Search
Curiosity Created a Career: How New Faculty Member Alec Brandon Became an Economist
UNICON TDC 2025
UNICON TDC 2025
November 5 - 7, 2025 | Hopkins Bloomberg Center
555 Pennsylvania Avenue NW | Washington, D.C.

Early-Bird Pricing Now Available!
Doing Good: Collaborating for Positive Change and Meaningful Work
For the 2025 UNICON Team Development Conference, the team in the Office of Executive Education at the Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School will focus on our place at this moment in time, exploring themes like service, purpose, community, humanitarianism, and progress.
The conference will feature speakers from the JHU community as well as voices from the UNICON membership who inspire us with their efforts to advance humankind through policy, dialogue, research, arts, advocacy, and more. Our hope is that attendees leave the conference with a renewed sense of purpose and practical solutions to implement in their institutions, supporting stakeholders and advancing learners worldwide.
Schedule & Agenda
-
Wednesday, November 5th
10:00am
Check-in
Early conference check-in will be available on November 4th from 1p-3p in the lobby of the Bloomberg Center10:45a-12:00p
Newcomer’s Session11:00a-1:00p
Light Lunch1:00p-1:30p
UNICON and JHU Opening Remarks1:30p-2:30p
Panel: Making Meaning with JHU experts2:30p-3:00p
Break3:00p-3:45p
UNICON Benchmarking Survey3:45p-5:00p
Unpacking the Benchmarking Report5:00p-6:30p
Cocktail Hour and UNICON Awards
-
Thursday, November 6th
8:15a-9:00a
Light Breakfast9:00a-10:00a
Introduction and Keynote Speaker
Joseph Victor Sakran, MD, MPH, MPA, Executive Vice Chair of Surgery, Johns Hopkins Medicine10:00a-12:00p
How I Built It: Presentations from UNICON members12:00p-1:00p
Lunch1:00p-2:00p
Reporting Out on Presentations2:00p-4:00p
How I Built It: Hackathon - From Opportunity to Solution4:00p-4:45p
Doing the Work Takeaways6:00p-10:00p
Dinner & Reception at Smithsonian National Museum of American History
-
Friday, November 7th
8:15a-9:00a
Light Breakfast9:00a-10:00a
Introduction and Keynote Speaker10:00a-10:45a
UNICON Research Report10:45a-11:15a
Coffee Break11:15a-12:15a
World Café on Building a Legacy12:15a-1:00p
Conference Closing
-
Susan Magsamen
Founder and Executive Director, Johns Hopkins University International Arts + Mind Lab
Susan is the founder of the groundbreaking neuroaesthetics initiative at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine working at the intersection of brain sciences and the arts, examining how our unique response to aesthetic experiences can amplify human potential. She is also an award-winning author and an assistant professor of neurology. Learn more.
Joseph Victor Sakran, MD, MPH, MPA
Executive Vice Chair of Surgery, Johns Hopkins Medicine
Dr. Joseph V. Sakran is a trauma surgeon, coalition builder, policy advisor, public health expert, and nationally recognized advocate for gun violence prevention. He is currently Director of Emergency General Surgery, Associate Professor of Surgery, and Associate Chief of the Division of Acute Care Surgery at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. Learn more.
Anthony Watters
Interim Social Innovation Lab Director, Johns Hopkins University Pava Center
Anthony is a Carey Business School alum and the founder of More Watter co., a health and wellness company that uses exercise and community to improve health outcomes for people with chronic conditions. He is also the co- founder of It Takes One inc, a non-profit organization that provides scholarships for Baltimore City high school graduates. Learn more.
Planning Your Trip
-
The conference begins at 1pm on November 5th and ends at 1pm on November 7th.
Airports:
- Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) – 3.6 miles (5.8 km) from Bloomberg Center
- Dulles International Airport (IAD) – 25 miles (40 km) from Bloomberg Center
- Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) – 31 miles (50 km) from Bloomberg Center
Hotels
Cost
Distance from Bloomberg Center
Kimpton Hotel Monaco Washington DC
$$ 0.3 Miles (0.05 km)
Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill
$$ 0.6 Miles (0.7 km)
Motto by Hilton Washington DC
$ 0.5 Miles (0.8 km)
Hilton Washington DC Capitol Hill
$$ 0.7 Miles (0.83 km)
Grand Hyatt Washington
$$$ 0.7 Miles (0.9 km)
Washington Marriott at Metro Center
$$$ 0.8 Miles (1.3 km)
Discounted rates may be available at the above hotels, mention Johns Hopkins University when booking.
Getting Around:
- Click here to access the DC Metro Trip Planner
Note: Parking near the Bloomberg Center is available via public parking garages
-
When it comes to activities, few cities can match Washington, DC. World-famous institutions of government offer regular tours, many famous museums are to be found here, and the city offers an unparalleled schedule of major social, cultural, political, and education events throughout the year.
-
Is parking available near the conference?
Yes, parking is available via public parking garages near the Bloomberg Center. Daily rates will vary by location.Is early conference check-in available?
Early conference check-in is available November 4 from 1:00-4:00pm at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Center. Otherwise, check-in will be available November 5 starting at 10:00am.How do I request an invitation letter for my VISA submission?
Please email unicontdc2025@jhu.edu and we will prepare a VISA letter.What is the cancellation/refund policy?
Conference participants paying by credit card can be refunded up to 120-days after the transaction date. Refunds of wire transfers and checks may take up to 3-months.Registrations are transferrable to other team members by contacting unicontdc2025@jhu.edu.
May I bring a guest?
Conference sessions and events are for registered TDC participants only.Who can I contact with questions?
Please email us at unicontdc2025@jhu.edu.
Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center
This year's conference will be held at the Hopkins Bloomberg Center, located at 555 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, DC. Featuring soaring views of the United States Capitol and a light-filled atrium, our 10-story steel-and-glass location sits on one of the world’s most iconic avenues. Our nation’s capital city is a hub of innovation, collaboration, and influence, making it the perfect backdrop for a conference focused on meaningful change. The Hopkins Bloomberg Center is a state-of-the-art facility designed for cutting-edge discussions and centrally located with easy access to local transportation, accommodations, and world-class cultural activities.
About the Carey Business School
Grounded in the Johns Hopkins legacy of excellence and research, Johns Hopkins Carey Business School shapes business leaders who seize opportunity, inspire change, and create lasting value. We bring a modern business perspective to Johns Hopkins by shaping leaders who build for what’s next®.
With locations in Baltimore, MD, and Washington, D.C., Carey offers full-time, part-time, and online MBA and MS degree programs, and executive education programs for the global marketplace that are data-driven and built to compete in an everchanging business world. Carey’s faculty are thought-leaders, trailblazing what’s next in the business world and in the classroom. And at Carey, we learn by doing. For more information, visit carey.jhu.edu.
-
Michelle Barton, PhD
Associate Professor of Practice, Johns Hopkins Carey Business School
Dr. Michelle Barton is an Associate Professor of Practice at the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School with expertise in organizational and team resilience, managing uncertainty, and interpersonal effectiveness during adversity. Dr. Barton’s work examines how groups manage dynamic and uncertain situations as they are unfolding. Drawing from wildland firefighting, high tech entrepreneurship, expedition racing and military operations, her research considers how groups make sense of ambiguous situations, how they coordinate, learn and share knowledge in the midst of confusion and how they mitigate and recover from adversity. She is especially focused on the relational dynamics that enable these practices. Learn more.
Alexa S. Chilcutt, PhD
Executive Education Faculty, Johns Hopkins Carey Business School
Dr. Alexa Chilcutt delivers executive education courses on the topics of interpersonal and team communication, presentation skills, and impression management and executive presence. Alexa is the co-author of, "Engineered to Speak: Helping You Create and Deliver Engaging Technical Presentations" published by Wiley IEEE PCS Professional Engineering Communication Series. She has also published in MedEdPORTAL, Journal of American Dental Association (JADA), Association of General Dentist's Impact magazine, Public Relations Journal, and Georgia Academy of General Dentistry's Explorer magazine. Dr. Chilcutt was an Associate Professor and Director of The Public Speaking Program at The University of Alabama from 2010 - 2021 and has served as the Communication Instructor for UA's aeronautical and mechanical engineering NSF funded Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program since 2011. Learn more.
Carl DuPont, DMA
Executive Education Faculty, Johns Hopkins Carey Business School
Carl DuPont is an artist, innovator, and educator with a creative approach to improving peak performance for individuals, organizations, and communities. He leverages his expertise to implement strategic initiatives at the intersections of communications, diversity, equity, inclusion, access, and sustainability. This includes training, programming, talent acquisition, executive presence, and utilizing holistic evidence-based solutions for organizations. His scalable strategies have been tailored to clients ranging from small cultural institutions to Fortune 100 companies. DuPont’s unique approach draws on his experience as an international performer and published author, as well as his curiosity as a life-long learner to make the aspirational actionable. Learn more.
Erik Helzer, PhD
Associate Professor of Practice, Johns Hopkins Carey Business School
Dr. Erik Helzer is an Associate Professor of Management and Organization at the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School and the Executive Education Faculty Director for Leadership Curriculum. His research focuses on three facets of practical wisdom: ethical behavior and moral judgment, self-knowledge, and personal agency and adjustment. He develops and applies psychological, organizational, and behavioral science insights to understand the cultivation of practical wisdom for leading in organizations. He has worked with both public and private organizations to offer custom programs for employees on these and other topics, providing knowledge and practical skills that are grounded in behavioral science. Learn more.
Christopher G. Myers, PhD
Associate Professor and Faculty Director of the Center for Innovative Leadership, Johns Hopkins Carey Business School
Dr. Christopher Myers is an Associate Professor of Management & Organization and the founding Faculty Director of the Center for Innovative Leadership at the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School, and holds joint faculty appointments in Anesthesiology & Critical Care Medicine at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and in Health Policy and Management at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. His research and teaching focus on individual learning, leadership development, and innovation, with particular attention to how people learn vicariously and share knowledge in health care organizations and other knowledge-intensive work environments. Learn more.
Adriano Pianesi, MBA
Adjunct Professor, Johns Hopkins Carey Business School
Adriano Pianesi has 20 years of leadership development, team coaching, and change management experience built on capacity development, possibility thinking, and sound strategy. An ICF-certified coach, Pianesi holds an MBA in Communication and Group Dynamics from the University of Milan. He has trained at Harvard Business School, Harvard Kennedy School, and the Art of Hosting, where he refined his repertoire of experiential and innovative facilitation and teaching practices. He is also a faculty member of the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences in the MA in Non-Profit Management where he supports students becoming agents of change through mission-based work. Learn more.
Anna Fitzgibbon, MBA
Executive Education Faculty, Johns Hopkins Carey Business School
Anna Fitzgibbon is the Founder and Owner of OutGrowth. As an experiential education expert, Anna is a die-hard advocate for immersive programming and a re-imagined approach to professional development. With experience traveling and working in over 25 countries, she earned her MBA from The Johns Hopkins Carey Business School, and has a professional background in program development and facilitation (design thinking, corporate team-building and wellness, project-based learning, higher education), sustainable community development and co-creation, event management, and outdoor education.
-
Julia Schreck
Senior Director of Executive Education
Amy Kuebler
Director of Learning Solutions, Executive Education
Nicole Marris
Associate Director, Executive Education
Registrations Are Now Open
UNICON does not provide its mailing list to outside parties. Should you or anyone on your team receive an email suggesting you can purchase such a list, be assured that it is a phishing message. Do not open the email or any attachment or link in the email and delete the email immediately.
Full-time MBA Program
Full-time MBA

Grounded in analytics and leadership, the full-time MBA gives you the tools to translate data insights into action and drive impact in ever-changing markets. Newly STEM-designated.
Gain the analytical and leadership skills employers demand with the Johns Hopkins MBA. Harness technological advancements through classroom teaching, experiential learning, and co-curricular experiences. And graduate ready to lead across industries.
Choose your specialization
Choose between two specializations: Analytics, Leadership, and Innovation or Health, Technology, and Innovation. The specializations overlap at key points in the curriculum, and you will continue to build connections with your peers throughout the program.
Your student journey starts here
From the start of your application to start of your new job, see how our team supports your entire student journey.
Program Details





Scholarships & Financial Aid
Program Features
With the analytic and leadership skills to propel your career, an MBA from Johns Hopkins is just the beginning. Ranked as one of the Top 10 Business School’s to Watch by Poets & Quants, Carey delivers a transformative learning experience to help you succeed in the business world. And as one of the first 10 American business schools to claim a STEM designation for its entire Full-time MBA program, your degree will prepare you with advanced knowledge in data analysis and complex problem-solving.
Build the analytic skills to extract breakthrough business insights from big data. Strengthen your leadership skills to drive change in the fast-moving global market. Immerse yourself in experiential learning projects with businesses where your insights have immediate impact. Join the world-class Johns Hopkins ecosystem and graduate in demand–87 percent of Carey graduates accept full-time job offers within 90 days of graduation and our alumni see an average salary increase of 139 percent within three years of graduation. Take the next step as a data-driven leader and together, we will build for what’s next.
Women for business
For the fifth-straight year, over 50 percent of Carey students in the full-time MBA program are women, placing Carey at the top of Forté Foundation’s list of business schools that launch women into successful careers.
Innovation Field Project
As the signature project for the full-time MBA program, immerse yourself in an eight-week project-based course with three to five days in the field to find an innovative solution to a complex business problem.
Johns Hopkins ecosystem
An MBA is more than just the classroom. At Carey, you’ll join a network of over 25,000 alumni and gain exclusive access to the expansive Johns Hopkins ecosystem of more than 250,000 alumni spanning across the globe and industries.
An MBA accessible to everyone
At Carey, we understand that financing your MBA can be daunting. That’s why nearly 100 percent of our full-time MBA candidates receive financial support, including awards up to full-tuition and stipends through merit- and need-based scholarships. And through new philanthropic and institutional resources, all domestic candidates may also be considered for need-based financial aid that covers up to the full cost of attendance.
-
Read the story
Our Full-time MBA Class of 2026 students hail from diverse fields including healthcare, technology, engineering, and social impact. The Class of 2026 is uniquely positioned to leverage this environment to create meaningful change, driven by a shared passion for enhancing healthcare, advancing technology, and making a difference in their respective fields. Together, they form a community rooted in purpose and poised to lead in the evolving landscape of business and health. Read on for their stories.
Working in the construction industry, Dana Blackwood (MBA ’14) wanted to build upon her technical skillset. Now, with credit to the Johns Hopkins MBA, Blackwood leads business development pursuits and teams of people in her position at Turner Construction Company.
-
- 322 average GRE
- 58.7% female / 41.3% male
- 3.42 average undergraduate GPA
- 5.7 average years of full-time work experience
- 16 countries represented
Curriculum
Develop the analytic skills to anticipate future market trends and the leadership skills to implement data-driven change. Through an engaging curriculum and immersive experiential learning opportunities, you will gain the foundational skills employers demand. Customize your journey by selecting a set of electives, co-curricular activities, and experiential learning opportunities based on your unique strengths and interests. Small class sizes empower you to ask more questions, receive personalized feedback, and work closely with faculty experts.
In the second year of the program, benefit from a tailored course schedule that fits your professional interests and goals. This unique opportunity allows you to interact with Carey students from all programs and get involved in more Johns Hopkins experiences, such as Johns Hopkins Technology Ventures and Hexcite.
Foundations Week
Start your time at Carey Business School with Foundations Week. Network with your new peers, launch your career development, prepare for your courses in skills boot camps, and explore the world of experiential learning.
Storytelling boot camp - This session is an opportunity to connect with your Carey Career & Life Design Coach. You’ll continue to hone your story about your professional journey to Carey and what you’re seeking to gain from your MBA, so you’re career ready from day one.
Business Communication boot camp - This session prepares you for one of your first classes in the program, Business Communication. Learn the basic components and skills you'll need to impress audiences.
Quantitative Skills boot camp - This optional, two-day boot camp focuses on the basic quantitative skills needed for your core microeconomics course. Refresh your knowledge of topics such as the equation of a line, non-linear functions, graphing lines and curves, exponents, and calculus, with both lecture and interactive problem-solving.
Introduction to experiential learning - In this session, benefit from the Johns Hopkins ecosystem by working in teams to help a Johns Hopkins partner capitalize on a business opportunity.
-
Foundational courses
All foundational classes challenge you to understand and live out Carey Business School’s values: boundless curiosity, relentless advancement, unwavering humanity, and collaborative leadership. Courses include:
- Accounting Foundations
- Business Communication
- Behavioral Science: Leadership and Organizational Behavior
- Behavioral Science: Leading Change
- Behavioral Science: Negotiating Collaboratively
- Competitive Strategy
- Data Science: Statistics
- Finance
- Marketing Management
- Microeconomics and Market Design
- Operations Management
Core experiential learning courses:
Experiential learning electives:
- Advising Project Teams
- Applied Behavioral Strategy for Organizational and Social Impact
- City Lab
- Leadership Development Expedition
Customized electives
Electives are your opportunity to differentiate yourself and become an expert in your field. Both specializations–Analytics, Leadership, and Innovation and Health, Technology, and Innovation–are customized to meet your goals. Choose electives you want to focus on, like consulting, finance, organizational leadership, marketing, or operations management. Or choose a combination of electives across any of the career areas to build diverse skills and identify insights across industries.
Selection of electives by career focus:
CONSULTING
- Global Strategy
- Strategic Human Capital
- Strategy Consulting Practicum
- Artificial Intelligence
FINANCE
- Advanced Corporate Finance
- Cryptos and Blockchain
- Financial Modeling and Valuation
LEADING ORGANIZATIONS
- Effective Teaming
- Leadership Development Expeditions
- Managing in a Diverse Global World
- Power and Politics
MARKETING
- Marketing Research
- Marketing Strategy
- Social Media Analytics
OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT
- Advanced Business Analytics
- Design Lab
- Global Supply Chain Management
- Managing Complex Projects
Specific courses and elective offerings may change.
-
The Student Managed Investment Fund course, funded through generous donations, offers students the opportunity to learn real-world investment management techniques through hands-on experiences managing real assets. Students work collaboratively in small teams to carry out investment research, make trade recommendations, and execute trades approved by their student-run investment committee.
The course approaches investment management from a practitioner’s perspective, covering both necessary quantitative tools and qualitative decision-making processes. Students will review the theoretical foundation of investments, practical applications in managing investment portfolios, and ethical decision-making practices. This advanced experiential learning program helps students acquire “job-ready” skills for the investment management industry.
Program Comparison
- In-person classes
- Courses held in Baltimore, MD
- STEM-designated curriculum
- Complete degree in two years
- Online, flexible format
- Complete degree in two to three years
- Asynchronous and/or fully synchronous courses
- Optional in-person experiences
Connect with a Carey student or alumni
Our students come from all over the world and represent all of the different graduate business programs we have here at Carey. Connect with one of them directly to learn more about life at Carey.
What can 50 years of leadership communication research tell us?
The art of mentoring
Coaching for Leaders
Coaching for Leaders

Executive Education
Coaching for leaders and executives.
Executive coaching can help you and your institution increase leadership effectiveness, enhance team performance, and exceed organizational expectations. Our team of highly qualified and experienced coaches can help you reach your goals and find clarity through change resulting in lasting transformation and impact.
What we offer
-
Focus on building individual skill and how to best manage your team. Create behavioral change in your leadership that can influence and shape results. Topics may include handling ambiguity, self-awareness, communicating change, creating a psychologically safe work environment, and increasing resilience.
-
Focus on strategic decision making and visionary leadership. Topics may include minimizing threats, maximizing opportunities, aligning priorities, creating compelling narratives, and building strong work cultures.
-
Focus on fair process, organizational structure changes, team reform, and new capability implementation. Topics may include motivating others, communicating new vision and managing group anxiety during transition. Focus on the needs of your teams. Topics may include team building, group assessment, work culture, objective/goal setting, and mission & purpose work.
-
Focus on understanding the individual characteristics essential to good management and consistently demonstrating confidence and clear leadership. Topics may include composure, command, and confidence.
-
Focus on changing jobs or pivoting in one’s career. Topics may include strengths assessment, CV and cover letter review, job search strategy, and interview prep.
How it works:
Meet with a member of our team who specializes and trains coaches. They will assess your coaching needs, walk through the coaching options, and assign you to a coach who is best trained and suited to work with you to meet your goals. You will then contract with your coach who will provide regular and confidential coaching.
Coaching packages
Coaching packages can be narrowly tailored to fit you and your organization’s needs. The most popular packages include:
-
1, 50-minute coaching session with follow-up email/notes ($550.00)
-
4, 50-minute coaching sessions for six weeks with follow-up email/notes. Email support for 6 weeks ($3950 or is eligible for tuition remission)
-
10, 50-minute coaching sessions for 12 weeks with follow-up email/notes. Email support for 12 weeks. Emergency calls available. ($5900.00)
-
18, 50-minute coaching sessions weekly for 24 weeks with follow-up email/notes. Email support for 24 weeks. Emergency calls available. If applicable, assessment available (MBTI, 360, EQ) ($10,000.00)
Coaches
-
Kathy is a professional coach and skilled facilitator who is fully committed to helping individuals reach their full potential at work and in life. She has extensive experience as a coach, counselor, educator, consultant, and leader. Since 2020, Kathy has served as a Leadership Coach and Adjunct Faculty member in the Executive Education Program at the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School. In this role Kathy coaches mid- and senior-level professional clients in both customized leadership development programs and in curriculum-based, non-credit academies for women in leadership and health care leadership and management. She delivers high quality coaching and consultation in personal and professional development, change management, strategic planning, navigating workplace challenges, and building leadership presence.
Prior to joining the Executive Education program, Kathy served as the Director of Coaching and Education at Carey where she led a team of seven professional coaches to design and deliver career services to a diverse population of graduate business students and alumni. She coached individuals to identify their strengths and accomplish their goals, facilitated coaching groups for aspiring leaders, and designed innovative programming to enhance student success. Additionally, Kathy served for two years as the career development expert on a university-wide team of change management professionals to transform and enhance the overall student experience at Johns Hopkins University.
Kathy is a certified coach through The Academies, a training program accredited by the International Coach Federation (ICF). She is also a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) in Maryland. She earned her master’s degree and advanced graduate specialist diploma in counseling from the University of Maryland, and her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Dickinson College. She is recognized as a leader in the career development field and has presented at regional and national conferences on the ethics of coaching, the differences between coaching, counseling and consulting, innovative models for delivering career services to diverse student populations, integrating technology into career development practice, and best practices for supporting adults in career transition.
Outside of work, Kathy is an avid reader, loves to travel with friends and family, and devotes time to building her practice in yoga and mindfulness.
-
Change, adaptation, and personal transformation are central to Adriano’s lived experience and foundational to his approach as an executive coach. Adriano earned a Master of Business Administration from the University of Milan, Italy, and a Bachelor of Arts in economics from the University of Rome, Italy, and the University of Santander, Spain. He holds an associate coaching certification (ACC) from the International Coaching Federation, College of Executive Coaching.
“After working for 20 years in corporate America,” he says, “I discovered I could leverage my business expertise and personal transformation experience to help leaders re-imagine and redesign themselves and their organizations.”
Adriano’s coaching work is built on values like human dignity, choice, responsibility, authenticity, openness, learning, diversity, and inclusion. He dives deep with clients, exploring areas that might have been previously hidden. Power, dissent, and emotions are discussed head-on, often leading to personal growth and change.
An enthusiastic professional committed to learning and personal growth, Adriano is passionate about helping clients turn ideas into action, build optimism for the future, gain clarity and courage to address uncertainty and manage transition and change. “My work is based on the concept of emergence,” he says. “I create spaces where individuals and groups can become their best selves. Participants are given permission to be imperfect, experiment, miss the mark, and recover.”
In addition to his work as an executive coach for the past 6 years, Adriano is an adjunct faculty member at the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School, where he teaches graduate and executive courses on innovation, power, and change. He also teaches a certificate program in nonprofit executive leadership at the Johns Hopkins Krieger School of Arts & Sciences. Adriano has published extensively on leadership, design thinking, and adaptive change. TEDx Speaker. English, Spanish, Italian, and basic French. U.S. citizen.
-
Alexa is a subject matter expert in executive presence, leadership communication, and professional public speaking skills. She is the faculty lead for Johns Hopkins Carey Business School's Executive Education Business Communication Certificate and co-lead for the Academy for Women and Leadership. Certified Executive Coach with a focus on executive presence, professional public speaking and presentation skills. Dr. Chilcutt has been featured in The Business Journals: Career & Workplace (2024) “How women leaders can stand out and be heard in an age of information overload”, Medium's Authority Magazine (2024) “Can You Hear Me Now: Author Dr Alexa Chilcutt On Five Strategies Leaders Use to Diminish Distractions & Win in the Attention Economy”, and Business Insider (2024) “You've heard of pretty privilege, but 'ugly privilege' may have its perks too”. Co-author of, "Engineered to Speak: Helping You Create and Deliver Engaging Technical Presentations" (IEEE PCS Professional Engineering Communication Series) with Dr. Adam Brooks.
-
Allison is a transformative leader and the Chief Human Resources Officer at Tilley Distribution, a company within the SK Capital Private Equity portfolio. Based in Middle River, MD, she drives Human Capital, Communications, and Information Technology strategies across five North American and three international sites. Known for her ability to align organizational design with strategic goals, Allison has been instrumental in integrating four distinct businesses into one cohesive organization, fostering collaboration and operational excellence.
A champion of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, Allison leads initiatives that build robust talent pipelines and cultivate a culture of unity and empowerment. Her expertise in managing large-scale change initiatives has consistently delivered measurable results, transforming workplace cultures and driving sustainable growth.
In addition to her role at Tilley, Allison serves as an Executive Education Leadership Coach at Johns Hopkins Carey Business School, where she empowers emerging leaders in programs such as the Academy of Women in Leadership and Essentials of Coaching. Her passion for leadership development extends beyond the workplace, as she mentors professionals to achieve personal and professional excellence.
Before joining Tilley Distribution, Allison was the Senior Director of Human Resources at Northrop Grumman Space Sector, where she supported a $2.5 billion division spanning 21+ sites and led a team of 25+ HR professionals. Her prior roles include Director of Organization Development at MGM Resorts International and leadership positions at Johns Hopkins University, where she also taught a highly regarded Leadership course. Across all roles, Allison has been celebrated for fostering employee engagement, driving strategic alignment, and cultivating thriving organizational cultures.
Allison holds a Master of Business Administration in organization development from Johns Hopkins University and a Bachelor of Science in organizational communication, learning, and design from Ithaca College. She is certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR), in the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, and in mediation training.
A firm believer in the power of small, incremental changes, Allison inspires others to embrace continuous improvement as a pathway to transformative outcomes.
Residing in Towson, MD, Allison cherishes time with her husband, their three children, and their Goldendoodle. In her free time, she enjoys volunteering, tennis, hiking, reading, and exploring new places.
-
Carl DuPont, DMA, is an interdisciplinary innovator who transforms communication through an embodied approach to human expression. As a performer, educator, and consultant, he bridges art, science, and personal development to unlock multidimensional communication potential with clients ranging from boutique to Fortune 100 companies. He is an associate professor of voice at the Peabody Institute, Executive Education faculty at Johns Hopkins University's Carey Business School, artistic lead at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and published author of academic articles. Blending artistic performance with evidence-based research, he helps professionals discover their authentic voice as a complete mode of creative and personal communication.
DuPont's unique methodology integrates creative skill transfer across disciplines, innovative approaches to voice and executive presence, code-switching across cultural and professional contexts and accent work and linguistic fluidity.
-
Katy is a member of the Executive Education faculty at the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School having previously served as Associate Dean of Student Development at Carey. Her most current role was as the INSEAD Associate Dean of Degree Programs. In this role, Katy was responsible for the commercial leadership of the INSEAD Degree Program portfolio across four campuses: Fontainebleau, Singapore, Abu Dhabi, and San Francisco. Her functional responsibilities included strategy, marketing, sales, admissions, financial aid and scholarships, program operations, student life, psychological services, and career services.
Katy has taught, coached, and facilitated programs for executives, EMBAs, MBAs, and other business education students and also has coached and trained attorneys and non-profit leaders. She received her undergraduate degree in Political Science from Loyola University New Orleans, her Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center, and her Executive Masters in Change from INSEAD.
-
Mary Somers has more than 30 years’ experience providing executive and career coaching to adults in transition. She especially enjoys working and supporting individuals from mid-career to senior leadership levels—those seeking to advance in their current fields or considering new roles and/or industries. She has supported clients in health care, finance, technology, and education, among others. Her clients have said that she provides a thoughtful, listening ear, asks questions that inspire meaningful self-reflection and helps create effective action plans in order to achieve both personal and professional goals.
Mary holds a Master of Science in Counseling from the Johns Hopkins School of Education and is a nationally certified counselor and board-certified coach. Previously, she was the Associate Director of Coaching and Education at the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School. She has also worked at Georgetown and Tufts Universities in admissions, advising and administrative roles.
-
Raina's leadership coaching style integrates a unique blend of approaches by combining ICF-accredited techniques, CliftonStrengths talents, and change management principles to address the specific challenges women face in the workplace. This approach empowers women leaders to unlock their full potential and foster growth, resilience, and adaptability while embracing their strengths and navigating change effectively.