The Perkins Platform

University Business Communication Lecturer and Communication Consultant and Strategist specializing in change management communication from planning to stabilization, Aryca Woodson joins us to discuss her work in strategic communication. She has led and supported transformative change initiatives using strategic storytelling in both nonprofit and global health care sectors. In response to the unrest in 2020, Aryca shifted her focus to leverage strategic storytelling and change management frameworks to address the polarization in our rapidly changing world. Whether in university classrooms or community discussions on divisive political issues, Aryca passionately believes in our shared humanity as a bridge to unity. She advocates for equipping ourselves with the right tools to foster understanding and bridge divides. Tune in for this broadcast on Wednesday, June 5 @ 6pm EST!

Join us on Wednesday, June 12 @ 6pm EST for an informative conversation on overcoming the anchoring effect with Rich Horwath, founder and CEO of the Strategic Thinking Institute. In his role, he helps executive leadership teams develop their strategic thinking and planning capabilities to set direction, create competitive advantage, and profitably grow their business. He is also the New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of eight books on strategic thinking, including, STRATEGIC: The Skill to Set Direction, Create Advantage, and Achieve Executive Excellence, selected by Inc. Magazine as a top 4 ?must-read book for 2024.? Rich has appeared on ABC, CBS, NBC, and FOX TV and his work has been published in the Harvard Business Review.

Join us on Wednesday, May 8 @ 6pm EST for an exciting conversation with writer-artist, scholar-activist, academic-advocate, Dr. Menah Pratt to discuss her upcoming book, Blackwildgirl: A Writer's Journey to Take Back her Superpower (April 2024). The book and companion journal, Finding your Superpower explore the challenges of Black girlhood and Black womanhood in America. Dr. Pratt is the Vice President for Strategic Affairs and Diversity and Professor of Education at Virginia Tech. A fierce advocate for those who have been disempowered, she is the founder of the Faculty Women of Color in the Academy National Conference, now in its 12th year, and the Black College Institute, now in its 7th year. She is the author of 5 books on issues of race, class, gender, culture, diversity, education, women's leadership, and critical race feminism. She earned her PhD and JD from Vanderbilt University. She is licensed to practice law in Illinois and Tennessee, with expertise in real estate, construction law, affirmative action, equal employment opportunity, disability, and governance. Nationally recognized as a leader, scholar, and author, Dr. Pratt has received several national awards: the 2023-2024 American Council on Education Fellowship; Women We Admire in Virginia, 2023 and 2024; the 2023 Individual Winds of Change award by the Forum on Workplace Inclusion; the 2021 Inclusive Excellence Individual Leadership Award by the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education; and the 2018 American Education Studies Association Critics' Choice Award for outstanding scholarship for A Black Woman's Journey from Cotton Picking to College Professor.