Guest Speakers

Dr. Sandra Upton
Friday, January 10, 2020
Marion Center

All full-time employees of Tiffin University gathered in the Marion Center to attend an all-day workshop about the University’s multi-year commitment to diversity and inclusion entitled, Celebrating CulTUral Uniqueness (CCU). The workshop was facilitated by Dr. Sandra Upton, Vice President of Educational Initiatives from the Cultural Intelligence Center (CQ), headquartered in Michigan. Based on nearly two decades of research, the mission of the Center is to build bridges and remove barriers for working and relating across cultures. Cultural intelligence (CQ) is a critical part of setting yourself apart in today’s globalized world of artificial intelligence, machine learning and innovation. It’s the ability to relate and work effectively with people from different cultural backgrounds, and it goes beyond existing notions of cultural sensitivity and awareness. With cultural intelligence, you’ll know how to strategically use cultural differences to come up with more innovative solutions. “It is time to push ourselves outside of our comfort zones,” said TU President Lillian Schumacher, “seeking first to understand, appreciate and value ourselves, and each other, as individuals and as part of the Tiffin University culture all in support of our commitment to CCU.”

Daniel Juday
Wednesday, October 2, 2019

Daniel Juday is a speaker, trainer and consultant in the diversity and inclusion, leadership development and employee engagement space. Juday highlights the humanity and shared values at play and brings in innovative content, new ideas and strategic exercises to support learning and growth in ways that are meaningful and productive to all involved. Daniel loves traveling, meeting new people and working to build bridges of understanding and empathy across challenging “divides.” He deeply believes that all people matter, and he’s spent much of his life working in roles that have allowed him to develop thinking around the nature of education and learning, relationship-building and professional growth. As the former Director for the Ohio and Indiana Diversity Councils, Daniel took a fledgling organization and grew its corporate membership ranks by almost 2,000% in two years. He now owns and runs his own speaking and consulting business and works with conference planners, learning and development leaders, nonprofit boards and corporate entities – all in pursuit to help them grow their leadership impact and make the spaces they influence more inclusive. He can be found online at danieljuday.com.

Betsy Struxness

Monday, March 19, 2018
Marion Center

The Celebrating CulTUral Uniqueness committee hosted a former star from the musical, Hamilton. With class discussions featuring the book, Alexander Hamilton’s Guide to Life, students will continue to examine the cultural impact both the musical and Alexander Hamilton himself have had on our country.

Betsy Struxness is a performer and photographer based in New York City. After graduating with a BFA in dance from the Juilliard School, Betsy has gone on to all sorts of performing adventures from cruise ships to voiceovers, Broadway to TV, you name it. On Broadway, Betsy made her debut with Wicked, and then very quickly joined the cast of Memphis right before its run into the Tonys. Her first originating experience was with Leap of Faith, to be joined in swift succession by Scandalous and Matilda. Her biggest honor to date, however, has been bringing the smash-hit Hamilton from the workshop to off-Broadway to Broadway. Other credits include theater, Shakespeare in Love (Viola) – Virgina Rep; Wicked (ensemble, Nessarose u/s) – Chicago & San Francisco; All Shook Up (ensemble, Sandra & Natalie u/s) – 1st National Tour; TV: Onion News Network, Broad City and Louie; Voiceovers: Checkers, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Century Link, Shell, Geico, Stolichnaya and GoGurt. In between all of that, however, Betsy enjoys her free time as a traveler and photographer, shooting everything from landscapes to portraits. Bridging the gap between the performer and photographer, you can check out Betsy’s semi-known Hamilton-inspired series: #StruxSelfie. Find more at betsystruxness.com and on Twitter and Instagram @be_strux

Dr. Mansour Javidan
Various events – 2016

Dr. Mansour Javidan was brought on to speak and consult regarding CCU. He worked one-on-one with the CCU Steering Committee, and led the entire student body in guided discussions surrounding CCU.

He is a multiple award-winning executive educator and author whose teaching and research interests span the globe. Dr. Mansour Javidan received his MBA and Ph.D. degrees from the Carlson School at the University of Minnesota. He is the Garvin Distinguished Professor and Director of Najafi Global Mindset Institute at Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University.

Mansour is the Past President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the world-renowned research project on national culture and leadership, titled GLOBE (Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness). He is a co-editor of the 2004 GLOBE book, which won the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology’s (SIOP) “M. Scott Myers Award for Applied Research in The Workplace.” He is also a co-author of the latest GLOBE book published in August, 2014, which received the 2015 University of San Diego and International Leadership Association (ILA) leadership book award for “Scholarly Rigor and Critical Thought.”

Dr. Javidan has been designated Expert Advisor (Global Leadership) by the World Bank and a Senior Research Fellow by the U.S. Army. He is the Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors of the International Leadership Association. He has designed and taught executive development courses and workshops, conducted consulting projects, and made presentations in 27 countries. He has extensive experience advising deans of business schools and presidents of universities.

Dr. Jane Wheeler

Dr. Jane V. Wheeler, a former professor at Bowling Green State University (BGSU), taught organizational behavior. A past director of BGSU’s Master of Organization Development Program and the Institute for Organizational Effectiveness, she won the Marie Hodge Advising Award twice; the Organizational Behavior Teaching Society New Educator Award; and the Center for Creative Leadership Walter F. Ulmer Applied Research Award. Juried articles have appeared in journals such as the Organization Development Journal, Academy of Management Journal, and the MIT Sloan Management Review. Dr. Wheeler holds a Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior from Case Western University, an MBA from Boston University, a Certificate of Special Studies in Administration and Management from Harvard University, and a Bachelor of Arts from Mount Holyoke College.