LEAD Certificate Program — Leadership Basics

Unlock Your Leadership Potential

The LEAD certificate program is designed for new and aspiring leaders, focusing on key leadership skills like effective team management and conflict resolution. Each session addresses common challenges, and participants create Action Plans to apply the lessons. Ideal for new leaders, managers looking to improve, or professionals aiming for career growth, the program provides the foundation for successful leadership at the entry level.

2027 Training Topics and Schedule

The LEAD Certificate Program includes ten monthly four-hour classes. To earn a LEAD Certificate, participants must attend seven of ten sessions and successfully complete five Action Forms.

Classes are held once a month, from February to December (except July), on Tuesdays from 8 AM to 12 PM at Buchanan Hall on Hawkeye's Main Campus.

For more details, including the specific class date, refer to the class information.

What kind of manager are you? In this kick-off class you will discover your leadership style and strengths through the DiSC® profile. This effective assessment will give you insight about your management style, and it will give you a framework and strategies to work with the other people who have different temperaments, communication and work styles based on their DiSC® profile. Equipped with this knowledge, you will be able to make lasting improvements in your leadership, your team's effectiveness and both internal and external customer relationships.

  • Class Date: Tuesday, February 9, 2027

Facilitator: Dr. Celina Peerman

Dr. Celina Peerman serves as an organizational psychologist with over 25 years of experience from front line to senior level positions, in a wide range of industries and organizations. She is passionate about engaging our human resources in innovative ways to achieve even better organizational results.

While she does some traveling for nationally and internationally, Celina is focused on helping Iowa first. Making sure we are well prepared to recruit and keep the best people and companies right here is priority. Celina's passion is for how people behave at work; the good, the bad and the worst. Her style has been described as dynamic noting the ability to draw in even the most resistant attendees through real life examples and humor.

Celina lives in Waverly with her husband David of 27 years and two teenage daughters, and a really needy dog.

Change will remain relentless in our communities and across business sectors. This session will focus on change management as a multiple step process that is fueled by vision, while executed by clear steps that are necessary to adjust and adapt to change. Discussion and activities will focus on helping teams understand their connection to the big picture while working through the stages of change response. Steps when a change initiative is already underway and addressing resistance will also be emphasized.

  • Class Date: Tuesday, March 9, 2027

Learning Objectives

  • Differentiate among a variety of change management models
  • Examine evidence-based practices on sustaining successful change management initiatives
  • Assess types of change to evaluate individual and leadership's best response
  • Formulate options to address change and needs of various stakeholders in their own setting

Facilitator: Megan Thole, M.A.

Megan Thole is a leadership speaker, Certified Brain-Based Coach through the NeuroLeadership Institute, PROSCI® Certified Change Practitioner, and contributing author of the bestselling anthology She Heals. With more than 15 years of leadership experience, she helps individuals and organizations build self-awareness, navigate change, and lead with intention by integrating leadership development, change management, mindfulness, and neuroscience. Megan creates meaningful experiences that encourage reflection, spark conversation, and equip audiences with practical tools they can use right away.

Effective managers are able to maximize the capabilities and talents within the teams they lead. By managing the performance of your direct reports, you are able to unleash the employees’ strengths and develop strategies to support their limitations. This class will provide you with foundational skills and tools used by successful managers such as goal setting, coaching, and performance evaluations.

  • Class Date: Tuesday, April 13, 2027

Learning Objectives

  • Set SMART goals that align with company goals.
  • Develop a performance plan for your direct reports.
  • Develop techniques and strategies to monitor direct reports' performance.
  • Practice giving feedback so the person understands the impact of their behavior and what they need to improve.
  • Avoid pitfalls when evaluating employee performance.

Facilitator: Sarah Hermanson

As an entrepreneur, farmer, and human resource professional, Sarah has experienced firsthand the challenges of running a business and wearing all the hats. She has over 30 years of experience in human resources and recruiting, working with Iowa businesses. Sarah is a technical expert with an outstanding ability to connect, ascertain needs, and provide creative solutions. She loves utilizing her gifts of discernment and bringing people together to help create meaningful relationships and healthy, thriving organizations.

Solving problems is critical to the success of any leader. This course teaches proven methodologies and approaches for problem solving by giving participants a standard to follow. These standards help determine expectations, consequences, and involvement of others.

  • Class Date: Tuesday, May 11, 2027

Learning Objectives

  • Identify and discuss the four-step problem solving process.
  • Explain why we naturally don't follow it.
  • Identify what 'disguised solutions" are and how they inhibit the process.
  • Discuss who and how many to involve in problem solving.
  • Participate in problem solving scenarios in a group setting.

Facilitator: Don McKee

Don McKee, performance consultant, has been in education and training for the past 20 years, including 5 years as training director for Iowa Select Farms in Iowa Falls, Iowa, and a training consultant for Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge, Iowa. He currently operates his own consulting and training business and is a certified Zenger Miller Leadership Trainer, Life Orientations Behavioral Trainer, and LEAN 101 Facilitator. Don has facilitated leadership training for more than 100 manufacturers, hospitals, banks, and municipalities throughout Iowa and Illinois. His approach to training is exemplified in his business slogan “Making Common Sense, Common Practice”. Don utilizes tools and strategies designed to pick up where traditional “theory” training drops off. He currently resides in Webster City, Iowa, with his wife and four daughters.

Motivating and engaging your employees is key to your success as a leader. Good managers are able to help people feel confident, motivated and valued. This session will focus on the key strategies that will help you lead your team to higher productivity, lower turnover, innovation and improved business results.

  • Class Date: Tuesday, June 8, 2027

Learning Objectives

  • Identify the role and importance of motivating employees to the success of your department and organization.
  • Learn what drives employee engagement.
  • Identify what leads to staff de-motivation and lack of engagement.
  • Identify and develop strategies to help you motivate your staff to higher levels of productivity and workplace engagement.
  • Develop and implement a plan to build employee engagement for your staff.

Facilitator: Brenda Meeker

Brenda Meeker is passionate about supporting others in their personal and professional growth. As owner and president of Elevate Consulting, LLC, she provides learning and development, HR, and project-based solutions to meet organizational and employee development needs.

Brenda has experience in training and meeting facilitation, human resources, managing projects and events, and developing communication plans and messages. She has worked in corporate and nonprofit settings and Division I athletics, providing a range of experience that informs her work.

Brenda is active in the Cedar Rapids community and with organizations in Iowa. She is a member of talent development, coaching, and HR associations and serves as a volunteer and leader with community organizations.

Brenda earned a bachelor's degree from Northwestern College in St. Paul, Minnesota, and an MBA from
Drake University in Des Moines. She cheers for those college teams, as well as the Iowa State Cyclones.
She is a great example that growth is possible for anyone, as she no longer cheers against—and can
even be caught cheering for—the Iowa Hawkeyes after becoming a house divided.

More than ever, leaders must be willing to develop a high emotional acumen in order to lead and understand their team members. People want to be seen and treated as people. Gone are the days that we can simply treat people as things. What we know and have known for many years is that business is done through relationships and relationships require emotions. The key is tapping into the best of our emotions and developing effective strategies to minimize the emotions that hurt our opportunities to perform and influence.

  • Class Date: Tuesday, August 10, 2027

Learning Objectives

  • Learn to appreciate the need and use of emotions in their business dealings
  • Strategize around emotions that our relationships at risk.
  • Build and increase trust by being a respectful and high leverage leader of people.

Facilitator: Heather Woody

Heather is a personal and professional success coach, specializing in coaching adult individuals and teams who are dedicated to stretching themselves. Heather works with people who are ready to take action in their lives and become the person they've always dreamed of being. It's the people who want to achieve their goals faster and accomplish more than they ever imagined possible that Heather Woody will be invaluable. Heather currently resides in Iowa City, Iowa, with her husband, son, and daughter.

In today's workplace, even well-intentioned decisions can lead to costly legal consequences if managers and supervisors aren't aware of their responsibilities under the law. This interactive session is designed to equip leaders with practical knowledge to help protect both the organization and its employees.

Participants will gain a clear understanding of key employment laws, including those related to discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wage and hour requirements, leave entitlements, and workplace accommodations. In this session, we will explore how everyday management decisions—such as hiring, discipline, documentation, and performance management—can either minimize or increase legal risk.

  • Class Date: Tuesday, September 14, 2027

Facilitator: Laura Folkerts

Laura Folkerts is an attorney at Shuttleworth & Ingersoll, P.L.C. practicing primarily in the area of labor and employment law, including employee benefits and employment-related litigation. Laura provides guidance to employers on a wide range of employment matters, including deferred compensation and employee benefits. She additionally assists with training, policy review, and investigations and complaints, both internal and before civil rights commissions. Before joining Shuttleworth & Ingersoll, Laura worked at a law firm in Waterloo, Iowa, where she maintained a general practice with an emphasis on labor and employment.

Managing performance is critical to organizational success. Leaders at all levels must set clear expectations, provide the resources and support as well as the feedback to help employees perform. When employees present difficult behaviors it can be time consuming and frustrating. This session will focus on strategies that will help identify triggers, prepare for tough conversations, and focus on the words to say.

  • Class Date: Tuesday, October 12, 2027

Learning Objectives

  • Identify negative behavior demonstrated by an employee and its impact on the performance of the team, coworkers, and customer.
  • Recognize factors may contribute to the negative behavior.
  • Evaluate options for addressing the behavior or performance concerns.
  • Practice techniques to establish and communicate feedback to change an employee's difficult behavior.

Facilitator: Dr. Celina Peerman

Dr. Celina Peerman serves as an organizational psychologist with over 25 years of experience from front line to senior level positions, in a wide range of industries and organizations. She is passionate about engaging our human resources in innovative ways to achieve even better organizational results.

While she does some traveling for nationally and internationally, Celina is focused on helping Iowa first. Making sure we are well prepared to recruit and keep the best people and companies right here is priority. Celina’s passion is for how people behave at work; the good, the bad and the worst. Her style has been described as dynamic noting the ability to draw in even the most resistant attendees through real life examples and humor.

Celina lives in Waverly with her husband David of 27 years and two teenage daughters, and a really needy dog.

Recognizing and leveraging differences so teams work better together.

  • Class Date: November 9, 2027
  • Facilitator: Sheri Zevenbergen

Learn ways to motivate, influence, and inspire the people within your team in order to keep them engaged, fulfilled, and enthused about the work they are doing on a daily basis. These key intangibles are important in reducing turnover and increasing overall job satisfaction.

  • Class Date: Tuesday, December 7, 2027

Learning Objectives

  • Learn how to capitalize on your own strengths.
  • Identify and learn strategies that will empower and engage you in your workplace and life.
  • Explore how to coach yourself and others to greatness.

Facilitator: Heather Woody

Heather is a personal and professional success coach, specializing in coaching adult individuals and teams who are dedicated to stretching themselves. Heather works with people who are ready to take action in their lives and become the person they've always dreamed of being. It's the people who want to achieve their goals faster and accomplish more than they ever imagined possible that Heather Woody will be invaluable. Heather currently resides in Iowa City, Iowa, with her husband, son, and daughter.

Invest in Your People, Your Future

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Develop Strong Leaders

Strong leaders are crucial to the success of any business. Invest in your people today and it will pay off at your business tomorrow.

Ready to Get Started?

The registration deadline for the 2027 LEAD Certificate Program is Friday, January 29, 2027 by 5 PM.

Cost: $1,495

If you're interested in future sessions or would like to learn more, please contact Corporate and Business Solutions. A staff member will be happy to discuss upcoming opportunities and answer any questions you may have.

Contact Us

Corporate & Business Solutions

Main Campus
Buchanan Hall 122
319-296-4223
Email Corporate and Business Solutions

Closed Monday, September 7 for Labor Day

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