University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business Launches Center for Leadership, Innovation and Change

Center Hosts "New Challenges of Leadership" Event Oct. 1 in Washington, D.C.

COLLEGE PARK, Md., Aug. 30 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business will launch a new Center for Leadership, Innovation and Change (CLIC) on Oct. 1 with a daylong event in Washington, D.C. Lockheed Martin Chairman and CEO Bob Stevens will keynote the event. The new center is focused on producing vanguard research and programs to foster effective leadership, build organizational capabilities for innovation and change, and promote social stewardship in organizations. The center is supported by BB&T, which pledged $1.5 million over 10 years in this effort.

"Effective leadership that encourages innovation is more critical than ever, especially for organizations operating with constrained resources and with the global economy in flux," said G. "Anand" Anandalingam, dean of the Robert H. Smith School of Business. "The Center for Leadership, Innovation and Change will translate our faculty's scholarly research and practical expertise into insights all leaders can use – whether they lead corporations, government agencies or nonprofits."

The event, "The New Challenges of Leadership: Public and Private Sector Perspectives," will be held at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, D.C. on Oct. 1 from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Senior business, government and nonprofit executives will explore various aspects of leadership and how to meet challenges through innovation.

Stevens will serve as the lunch keynote and address "Developing Leaders," sharing Lockheed Martin's approach to cultivating managerial talent needed to steer the organization ahead through dynamic and turbulent times. Other speakers include Deborah Adler Myers, executive vice president of programming for Discovery Communications' Emerging Networks; Alan Gregerman, author and CEO of VentureWorks; and Susan Schwab, former U.S. Trade Representative.

The globally recognized faculty researchers at the Center for Leadership, Innovation and Change are forging new approaches to leadership and management through the center's strategy to connect theory and practice on leadership. With exceptional research and related programs, activities and events, the center serves a broad audience of executives, managers, scholars, instructors, students and alumni.

Pat Stocker was named the executive director of the center. She is also president of Stocker & Associates LLC, a consulting organization based in Bethesda, Md., which coordinates custom executive education programs. She has done extensive work for Marriott, Lockheed Martin, Honeywell, Aetna Insurance and many other organizations. Stocker previously served for more than 10 years as associate dean and director of executive programs at the Smith School, where she also taught marketing. She received her Ph.D. in business administration from the University of Colorado at Boulder and her MBA from the Robert H. Smith School of Business.

Smith professors Kathryn Bartol, Susan Taylor and Paul Tesluk serve as co-directors for the center. Bartol is the Robert H. Smith Professor of Management and Organization and past president of the Academy of Management. Taylor is the Smith Chair of Human Resource Management and Organizational Change and a Fellow of the Society of Industrial/Organizational Psychology. Tesluk is the Ralph J. Tyser Professor of Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management and chair of the department of Management and Organization at Smith.

With support from BB&T, center activities will include the BB&T Colloquium on Capitalism, Ethics and Leadership lecture series, to begin in the spring; leadership development programs for students and practitioners; non-degree executive education programs; conferences and speakers series; and research collaborations with public- and private-sector organizations.

More information about the Smith School's Center for Leadership, Innovation and Change is available online at http://www.rhsmith.umd.edu/clic/. Information and online registration for the Oct. 1 event, "The New Challenges of Leadership," is available at http://www.rhsmith.umd.edu/clic/events/2010/launch/.

About the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business

The Robert H. Smith School of Business is an internationally recognized leader in management education and research. One of 13 colleges and schools at the University of Maryland, College Park, the Smith School offers undergraduate, full-time and part-time MBA, executive MBA, MS, PhD and executive education programs, as well as outreach services to the corporate community. The school offers its degree, custom and certification programs in learning locations in North America and Asia. http://www.rhsmith.umd.edu/

SOURCE Robert H. Smith School of Business