Conference Speakers

"Thriving Together in Uncertain Times"

Mike Lejeune, President of Lighting the Path 

Session Description: 

In today’s high-stakes world, leadership isn’t just about intelligence—it’s about emotional mastery. The EQ Challenge is a transformational experience designed to help leaders break free from reactive decision-making and develop the self-awareness, adaptability, and influence needed to lead with confidence. Through engaging exercises, real-world case studies, and neuroscience-backed techniques, attendees will learn how to recognize emotional triggers before they derail decision-making, use the 3-Second Power Pause to shift from reaction to intention, and harness emotional agility to turn challenges into opportunities. 

Leaders will discover how to cultivate trust, inspire resilience in their teams, and make clear, composed decisions even in high-pressure moments. Leadership isn’t about reacting—it’s about responding with purpose. When you master your emotions, you master your influence. Join us to develop the emotional intelligence strategies that separate great leaders from the rest—and step into the leader you’re meant to be.

Bio

Mike Lejeune helps HR professionals and business leaders build high-performing teams, hire the right people, and create thriving workplace cultures. As President of Lighting the Path Leadership Development, he has worked with organizations of all sizes to strengthen leadership, enhance emotional intelligence, and refine hiring strategies. Mike is the author of Secrets for Hiring Right and EQuip to Lead: The Extraordinary Power of Emotional Intelligence, providing real-world insights and practical tools for hiring smarter and developing stronger leaders. His interactive training and coaching programs help leaders improve communication, build trust, and navigate conflict productively. A certified trainer in The Five Behaviors of a Cohesive Team, Everything DiSC Workplace, Management, Productive Conflict, and Agile EQ, Mike ensures that every session is engaging, hands-on, and immediately applicable.

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Strategic Benefit Plan Designs

Panel Discussion

"Incivility in the Workplace"

Jenny Locanthi, SHRM-SCP

Membership Initiatives Director, SHRM 

Session Description

Join us for an insightful session presented by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) on the critical topic of workplace incivility. In today's fast-paced and diverse work environments, maintaining a culture of respect and civility is more important than ever. This presentation will delve into the nuances of workplace incivility, exploring its causes, impacts, and the subtle ways it can manifest in daily interactions.

"Leading Organizational Transformation by

Developing a Strategic Narrative"

Andrew Clements, Director, Talent & Transformation

Texas Dow Employees Credit Union

Session Description

Organizational transformation is the process of evolving a business to meet new challenges, seize opportunities, and respond to shifting market conditions. This process often requires reevaluating how the business functions, which can involve changes to its culture, processes, technology, and business models. By undergoing transformation, a business can gain a competitive edge, stay aligned with emerging technologies and customer needs, and reinvigorate its workforce. In this session, we’ll explore how TDECU, Houston’s largest credit union, is driving organizational transformation through reimagining its culture and building a strategic narrative to drive performance, engagement, and adoption.

Bio

Andrew Clements has nearly 20 years of HR Development experience navigating complex, matrixed organizations, translating business goals and objectives to human capabilities through strategic talent and performance management, targeted learning and development, transformational change management, and a passion for empowering people and businesses to realize their full potential. Andrew recently completed his master's degree in Leadership and Human Resource Development from Louisiana State University and currently serves as the Director of Talent and Transformation at TDECU, the largest credit union in Houston and the fourth-largest in Texas.

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"Career Elevation in HR: Strategies for Advancement"

Bio

Leigh Brady is the President and Chief Executive Officer of State Employees’ Credit Union (SECU), the first female to hold this position at the nation’s second largest credit union. Prior to being named to her current position in July 2023, she was Chief Operating Officer, providing oversight for retail operations, deposits and central functions, card services, human resources, training, marketing, communications, outreach, the Credit Union’s CUSO services, and the SECU Foundation.  Having been at SECU for over 37 years, Leigh began her career as an accountant at SECU and has served in a variety of operations positions throughout the organization, helping to grow the Credit Union, which now serves over 2.8 million members and operates branches in all 100 North Carolina counties.

Leigh holds a Bachelor of Arts in Accounting from North Carolina State University and a Master of Business Administration from Meredith College.  She previously held several insurance licenses and obtained the Credit Union Development Educator designation. Leigh serves on the Carolinas Credit Union League Board of Directors, on the Executive Committee of America’s Credit Unions CEO Council, and on the Finance Advisory Board for the NC State University Poole College of Management. She also volunteers her time with the Mary Stewart Woman’s Club of Raleigh. She is married to Chris Brady and they have three adult children.

Fall Conference Sponsors

Platinum Level

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