PDD 2018

Community development consultant Monica Vernon spent 8 years on the Cedar Rapids City Council, six as Mayor Pro Tempore from 2008 through 2015. She served as Chair of the Council’s Community/Economic Development Committee and Chair of the Metropolitan Planning Organization where she worked with the cities and the towns of Cedar Rapids, Marion, Hiawatha, R

Monica was instrumental in driving the successful recovery of Cedar Rapids after the historic 2008 flooding disaster. As part of the recovery efforts, Monica helped coordinate the recovery work with federal, state and local agencies, local not for profits, neighborhood organizations, local labor unions, and businesses to bring back housing, businesses, jobs and public facilities in the affected area that encompassed approximately 1/6 of the city.obins, Ely, Fairfax, Palo and as well as Linn County.

Joyce Layman is a national speaker, business coach, and author. As a former wallflower in the world of business networking, she knows firsthand what it takes to push past fear, create meaningful relationships, and build a powerful network. She has an entertaining ability to connect with the audience where they're at and motivate them to take action that gets results. At the continued prompting from audiences and clients, Joyce put her wisdom into book form with the release of Just Another Leap and did it again with Your Connecting Advantage.

Scott Carbonara held nearly 30 jobs since his first paper route when he was 8-years old. But he has spent much of the last 25 years practicing just 1 calling: he challenges people to imagine and create better lives for themselves and those around them. Scott is known as The Leadership Therapist, as he draws on his diverse background as an award-winning Family Therapist in the State of Michigan before transitioning into corporate America, where he served in a senior executive role as chief of staff for a multibillion dollar company.

Chad Kopitzke is an Xer stuck between two of the largest generations in American history—millennials on one side, boomers on the other. Through his background of managing internship programs on a state university campus, Chad has effectively played third party between companies and students. He hears what business leaders need and what keeps them up at night.  And he understands today’s college students —  
how they think and what they value.

Chad’s own mentors have been C-level corporate boomers, which means he can also relate to how they operate and what they expect. All of this places Chad at a unique vantage point in modern business culture. His focus is to help generations connect—rather than collide—for the sake of business growth.

8:00 - 9:30 AM 

Morning Keynote Speaker

1.5

Leadership

10:00 - 12:00 PM

Morning Breakout Sessions

AM1 Joyce Layman

"The Networking Shift, A Deep Dive" 

AM2 Scott Carbonara 

"Thriving in Times of Change" 

AM3 Chad Kopitzke

"Generations Collide"

2.0

1:00 - 3:00 PM

Afternoon Breakout Sessions

PM1 Joyce Layman

"The Networking Shift, A Deep Dive"

PM2 Scott Carbonara

"Thriving in Times of Change"

PM3 Chad Kopitzke

"Generations Collide"

2.0

3:15 - 4:45 PM  

Closing Keynote Speaker   

 1.5

Leadership