Walters opened his speech by discussing the importance of building networks. He gave a personal example of how his involvement in the College of Engineering helped him secure a job with the University immediately after graduation. Then he provided an evaluation of the positive aspects of the different leadership styles exhibited by OU presidents. He released tension in the room through a sentence that I surprisingly remember word for word, “I am having an awkward pause just like the one Kim [Wolfinbarger] had.” This sentence summarized the relaxed nature which made his presentation less of a speech, but more of a conversation on the importance of knowing exactly what we want and how to effectively ask for it. Governor Walters also emphasized the importance of separating play and work, while making sure that you have a balance of both. Finally, he talked about the importance of picking careers that we enjoy when we graduate.
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| David Walters chats with a student and Lisa Morales, Executive Director of Diversity & Inclusion, after his speech.
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HLAs Learn about Venture Capital Fundingby Henry Mbogu
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| STEM and business students make a case for their team's investment decision. HLA Tadz Mugwadi is pictured on the right.
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JHLP and the Price College's JCPenney Leadership Program hosted Cortado Ventures, one of the largest venture capital funds in Oklahoma, for a venture capital case workshop. The event started with an introductory presentation by Cortado analysts on venture capital and Cortado’s investment strategy. This gave the participants a knowledge baseline for engaging in an exciting case competition.
Participating students from STEM and business majors were split into mixed groups. The competing teams were presented with a set of startup investment opportunities with initial analysis and data on the prospects of the startup. The teams reviewed and evaluated the opportunities, conducted additional research, and selected a startup to fund. The objective was to select the company with the best chance of maximizing returns on investment. Each teams then presented their analysis and decision with justification. A winning team was selected based on the presentations.
The workshop was a great learning experience for all students involved and a fantastic networking opportunity with important players in the Oklahoma VC space. A fireside chat with Cortado Managing Partner and OU engineering alumnus Nathaniel Harding at the end of the event was especially illuminating. As is usual with joint JHLP–Price College events, it was interesting to see the interaction and collaboration between STEM and business students. The workshop effectively demonstrated how individuals from different backgrounds can bring complementary skills to the table towards achieving a desired goal.
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| Student Advisory Board Provides Leadership within JHLP
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Holmes Leadership Associates (HLAs) provide leadership to JHLP through committee and Student Advisory Board (SAB) service. The board consists of a student chair; committee chairs for Membership, Media, Campus Connections, the Leadership Retreat, and Mentor-Alumni Relations; and several at-large members. Committees facilitated activities at the retreat and HLA meetings, organized a game night at HeyDay, provided content for the newsletter and our Instagram account, recruited new associates, helped build relationships among HLAs, and organized a panel discussion featuring young alumni.
Natalie Norton served as this year's SAB chair. Committee chairs included Sydney Kropp (Membership), Tadiwa "Tadz" Mugwadi (Media), Sarah Onyembe (Campus Connections), Danuta Radyna (Mentor-Alumni Relations), and Patrick Oketcho (Retreat). At-large board members were Oihana Zarandona, Sydney Potts, Trinidad Alarcon Espinoza, Casey Seale, Juan Trujillo, Rylee Newport, Winston Sok, Hadi Fawad, and Esther Kayondo.
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| Pictured, left to right, are Christian Newkirk, Rachel Penner, and Raelin Lane.
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Two Holmes Leadership Associates were among sixteen OU students selected as Outstanding Seniors for their exceptional achievements in scholarship, honors, awards, leadership and service. Rachel Penner (Engineering Physics) was recognized by the Honors College, while Christian Newkirk (Mechanical Engineering) was honored by the Gallogly College of Engineering.
Raelin Lane (Aerospace Engineering) and the OU Hydrogen Team won 4th place in Phase 2 of the Hydrogen Business Case Prize Competition, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy. The team developed a financial analysis tool to help identify the best places for hydrogen energy production.
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| JHLP Thanks Our Sponsors & Donors
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JHLP appreciates the continued financial support of longtime corporate sponsor The Boeing Company, and of our many individual donors. If you would like to discuss a contribution to JHLP, contact Advancement Director Becca Barsetti.
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