Cardinal Leadership Institute fuels employee success

The University of Louisville measures employee success by more than the quality and quantity of completed tasks. With a workforce of more than 7,000 faculty and staff who serve in hundreds of professional capacities across three campuses, the university makes a positive employee experience a vital component to its mission.

To support the development and growth of leaders at the university, the Employee Success Center in partnership with the College of Education & Human Development facilitates the Cardinal Leadership Institute, which cultivates university leaders who understand the university's vision and can effectively foster its growth.

The 2023 Cardinal Leadership Institute cohort included 21 UofL faculty and staff who recently celebrated completion of the five-month program. This year’s institute graduates are:

• Tammy Albers, School of Public Health and Information Sciences
• Shirin Bolhari, Procurement Card Team
• Johanna Boone, J.B. Speed School of Engineering
• Nacetia N. Burke, Raymond A. Kent School of Social Work and Family Science
• Priscilla Calvo Castillo, University Housing
• Jody Carroll, Office of Technology Transfer and the Office of Industry Engagement
• April Clark, Raymond A. Kent School of Social Work and Family Science
• Jennifer A. Coffey, School of Medicine
• Kari L. Donahue, J.B. Speed School of Engineering
• Christopher Dye, College of Business
• Heather Egan, University of Louisville Police Department
• Stephen Fairley, University Advancement
• Adora Burdette Hicks, Athletics
• Jacek B. Jasinski, J.B. Speed School of Engineering
• Brittney M. Luckett, School of Medicine
• Manjiri Menezes, College of Business
• Natalie Oliner, J.B. Speed School of Engineering
• Cecilia Peredo, College of Education and Human Development
• Edwina Lynn Peterson, School of Medicine
• Kaitlyn Robinson, School of Medicine
• Erica Walsh, Office of Communications and Marketing

See pictures from the 2023 Cardinal Leadership Institute graduation.

“We believe that an institute of higher learning should be a place where everyone – not just students – have opportunities to learn, grow and succeed personally and professionally,” said Brian Buford, executive director of university culture and employee success.

Buford serves as a Cardinal Leadership Institute faculty member along with Meagan West, training specialist for the Employee Success Center; Douglas Craddock, vice president of community engagement; as well as Ann Herd and Matt Bergman, both clinical associate professors in the Department of Educational Leadership, Evaluation and Organizational Development. Institute curriculum consists of online and in-person sessions and focuses on supporting organizational change; leadership and management; diversity, equity and inclusion; coaching and talent development; and university culture and values.

Kaitlyn Robinson, a project manager in the School of Medicine, was encouraged by her supervisor, Glenn Gittings, to participate in the institute. According to Robinson, she realized that if she wanted to see change and be a part of change at the university level, she needed to find ways to better support herself as a leader.

“The Cardinal Leadership Institute challenged me to rethink stances on situations where leaders are often forced to make difficult decisions and helped me identify ways to encourage change at our university,” said Robinson. “It also challenged me to look more deeply at my overall wellbeing by way of establishing routines that can help to reenergize myself despite the heavy tasks we all face daily in our lives.”

Recruitment for the 2024 Cardinal Leadership Institute will begin in Fall 2023. Information about the Cardinal Leadership Institute requirements, benefits, application and information sessions on the institute’s website. For questions, contact Meagan West in the UofL Employee Success Center.