Leadership and the Good Life Conference 2025

Conference Recap

West Chester University became a hub of global conversation and collaboration when Dr. Zachary Wooten, Dr. Matt Pierlott, and the WCU Hub Team invited scholars from around the world to the WCU campus for the Leadership and the Good Life Conference. The 2025 Conference focused on the intersection of leadership and the "good life." Together, a community of learners and educators examined how leadership can enhance human flourishing and contribute to a life worth living. We explored:

  • Ethical leadership in various professional sectors
  • The role of leadership in personal and community well-being
  • The integration of values and leadership practices in a diverse and changing world

In the end, the one-day conference welcomed 60 attendees to explore what it means to lead well and to live well. Amongst registrants and proposals, the Leadership and the Good Life Conference created connections across 8 states, 3 countries, and 27 universities.

Conference Representative Talking
Keynote speaker

 

Keynote Speaker: Rev. Dr. Angela Gorrell

Rev. Dr. Angela Gorrell is an author, speaker, and consultant. Dr. Angela taught Life Worth Living at Yale University and leads Life Worth Living journeys for all types of leaders. She also writes about finding joy, meaning, and purpose. Dr. Angela's new book is Braving Difficult Decisions: What to Do When You Don't Know What to Do. She hosts the "More Human with Dr. Angela" podcast which has episodes on YouTube and Spotify. You can subscribe to her newsletter on her website for inspirational content and info about Life Worth Living retreats.

For more information about Rev. Dr. Angela Gorrell check out her instagram @angelagorrell or her website.

2025 Presentations and Panels

  • Panel Discussion: Leadership and the Good Life: Ethics, Well-Being, and the Evolving Role of DEI
    Beverly Magda, Julia Dunst, Elena Lawrick, Wanda Copeland
  • FREGH Leadership and the Good Life: Exploring the Intersections of Spiritual, Servant, Social
    Dr. Adeyinka Oduwole
  • Personal Leadership: an ARC Perspective
    Mike McGough
  • The Global Flourishing Project: A Guide for Christian Relief, Development, and Advocacy Organizations
    David Bronkema
  • Educational Leadership: Integration of Values and Transformational Leadership Practices in a Diverse and Changing World
    Hyacinth Anuncha
  • Empowering the Future: A Leadership Development Model for Graduate International Students at HBCU's and its Role in Well-being
    Ozioma Okehielem, Julius Oku
  • Reimagining Leadership Assessment Tools for Evolving Workforce Expectations
    Caitlin Long
 
  • Interactive Workshop: Start Where You Are: Faris Alami’s Story of Resilient Leadership
    Kayla Schwartz
  • Living the Questions: Teaching the Skills for a Life of Meaning and Purpose in Secondary Schools
    Michael LoStracco
  • The Good Life and Reading Well: Equipping Students to Reflect on a Life Well-Lived Beyond the Classroom
    James W. Waters, Ph.D.
  • Ricoeur and Utopia
    Paul Harris
  • The Golem – from Anti-Semitic projections of diff...
    Jason Ager
  • Have I Sold Out? Lessons Learned for an Anti-Hierarchical Department Head
    Andrew Smith
  • From Global to Transnational Citizenship: Challenging 21st Century Hyper-Authoritarianism
    Marcia Morgan
  • Gratitude As An Equalizer of Value
    Felix Rowland
 
  • Leadership and the Good Life, Part 2: Guiding Others to Realign Life & Leadership Around What Truly Matters
    Dr. Angela Gorrell
  • This is Not How We Live: Olympiodorus’ Gorgias Commentary on the Pedagogical Primacy of Character in the Flourishing Life
    James Ambury
  • Teaching for Virtue
    Denise Vigani
  • Values, AI, and the Good Life
    Steven Scalet
  • Owning the Questions
    Lisa Schoenberg
  • Panel discussion: Cultivating Civility & Intellectual Humility: Essential Leadership in Higher Education
    Johann Ducharme
  • Grades and Teaching Ethics: The Obstacle to Humanities Education
    Matt Rupert
  • Making Ethical Theory Relevant: Framing Action-Centered Ethical Theories in Terms of Character
    Dan Forbes
  • Ambition in Business for a Life Worth Living
    John A. Pearce II, Ph.D.

Stay Tuned!

Stay tuned for future conferences! Interested in continuing your learning in the meantime? Visit our the West Chester Good Life Hub's Toolkit.