Opening General Session

Featuring: Stedman Graham

Sunday, November 2, 2008

1:30 – 3 p.m.

You Can Make It Happen! – Brand Yourself

Sponsored by Sodexo

"None of us are defined by our circumstances, nor are we defined by how other people perceive us. It is up to each one of us to define ourselves, and that is a life's work. Each of us has the ability to lead a dynamic life by pursuing our unique goals and dreams. There are no limits to what you can do,” says Stedman Graham.

This approach to life will engage audiences as we kick off the NACAS 40th Annual Conference that is meant to CONNECT attendees to new educational opportunities, CELEBRATE the history of the Association, and experience the culture and cuisine of CHICAGO.

From traditional corporations to the Internet, from top executives to people trying to make a difference in their communities, branding has become one of the most important concepts in professional and personal marketing today.  Stedman Graham will show us how to use branding -- the technique employed by major advertisers to distinguish their products -- for their own benefit.

Stedman Graham is chairman and CEO of S. Graham & Associates (SGA), a management and marketing consulting company that specializes in the corporate and educational markets.  Clients have included Merrill Lynch, Wells Fargo, Georgia Pacific, Pro-Line International, Hyatt Hotels Corporation, Manpower, CNN, GlaxoSmithKline, Plains Capital Corporation, American College of Sports Medicine, YMCA, U.S. Olympic Committee, U.S. Department of Labor’s Job Corps, Credit-Suisse First Boston, Harvard and Wharton business schools and the U.S. Department of Education.

As a businessman, educator and speaker, he presents, consults and conducts training with corporations, organizations and nonprofits on the topics of maximizing leadership, achieving success, growing a business, embracing diversity, achieving optimal health, and personal and professional branding.

Actively involved in education, Graham is a former adjunct professor at the University of Illinois-Chicago where he taught a leadership course based on his Nine-Step Process. At the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University, he taught a management strategy course entitled “The Dynamics of Leadership.”  He also founded and directed George Washington University’s Forum for Sport and Event Management and Marketing – the first of its kind in the country. 

Breakfast General Session

Featuring: Jason Ryan Dorsey

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

8:30 - 10 a.m.

Understanding, Interpreting, and Engaging Gen Y

Wrap-up this year’s conference with an enlightening speaker who will help you understand and involve the Gen Y students on your campus.  Jason Ryan Dorsey is a bestselling author, acclaimed speaker, and award-winning entrepreneur. Often referred to as the “Gen Y Guy,” Jason has been featured as a Generation Y expert on 60 Minutes, 20/20, NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s The View, NPR’s On Point, and in The Wall Street Journal and Fortune Magazine.

By age 18, Jason was a junior in college with an extensive network, respected mentors, and tremendous job opportunities. He also saw that many of his peers were not well positioned to secure the job they wanted. Determined to help, Jason authored and then self-published Graduate to Your Perfect Job in his college dorm room.

Jason’s focus on generational dynamics in the workplace began when he was contacted by business leaders frustrated with the loyalty and performance of their Generation Y employees. These business leaders wanted an insider’s perspective on exactly how to attract, retain, motivate, and develop this emerging workforce—especially with a skilled worker shortage fast approaching.

Jason was well aware of the difficulty business leaders were having with their Generation Y employees, because this was an underlying theme in his 2007 book, My Reality Check Bounced!. Jason realized that his experience speaking directly to 350,000 Gen Y’ers about workforce issues—and being a member of Generation Y himself—gave him a unique perspective on how to engage Generation Y employees. He also knew that a key component to unlocking Generation Y’s workplace potential was to focus on bridging all four generations now working side by side.

To understand the realities of leading a multigenerational workforce, Jason interviewed executives, managers, entrepreneurs, and employees representing each generation in a variety of industries. His goal was to learn their beliefs, priorities, and preferences to find common ground in the workplace. Jason used this experience and extensive research to develop a framework and step-by-step strategies business leaders can use to increase employee loyalty, teamwork, communication, and discretionary effort across all four generations.

Now 29, Jason has delivered over 1,800 keynotes and trainings to diverse audiences as large as 13,000. He is currently writing a new book that explains how to unlock Generation Y’s workplace potential and connect all four generations in the workplace.