2016 Authentic Leadership
During this event, Dr. David Bright, Wright State University, shared his expertise on authentic leadership and lead a panel discussion on the topic. The panel of local business leaders (Al Wofford, CDO Technologies; Jill Weaver, Wright-Patt Credit Union; and Mark Combs, Combs Interior Specialties, Inc.) shared what they feel it means to be an authentic leader and how they view employee engagement. They shared what they do and discussed the virtues that create authenticity. Attendees learned about the policies, structures, and practices that enhance these virtues and build genuine, long-lasting employee engagement.
2016 Authentic Leadership Speakers
David Bright
David Bright, a Wright State University Professor in the Raj Soin College of Business, is a specialist in organization and leadership development. He has been part of the positive scholarship movement and his recent writing explores how virtues shape our ideas about excellence in the workplace. He believes that authenticity is shaped by perceptions of virtuousness: leaders of high, virtuous character are judged by others to be more authentic and trustworthy.
David is a three-time recipient of the “Teacher of the Year” honor and a recipient of the New Educator Award from the OBTS Society for Management Education, an international organization for management educators. He is an active consultant, specializing in strategic facilitation and change management, and has worked with organizations in education, finance, research & development, healthcare, transportation, information technology, military, and government. He received a Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior from Case Western Reserve University. He also attended Brigham Young University, where he finished degrees in Accounting (B.S), Organizational Behavior (MOB), and International Area Studies (MA).
Al Wofford
From a team of two to a team of 300, Mr. Wofford's vision has grown CDO Technologies into a leading provider of business and technology solutions. Under Mr. Wofford's leadership, revenues have increased every year since the company’s inception in 1995. CDO employs a family of 300 people at 8 locations throughout the US.
Mr. Wofford is very active in the community. His commitment to his community is a part of his belief that together, we can all achieve great things. He has served the community in the following organizations: Wright Center of Innovation, I-Zone, Greater Dayton IT Alliance, Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce, Dayton/Montgomery County Port Authority, Omega Baptist Church, South Central Minority Business Council Local Advisory Committee, City Wide Strategic Development and Venture Capital Committee. Mr. Wofford holds an MBA in Management from the Golden Gate University and a BA in Accounting from the University of South Carolina.
Jill Weaver
Jill is the Director of Learning & Development at Wright Patt Credit Union. She believes that authentic leadership can be summed up in two simple concepts: vulnerability and empowerment. She says, “When leaders reach a centered place in their journey where they can show their ‘authentic’ selves, they embrace their own vulnerability, which allows them to devote more energy to others. If leaders reach a point where they can let go and empower others, they are truly preparing the next cycle of leaders.”
Jill has enjoyed a 25-year career as a leader, organization development (OD) consultant, coach, trainer, and recruiter. Originally from the Dayton area, she has worked in a wide range of positions in various organizations, including Fortune 500 companies, governmental agencies, defense contracting, non-profits, financial, educational, and health organizations. Among her career highlights, she worked at Harvard as an OD consultant and trainer, and at Monster.com as the Director of Organizational and Professional Development. At Linkage she was the Program Director for the Global Institute for Leadership Development and worked with many well-known personalities such as Benazir Bhutto, Michael Eruzione, Malcolm Gladwell, Marshall Goldsmith, Mikhail Gorbachev, and Peter Lynch. At Wright Patt Credit Union, she has the opportunity to lead a new team, and to utilize many of the “tools” in her "toolbox" to fulfill the mission of “being the best place employees have ever worked.”
Mark Combs
Mark Combs has been the president of Combs Interiors since 1997. One of Mark’s personal leadership beliefs: “To lead well, you must serve well. To lead well, you must love well.”
Combs Interiors is a highly successful commercial contractor specializing in interior construction. The company employs about 200 union carpenters and finishers. The mission statement for Combs Interior is “Commercial Contracting with integrity, quality, and efficiency while developing employees into servant leaders in all aspects of work and life.”
Mark received his degree from Cedarville University. He has served on a variety of boards, is part of the leadership council for union employees, and has taught numerous workshops on leadership to employees and business owners. He is married with three daughters and enjoys coaching girls varsity basketball
