ROTARY LUNCHEON: Youth Leadership Development

Building on the successes of RYLA (founded by our Club 34 years ago as Camp Enterprise), the San Francisco Rotary Foundation recently committed $25,000 to explore the potential for year-round leadership development opportunities for high school students. This seed funding launched Project Youth Lead with three goals: 1) assess the potential for ongoing programming, 2) ground students in known exemplary leadership practices, and 3) establish and test a pilot program. To accomplish these goals, curriculum specialist Rebecca Haskell was brought on board to interview local students, assess existing youth leadership programs, and place her findings in the context of a validated leadership framework.

Rebecca will share what students say they want from a leadership development program and what she discovered about existing programs most aligned with how students want to be engaged. In addition, we are fortunate to have with us Barry Posner, co-author of the best-selling book The Leadership Challenge (2+ million sold) and The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership validated framework. Barry, who has been working closely with our Project Youth Lead initiative, will underscore the value of intentional leadership development at the high school level and introduce The Five Practices leadership framework, backed by years of global research.

Barry Posner, holds the Accolti Endowed Chair and is Professor of Leadership at the Leavey School of Business, Santa Clara University, where he served for 12 years as Dean of the School. Barry has received many accolades and awards over the years, including: the Association for Talent Development’s highest award for Distinguished Contribution to Workplace Learning and Performance; named as one of the nation’s top management and leadership educators by the International Management Council; recognized as one of the Top 50 leadership coaches in America; ranked among the Most Influential HR thinkers in the world by HR magazine; and listed among the Top 75 Leadership and Management Experts in the world by Inc. magazine.

He is the co-author (with Jim Kouzes) of the award-winning and best-selling leadership book The Leadership Challenge. With over two million copies sold, the book has been described as a groundbreaking research study, combining keen insights with practical applications, and has been translated into 22 foreign languages. It is listed among The Top 100 Business Books of All Time, receiving both book-of-the-year honors by the American Council of Health Care Executives and the Critic's Choice Award from the nation’s book review editors. Barry has also co-authored 10 other award-winning, inspiring and practical books on leadership, and has published more than 100 research and practitioner-oriented articles including in the Harvard Business Review. He received an undergraduate degree in political science from the University of California, Santa Barbara, a master's degree from The Ohio State University in public administration, and a Ph.D. in organizational behavior and administrative theory from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Rebecca Haskell is Founder & Principal Consultant at Just Design Consulting, working with education and social justice organizations to provide organizational and program design, strategy, and professional development. She helped The Primary School plan and shape their vision for school culture, instruction, and student outcomes; guided the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative to invest in education; and supported TORSH Talent in the redesign of their teacher coaching platform. Rebecca is currently Board Vice President for Tandem Partners in Early Learning, and a Community Action Team Leader for the 1Oakland Campaign at GO Public Schools. She has held senior leadership positions in education including as Associate Director at Science is Elementary, Assistant Principal of Instruction at Caliber Beta Academy, and Director of U.S. Summer Institute at Teach For China. Her bachelor's degree is from Boston University’s School of Education and her master's degree is from Columbia University's Teachers College.

Each luncheon ticket includes a three-course lunch. Tickets are $40 each; $35 for Club members who register online in advance (online registration closes at 5PM the day before the meeting). Payment by credit card or check is preferred. Tickets available for purchase only at the door.