Wayne County — home to Richmond, the Eastern Gateway of Indiana, thrives with industry and jazz. Its architecture reflects a Quaker heritage and the Whitewater River flows alongside the former Starr Piano Company and Gennett Records. Melissa Vance loves this place…
Don’t Hold Back
Self-made James Joseph leads with empathy to inspire even the most unlikely leaders James Joseph has never had to look far for guidance and inspiration: “If my father ever had…
The Best Investment is Professional Development
Andrew Dawson speaks to the rewards of building a team of leaders The late Al Rent, who was a fixture at Ball State University, told Andrew Dawson early in his…
From Uncertainty to Career Ready
Shafer Leadership Academy and Eastern Indiana Works Partner with the YWCA Central Indiana to help residents gain employment. “That program gave me my mama back,” Samantha Long said of a…
Executive flips the org. chart to put kids at the top
How Shafer Leadership Academy inspired Boys and Girls Clubs CEO to embrace his offbeat style and the approaches of others. Jason Newman’s rise to leadership was a slow burn that…
Transformative Training, Constant Reflection, and a Drive to Serve
Kellie Pearson-Carroll’s passionate purpose is a result of her environment. She watched her mother navigate the healthcare system for support with her brother’s intellectual disabilities and schizophrenia. All people, she…
Shafer Leadership and Eastern Indiana Works partner to empower Indiana workers
Bare shelves, inflated prices, and late deliveries are among the results of the nation’s scarcity of blue-collar workers. According to a 2021 report from Deloitte and the Manufacturing Institute, 77%…
‘When you get a seat at the table, use your voice’
WaTasha Barnes Griffin is leading SLA to invite more diversity to the table When WaTasha Barnes Griffin speaks, you listen. Whether she is addressing a crowd as CEO of the…
From Checkers to Chess: SLA challenges leaders through personalized, relevant programs
Other leadership seminars taught Lance Paxson to play checkers. Shafer Leadership Academy taught him to play chess. “Many professional development sessions I’ve attended have been ‘one size fits all,’ but…
How Dustin Humm, owner of eKeeper Systems, has achieved a “higher degree of sanity” by working with Shafer
“It was getting to the point where I would put in 200 to 250 hours a month, month after month, for years,” said Dustin Humm, owner of eKeeper Systems. “Working…