Contact Us
Leadership Forums
Past Leadership Forums
Midland-Odessa Leadership Forum 2025
Date: May 8, 2025Keynote speaker:
Collin Sewell, President and CEO of the Sewell Family of Companies
- Lori Blong, Mayor of Midland
- Craig Stoker, Odessa City Council Member At-Large and Mayor Pro Tem
- Renee Earls, Odessa Chamber of Commerce CEO
- Kate Williamson, Midland Chamber of Commerce Board Chair
The Midland-Odessa Leadership Forum brought together regional leaders to deep connections and partnerships across both cities. The leadership forum featured a keynote by Collin Sewell, a panel discussion between Midland and Odessa leaders, and structured networking activities. The forum fostered collaboration and strengthened community relationships across the two cities.
Public Service Leadership Forum 2024
Date: October 24, 2024Panelists:
- Texas State Representative Brooks Landgraf
- City of Midland Mayor Lori Blong
- Ector County Judge Dustin Fawcett
- ECISD Board of Trustees & UTPB Faculty Christopher Stanley
- TPB Student Body President Chidubem Njoku
The inaugural Public Service Leadership Forum hosted by the Shepperd Leadership Institute, in collaboration with the Career Services department, brought together community leaders and elected officials from the Permian Basin to reflect on and discuss the theme of leadership. Topics included effectively managing conflict and diverse opinions, proficiently leading change, representing and leading others, and lessons learned as well as other important initiatives.
Texas Leadership Forum
The Texas Leadership Forum is a state-wide public leadership conference that convenes inside the state capitol in Austin. The Forum began in 1985 and has been held more than 30 times over the last three decades. It’s brought together some of the best leaders and young professionals alike with the idea of connecting proven leaders with young leaders to discuss challenges and leverage opportunities. Historically, the Texas Leadership Forum has had three main goals:
- To unite established Texas leaders with aspiring leaders to provide leadership education and to form mentoring relationships
- To foster conversation and highlight issues of public interest
- To celebrate outstanding Texas leaders and induct them into the Texas Leadership Hall of Fame.
The most recent Texas Leadership Forum was held in the fall of 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic halted just about all conferences and large in-person forums for multiple years.
