The two-day gathering included several interactive sessions focused on embedding the guiding principles into the Administration and Finance culture.
When Dawn M. Rhodes, DBA, joined the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) team in 2016, the creation of the 2017-2021 Administration and Finance (A&F) strategic plan was one of her first significant achievements. In order to tap into the collective wisdom of the department leadership, she organized a leadership retreat to focus on this forward-looking document.
In 2018 and again in 2019, the group gathered annually to discuss various elements of the plan, including progress on each of the A&F strategic goals. Then, COVID-19 struck. During the next few years, the day-to-day running of the University took priority over all else, including the leadership retreat.
Now in 2023 — with the public health emergency portion of the pandemic behind us — the time was right to reconsider the retreat. However, unlike 2016 when the creation of the strategic plan was looming large, the 2022-2026 strategic plan was already in place. A&F leadership had spent the better part of 2021 formulating the most recent strategic plan. Thus, Rhodes decided to expand the sphere of what the retreat would mean.
When the 2016 retreat was planned, the A&F family was 500 strong. Today, that number has grown to more than 800, and includes a host of new leaders and divisions, including an Office of Sustainability, Department of Public Safety, Office of Emergency Management, Human Resource Services, and a budding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) department. With several high-profile initiatives about to roll out, the decision was made to broaden the focus of the retreat and pivot to a more overarching approach to the leadership meeting.
To help offset several years of absence and the expanded responsibilities of A&F, the 2023 leadership retreat was to be a multiday endeavor that would be held in two locations: the Donaldson Brown Riverfront Event Center, which is administered by UMB, and UMB's Westminster Hall.
The morning of the first day began with introductions of the 48 leadership participants along with the question, “What non-work thing are you most proud of?” While “my kid(s)” was the most common answer, others included moving cross country to work and live in Baltimore, coaching their kid’s teams, playing clarinet with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO), completing a 100-mile run (twice!), and visiting 28 different baseball stadiums.
The next couple of hours included several interactive sessions focused on embedding the guiding principles into the A&F culture. One entertaining session had attendees act out various workplace scenarios — all of which were written by artificial intelligence (or ChatGPT) — which were then critiqued by the group. Another session included a deep dive into the results of the Staff Experience Survey along with a brainstorming session on how to address and operationalize the findings. The day concluded with part one of a two-part DEI session led by Nicole Palmore, A&F executive director of diversity and inclusion. The day’s activities culminated with a sun-kissed photo of all leadership participants.
“The atmosphere at the event was great and everything was very well organized,” said Jussi Isojarvi, manager, HR analytics data, Human Resource Services. “For me personally as someone who just recently started with UMB, the retreat was a wonderful way to be introduced to the A&F central leadership team. I value networking and I enjoyed making so many new connections. The retreat was an opportunity to get familiar with the group and understand my peers’ thoughts and perspectives on the items discussed. After the limitations caused by the pandemic, it is so wonderful to be able to connect with peers in person again.”
The second day of the retreat was held at Westminster Hall. Perhaps the most intimate session of the two days was the “Ask the Senior Vice President," a 45-minute session with Rhodes. The idea was to break down barriers to communication, both real and imagined, and to give everyone the opportunity to pose any question to the chief business and finance officer and senior vice president. Questions included what Rhodes saw as her most significant accomplishments, what items keep her up at night, and what unique challenges face UMB.
Following the Q&A, the second part of the DEI session was completed, which included attendees sharing an item that holds significance in their personal identity. This included a multigenerational family photo of firefighters, a foreign language album, and various family heirlooms.
The day, and the entire conference, was wrapped up with a "Personal Sustainability Session" with senior sustainability specialist and certified yoga teacher Angela Ober. The session focused on showing attendees how to “rest and digest” while at work, a guide to locating green spaces around the campus, and a Nature Rx that highlighted the benefits of being in nature. The day ended with Ober leading the attendees in a group breathing and yoga session.
While the past few years have proven that the future is always a work in progress, it’s a fair bet that 2024 will include a leadership retreat that the entire A&F leadership team will be looking forward to.