Leadership

Leadership Certificate Program

EVERY FRIDAY, WINTER QUARTER

January 10–March 14, 2025 | 1:00–4:30 p.m. Pacific Time
Main Campus, Kerr Hall, Conference Room 212

The Division of Graduate Studies offers graduate students a Leadership Certificate Program, consisting of a series of classes on leadership theory and practical skills.

To join the program, your faculty adviser or principal investigator must recommend you with an email to Vice Provost and Dean of Graduate Studies Peter Biehl at vpdgs@ucsc.edu and state in the email that you are in good academic standing and able to commit to attending every meeting.

The Division of Graduate Studies will provide certification of completion of the program. The UCSC Academic Senate Graduate Council has reviewed and approved the program, and completion of the program is recorded as an official credential on your student record and transcript.

The program meets in person. Zoom virtual attendance is only available to those in the following circumstances: attending classes remotely, conducting research remotely, or needing to attend virtually for accessibility or to accommodate their schedules.

The maximum number of graduate students in the program cohort is 25.
Deadline to register: January 3

• Listening, Mentoring, Coaching, and Advising | Negotiating
• Executive Public Speaking
• Collaborative Teamwork
• The Power of Clear Communication: Building Effective Performance Management Practices
• Recruiting, Interviewing, Developing, and Retaining Talent
• Burnout: Recognizing, Preventing, Managing in Yourself and Among Your Team
• Proactive DEI for Leaders
• Conflict Resolution
• Leading with Radical Collaboration and Cooperation
• Cultivating Mindful Leadership in Times of Change and Possibility
• Psychological Safety: Creating a Safe Place for Connection and Innovation
• Academic Leadership, Certificates Awarded

Listening, Mentoring, Coaching, Advising | Negotiating

Andrea Cohen, Director of Strategy and Chief of Staff, Division of Academic Affairs
January 10

Listening—actively, intentionally, and with empathy—is essential for developing the skills of mentoring, coaching, and advising. Listening well also aids team performance and enhances professional and personal relationships. In part one of this two-part interactive workshop, learn how to listen conscientiously and the differences between mentoring, coaching, and advising.

In part two, we will explore negotiation theories and strategies, create space for dialogue and preparation for an upcoming negotiation, and offer ample opportunities to practice and apply learning. Through case studies and real-world scenarios, this workshop will empower you with the tools to communicate and lead effectively, build win-win scenarios, and leave a lasting impact.

Andrea Cohen serves as director of strategy and chief of staff in the Division of Academic Affairs at UC Santa Cruz, where she engages with strategic initiatives; manages recruitments, supports personnel, and guides employee development; centers DEIA goals; and conducts research and strategizes on divisional and campuswide projects. A trusted adviser to colleagues at all levels, Andrea develops project and implementation plans, facilitates groups through projects and change processes, offers workshops and training, participates on several boards, and was the founding chair of UCSC’s Campus Advisory Committee on the Status of Womxn (CACSW). Andrea earned a master’s in public administration (M.P.A.) from Villanova University in Philadelphia and a bachelor’s in geography from the University of Colorado Boulder.

Executive Public Speaking

Bri McWhorter, Public Speaking Coach and Owner, Activate to Captivate
January 17

As a leader, it’s important to understand how to leverage key moments to connect with and empower your team. This workshop will cover how to help folks open up and engage in meaningful dialogues, conduct impactful meetings, and encourage collaboration between teammates.

Bri McWhorter is the founder and CEO of Activate to Captivate, where she teaches communication techniques from an actor’s point of view. She specializes in public speaking, scientific communications, interview skills, and interpersonal communications. She has taught workshops at Fortune 500 companies, is an executive coach at numerous corporations, and leads communication programs at top universities around the country. She is the creator of W.A.V.E.®, a program where she teaches speakers how to overcome nerves, use body language, and rely on their voice to tell an engaging story. She coaches speakers for large pitch competitions, keynote lectures, and TEDx talks. She has an MFA in Acting from the University of California, Irvine, and a BA in Theater and Performance Studies from the University of California, Berkeley.

Collaborative Teamwork

Thomas J. Rogers, Advisor, Consultant, Instructor, CSU-Monterey Bay
January 24

This interactive workshop begins by drawing on the collective wisdom of participants with a brainstorm on the essentials of a successful team. It continues with an exploration of collaboration best practices for both group leaders and contributors. The content draws on the presenter’s experience, Steven Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Successful People, and Successful Manager’s Handbook by Susan Gebelein, et al. The closing segment invites participants to reflect on their strengths and challenges with collaborative work practices and identify a specific area they can focus on improving.

Thomas J. Rogers has an M.A. in Human & Organizational Transformation and a B.A. in Psychology. A skillful career counselor, he has 20 years of advising, teaching, and mentoring experience. Thomas has worked closely with a wide variety of individuals, including college students, veterans, mid-career professionals, and people with disabilities. He is well-versed in adult learning theory and adept at creating transformative learning situations. Thomas lived and worked in China for three years with the Peace Corps and has worked for CSU Monterey Bay since 2011.

The Power of Clear Communication: Building Effective Performance Management Practices

Michael Stephens, Technical Alignment Manager and Support Specialist, Pagoda Technologies; Learning and Development Training Consultant, UCSC Staff Human Resources, Learning and Development
January 31

This workshop focuses on creating a culture of clear expectations, in which all parties understand their roles and responsibilities, increasing productivity and professional growth while building trust.

In this class, you will:

• Discuss the importance of clear two-way communication for productivity and performance management
• Strategize for effective check-ins
• Understand the importance of documenting employee work

Michael Stephens has worked as a manager off and on for over 30 years. Michael has run bookstores and bakeries and overseen short-order cooks and technical support teams. He’s overhauled inventory record keeping systems and administered many LMS’ simultaneously. He’s written, produced, directed, and acted in dozens of plays, worked at McHenry Library for years, and has trained lawyers, dishwashers, firefighters, and faculty. He’s played in bands, hired over 100 people in his career, and fired quite a few. Michael has had solo and group art shows, has directed multiple departments in tech companies, written many manuals and business plans, has starred in a full-length indie film, worked as a copy editor and voice-over actor, is an avid gardener, and has raised three kids while maintaining a mostly good attitude. Currently, Michael presents workshops and facilitates conversations at UCSC for Staff Human Resources Learning & Development. He also oversees the support team servicing the staff-facing LMS, SumTotal/The UC Learning Center.

Recruiting, Interviewing, Developing, and Retaining Talent

Instructor(s) To Be Determined
February 7

Learn best recruiting and interview practices, gain practice interviewing with role play as interviewer and interviewee, and learn best employee retention strategies, such as providing employee professional development programs and using proven motivational and engagement strategies.

Burnout: Recognizing, Preventing, Managing in Yourself and Among Your Team

MaryJan Murphy, Director, Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS)
Richard Enriquez, Associate Director for Training, Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS)
February 14

Burnout is a state of exhaustion that can impact our work, personal lives, health, and overall sense of well-being and purpose. As a leader, you not only need to recognize and take steps to prevent your own burnout, but you also need to aid your team members in doing the same. In this meeting, we’ll discuss how to recognize burnout, as distinct from lesser but easily recovered from fatigue, common causes and symptoms, and learn strategies to recognize, prevent, and manage burnout and how to help your team members do the same.

MaryJan is a white, cisgender, female-identified, licensed psychologist.  She has been working in university counseling centers for more than 25 years and has devoted much of her professional career to training and mentoring doctoral interns, postdoctoral fellows, early career psychologists, and practicing psychologists in a university counseling center. She has experience in individual, couples, and group therapy, outreach programming, and education and also directs the APA-accredited Internship in Health Services Psychology and the Postdoctoral Fellowship Program. She takes a multicultural, feminist, and cognitive-behavioral approach to therapy. She is interested in training and supervision, women’s issues, eating disorders, trauma, and career development. Other areas of interest include leadership development, counseling center administration, and developing a multiculturally and social justice-focused counseling center.

Richard is a cisgender male, gay-identified, married, Mexican American, and Christian originally from the Los Angeles area. He completed his Ph.D. in clinical psychology at Palo Alto University with an emphasis on Diversity and Community Mental Health (DCMH). He is a long-time slug, having earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology and completed his postdoctoral fellowship at UCSC. Richard approaches psychology from an integrative perspective, incorporating cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT), and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) to meet students’ individual needs.  Richard’s clinical interests include alcohol and other drug use, religion and spirituality, mood disorders, and anxiety disorders. He has experience with a wide range of populations and settings, including
ethnically diverse populations, adult populations (ages 18-61), LGBTQ-identified clients, residential substance treatment, community mental health, and college counseling. Richard believes in working collaboratively with students, helping them identify their personal goals, and supporting them in their journey.

Proactive Leadership Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Lorato Anderson, Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Graduate Division
February 21 | 1:00-2:40

This interactive discussion focuses on strategies to proactively engage in diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging from a leadership position and perspective.

Lorato Anderson is the director of diversity, equity, and inclusion in Graduate Studies at UC Santa Cruz. Her role centers on advancing initiatives for minoritized graduate student support across multiple campus-wide projects, as well as providing direct support to students, staff, faculty, and programs. Lorato graduated with a B.A. in Literature/Writing from UC San Diego and received her M.S. in Higher Education Administration and Policy from Northwestern University, where she researched and developed assessment models for English Language Learners and created multiple DEI programs that are still active today. She has extensive experience in grant writing, teaching, advising, assessment, and creating long-lasting research-backed programs to promote minoritized undergraduate and graduate student success.

Lorato received the 2020 Outstanding Staff Achievement Award in Social Sciences. Her previous roles include graduate program advisor and coordinator for Latin American and Latino Studies (LALS) and Politics and undergraduate advisor for Psychology. She takes pride in incorporating social justice, empathetic advising strategies, and teaching pedagogies into her work in advising, administration, and grant and program development.

Conflict Resolution

De Acker, University Ombuds
February 21 | 2:50-4:30

In this overview of de-escalation methods and conflict management skills, participants will gain a greater understanding of how conflict works, why it happens, and practical skills and steps to address conflict. Participants will engage in an informative, interactive, and fun process that aims to improve our capacity to listen without defensiveness, speak without offending, de-escalate anger, and have greater potential for reaching mutually satisfying solutions.

De Acker came to UC Santa Cruz with over three decades of UC experience. She served as director of the UC Santa Barbara Women’s Center for 12 years before joining UC Merced to serve as the assistant dean of the School of Natural Sciences. After founding the campus’s first ombuds office, she established the UC Merced Office of Campus Climate, which coordinated campus diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. De also served as a staff advisor to the UC Board of Regents from 2014 to 2016.

Leading with Collaboration and Cooperation

Instructor(s) To Be Determined
February 28

Description coming soon.

Cultivating Mindful Leadership in Times of Change and Possibility

Silvia Austerlic, Learning & Development Organizational Communication Consultant, Staff Human Resources
March 7 | 1:00–2:40

In these times of continuous change, the world is calling us to lead ourselves and others in a different way. Mindful leadership is about taking initiative in and with your life with authenticity, awareness, and confidence. Practicing mindfulness cultivates our ability to pay intentional attention to our experience from moment to moment, teaching us to become patiently and spaciously aware of what is going on in our mind and body without judgment, reaction, and distraction. In this experiential session of the first half of this meeting, you will learn three body-mind practices that will help you introduce mindfulness into your everyday life and work, while further developing internally driven leadership.

Psychological Safety: Creating a Safe Place for Connection and Innovation

March 7 | 2:50–4:30

The second half of this meeting in workshop format aims to provide both a theoretical understanding of psychological safety and practical tools for leaders to use to implement psychological safety within their teams and organizations. The workshop encourages self-reflection, open communication, fostering a culture of trust, collaboration, and innovation. At the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

• Define psychological safety
• Understand the four stages of psychological safety
• Recognize the primary components and effects of safe environments
• Understand the tools to reframe thinking and check practices

Silvia Austerlic is an organizational communications consultant on the Staff Human Resources Learning and Development Team, dedicated to fostering the growth of UC Santa Cruz staff through well-being initiatives, skill development, and community building. With over a decade of experience, she served as the Latino culture liaison and grief support counselor at Hospice of Santa Cruz County, providing direct services and diversity training. Silvia became a UCSC lecturer in 2017, teaching “Building an Inner Sanctuary” and facilitating emotional workshops, campus-wide conversations, and Faculty and Staff Leadership Academy sessions. Between 2020-2023, she played a pivotal role in connecting Spanish-speaking community members in Monterey County with resilience-based grief support services. As the founder of Senti-Pensante Connections, Silvia aims to bridge inner work and social justice for individual transformation, social change, and collective action. She holds a master’s degree in Counselor Education, is a trained ontological coach, and holds a black belt in Aikido.

Academic Leadership and Certificate-Awarding Party

Peter Biehl, Ph.D., Vice Provost and Dean, Division of Graduate Studies
March 14

VPDGS Peter Biehl will discuss his career path from archeology professor to academic leader and then award the leadership certificates. This final meeting will conclude with a party!

Peter Biehl, Ph.D., vice provost and dean of the Division of Graduate Studies, held numerous leadership positions at the University of Buffalo supporting graduate and international student education prior to joining UCSC. His last position at the University of Buffalo was in the Office of the Provost, where he worked to enhance the national and international recognition of the university’s faculty, a project supported by a fellowship from the American Council on Education.

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