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• Lessons on Leadership, Culture From the 2025 Top Workplaces

  • When
    18 Sep 2025
  •  
    8:00 AM - 9:00 AM
  • Location
    Zoom Meeting

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  Leading companies and organizations today has become more complicated: work environments have changed; employee expectations and requirements have increased; while the job market is improving slightly, good talent is still tough to find; and – with so many changes in our broader society – building and maintaining a thriving culture is far more difficult than it was even a few years ago.

  IQC — in partnership with PEN and WCPE — is pleased to host an online webinar discussion on Thursday, September 18: “Lessons on Leadership, Culture From the 2025 Top Workplaces.” The session will be a panel discussion, featuring three recipients of the Minnesota Star Tribune’s 2025 Top Workplaces:

  • Jennifer Roelke, Chief Talent & Culture Officer, Sourcewell
  • Chris Gulbrandson, CEO, Apple Autos
  • Michael Wirth-Davis, CEO, Goodwill/Easter Seals of Minnesota

  The panel will be moderated by Brian Lassiter of PEN, and will focus on best practices in leadership, workforce engagement, organizational (and personal) resilience, building a strong culture in a time with growing incivility. The panel will explore insights, tools, and systematic ways to build a winning work environment – practices appreciated enough by their employees for them to vote as a best place to work!

  You cannot have engaged happy and customers without happy and engaged workers. Come explore some transferable techniques to building a winning team and winning culture.

  This session is Thursday, Sept 18 from 8:00-9:00 CT (optional networking and mingling 7:45-8:00), using Zoom MEETING. Grab your coffee and breakfast, and join us for a rich discussion. Free for PEN/WCPE/IQC members; $20 for non-members.

  Can’t make it live but interested in the content? Register anyway: all registered attendees get a link to the recording after the session.

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• Helpful Hacks: Exploring Personal Productivity Tools

  • When
    2 Oct 2025
  •  
    8:00 AM - 9:00 AM
  • Location
    Zoom Meeting

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  Businesses and organizations today are feeling increasing pressures to improve productivity, eliminate waste, and maximize efficiency. In good times (and now in more challenging times), leaders at all levels – and employees in all roles – must increase capacity and use the technology tools we have to “work smarter,” saving time and better managing our workload.

  IQC — in partnership with PEN and WCPE — is pleased to host an online webinar discussion on Thursday, October 2: “Helpful Hacks: Exploring Personal Productivity Tools.” The session will be facilitated by Libby Fisette of CTC Productivity, but also have an opportunity to share insights and best practices on productivity tools from attendees.

  Libby will introduce six Microsoft 365 productivity/technology tools (Outlook, Whiteboard, Teams, OneNote, Planner, and Loop) and then share a scenario – a case study – that shows how these tools work together to streamline meeting planning and follow-through. The scenario includes:

  1. Scheduling meetings: Using scheduling polls and/or Copilot
  2. Meeting prep and collaborative meeting agendas: Using the whiteboard feature prior to the meeting to crowdsource ideas, using the “notes” loop component for a live, editable agenda that everyone can contribute to before the meeting
  3. Meeting chat and whiteboard before, during, and after the meeting
  4. Meeting notes: Using OneNote (and the linked meeting feature) and/or Copilot, send post-meeting notes
  5. Follow-up tasks: Adding tasks to the loop agenda create tasks in To Do and Planner – when someone completes a tasks, all place update (the loop agenda and the task itself)
  6. Save the chat in a favorites section in Teams
  7. Duplicate the meeting if a follow-up meeting is required

  After Libby’s introduction of the tools (and a brief pause for questions and dialogue), we will head into two rounds of (optional) breakout discussions for webinar attendees to share insights, tips, and best practices related to these six tools. We will wrap up with a quick debrief to share some of the key insights with the larger audience.

  We all need to be more efficient now in managing our time and maximizing our productivity these days. Don’t miss this valuable discussion on how to improve your – and/or your team’s – productivity!

  This session is Thursday, Oct 2 from 8:00-9:00 CT (optional networking and mingling 7:45-8:00), using Zoom MEETING. Grab your coffee and breakfast, and join us for a rich discussion. Free for PEN/WCPE/IQC members; $20 for non-members.

  Can’t make it live but interested in the content? Register anyway: all registered attendees get a link to the recording after the session.

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  BIOGRAPHY

  Libby Fisette is a seasoned Microsoft 365 business and productivity consultant with over 20 years of experience helping organizations streamline their workflows, enhance collaboration, and drive digital transformation. As a key member of the CTC Productivity team, Libby partners with clients to align M365 tools with business goals—delivering practical, people-focused solutions that improve efficiency and engagement. Her expertise spans intranet design, change management, user training, and strategic consulting, making her a trusted advisor for companies navigating the evolving digital workplace.

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• Yellow Belt LEGO Game

  • When
    30 Oct 2025
  •  
    8:30 AM - 4:30 PM
  • Location
    Mary Greeley Medical Center, 1111 Duff Ave, Ames, IA 50010

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  Back by Popular Demand!! This workshop sold out last year, so it is back again in 2025, but it will fill up, so register today!

  Earn your Yellow Belt certificate and learn the basics of Lean Six Sigma through a highly interactive simulation LEGO game.

  What will I be able to do after this course? A Yellow Belt is capable of:

  • Understanding the Lean Six Sigma philosophy and translating it to their own working environment
  • Optimizing and improving processes using the DMAIC structure (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control are the 5 phases of Lean Six Sigma)
  • Identifying customer requirements
  • Recognizing improvement potential and selecting projects
  • Analyzing problems
  • Discovering root causes and reaching an optimal solution

  The workshop explores ways to reduce operational costs, improve quality, decrease lead-times and increase customer satisfaction, equipping you with a toolset that will help you drive value in your organization. The workshop is ISO-certified with an internationally recognized certification. The workshop includes simulations, interactive exercises, videos, and much more!

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• Human-Centered AI Workshop

  • When
    18 Nov 2025
  •  
    8:30 AM - 12:00 PM
  • Location
    Zoom Meeting

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  As Artificial Intelligence (AI) transforms how organizations operate, leaders need practical frameworks to implement AI ethically while maintaining high-performance standards.

  IQC — in partnership with PEN and WCPE — is pleased to announce a powerful workshop: Human Centered AI Workshop. The workshop will be hosted November 18 (half-day from 8:30AM-12:00PM CT) online and will be facilitated by Dr. Lanise Block of Sankore.

  This virtual workshop equips leaders with strategic tools to navigate AI integration while preserving human-centered excellence, strategic innovation, and organizational effectiveness.

  Part 1: “Human-Centered AI Leadership Implementing AI Without Losing Performance Excellence”

  Focus Areas:

  • Develop frameworks for ethical AI decision-making
  • Create strategies for maintaining human oversight in AI processes
  • Build organizational trust during AI implementation
  • Establish AI governance protocols that drive performance

  Part 2: Implementation Planning & Action Steps

  Focus Areas:

  • Immediate Action Planning:30-60-90 day implementation roadmap
  • Resource Identification: Tools and support systems for ongoing success
  • Organizational Application: Customizing frameworks for your specific context
  • Performance Measurement: Metrics to track AI implementation success

  Participants will engage with counterintuitive frameworks that challenge established innovation practices, explore tension points between traditional excellence models and more inclusive innovation, and develop sophisticated strategies for creating environments where breakthrough thinking and AI implementation flourishes specifically because of difference, not despite it. Through provocative case studies, and structured application exercises, attendees will move beyond theoretical understanding to practical implementation of next-generation human-centered practices that deliver measurable performance advantages in today’s complex business landscape.

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  Facilitator Biography

  Lanise Block, Ed.D. Founder and CEO of Sankore Consulting, is a visionary educator and innovative strategist dedicated to advancing social justice, inclusion, and digital transformation in education. Dr. Block’s expertise in innovation and strategic planning is evidenced by her diverse academic background and professional certifications. She holds a B.A. in history, an M.A. in teaching from Drake University, and an Ed.D. in critical pedagogy from the University of St. Thomas, complemented by graduate certificates in learning technologies, e-learning, and online teaching. Her commitment to staying at the forefront of current innovation trends is further demonstrated by her nine distinct certifications and micro-credentials.

  During her 21-year tenure with the Minneapolis Public Schools System, Dr. Block held various roles that showcased her ability to implement innovative strategies and lead transformative initiatives. As a technology integration specialist and strategic project administrator for the Superintendent’s office, she spearheaded efforts to modernize educational practices and enhance student outcomes through digital innovation.

  Dr. Block’s expertise in strategic planning and innovation extends beyond K-12 education. As an adjunct graduate professor at prestigious institutions such as the University of St. Thomas, Hamline University, Augsburg University, and Metropolitan State University, she continues to shape the future of education by instilling innovative thinking and strategic planning skills in aspiring educators.

  In 2017, Dr. Block founded Sankore Consulting, leveraging her extensive experience in educational innovation and strategic planning to serve her community. As a thought leader in design thinking, strategic planning, equity, and inclusion, she employs cutting-edge methodologies to drive organizational change and foster innovation in educational and corporate settings.

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