Global Leadership Mini Conference explores benefits of cultural agility and global leadership skills
By: Sydney Lowrey, communications intern
Contact: Nicol Tinsley
VCU Global Education Office
(804) 828-6463
nctinsley@vcu.edu
Richmond, VA (March 6, 2026) - Students, faculty and staff gathered in the Student Commons on Feb. 20, 2026, for the Global Education Office’s annual mini conference, “You Are Here: Mapping Your Route to Global Leadership.” The event focused on internationalization, cultural agility and the evolving meaning of what it means to be a global citizen.
Through interactive sessions and conversation, participants were encouraged to consider how global engagement influences not only careers, but also personal growth. Stephanie Tignor, Executive Director of Global Learning, described the event as an opportunity for the VCU community to learn from one another’s experiences.
“Our Global Learning mini conference is an opportunity for students, faculty, and staff engaged with our programs in GEO to share insights about their international experiences and engagement,” she said. “By exploring cultural agility and global leadership in connection with others in VCU's global community, students can leverage their global experiences to benefit their professional, academic, and personal lives.”
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The day was filled with a variety of presentations from eight VCU staff, faculty and students, as well as an alumnus, all experienced with aspects of global leadership, engagement and cultural agility, providing information to assist attendees with ways to improve their global leadership skills.
Kelly Richard, assistant director of global learning, stated the conference was “designed to engage VCU students, faculty and staff with complex topics regarding internationalization and global citizenship. This year's theme invited participants to consider the great opportunities that come from global experiences in developing ethical, reflective, and inclusive leadership practices. Participants were invited to think globally about their personal impact on the world, and how these skills can be implemented in leadership on a global scale,” she said.
Keynote speaker Oscar Kemp, a VCU alumnus and Fulbright recipient, sparked the conversation based on his own experiences abroad. 
Drawing from his time working in East Africa, Kemp reflected on how those experiences reshaped his understanding of leadership and connection. “I perceive cultural agility to be patience. Patience with yourself, patience with people, patience with problems that are not going to be resolved in one day.” For Kemp, that patience was learned through adaptability. Navigating new cultural norms and unfamiliar routines changed how he moves through the world. “Because you go abroad, because you have this international education experience, you come back and you slow down.”
Slowing down, he explained, created space for reflection. “The biggest benefit of going abroad was my self-awareness.” Exposure to different perspectives challenged assumptions he once made without thinking. “I no longer make quick assumptions.” Rather than treating difference as something to correct, Kemp encouraged the audience to approach it with openness. “It’s not wrong. It’s just a difference.”
He connected that mindset directly to global leadership. “I would describe an effective leader as someone who connects people through mutual aid, through resources, through a shared value mission and goal.” For him, leadership is about building bridges and connecting others to opportunities that were once provided to him. “So many doors have been open for us. It is so very important that we leave those doors open for those people who come behind us.”
Kemp also reflected on how his experiences abroad changed the way he shows up in classrooms and professional spaces. “Do people feel like they belong? Is my question going to benefit myself or is it going to benefit the larger classroom?” That awareness comes from recognizing how access, communication and societal expectations vary across cultures. At a broader level, he tied international education to a deeper idea. “Education is a tool for liberation all around the world.”
Throughout the conference, conversations returned to the idea that global leadership is defined by more than just international experiences. It develops through reflection and a willingness to engage across differences. The 
theme “You Are Here” invited participants to think about where they currently stand and how their experiences can shape the kinds of leaders they choose to become.
The following VCU students, staff and faculty gave informative presentations:
- Oscar Kemp, VCU alumnus and former Fulbrighter
Presentation: How to Become a Global Leader - Carrie Lecrom, executive director of the Center for Sport Leadership, and Kalyn Mcdonough Smith, assistant professor at the Center for Sport Leadership
Presentation: Enhancing Global Leadership Using 'The Culture Map' - Kezia Reji Thomas and Vandanaa Jayaprakash, VCU medical students
Presentation: What Does It Mean to Be a “Global Citizen” in Healthcare? Global Citizenship, Ethics, and Action 
Joslyn Bedell, special assistant to the vice president and director of strategic initiatives
Presentation: Experiencing Cultural Agility through a Global Leadership Study Abroad in Doha, Qatar - Lessons Learned since 2019- James Bridge, pre-health and sciences academic advisor
Presentation: Balancing Humility and Confidence as Global Leaders - Michael Muhoozi, doctoral student in the School of Public Health, Healthcare Policy and Research
Presentation: Navigating Global Health Policy Through Data: A Student’s Perspective on Leadership and Cultural Agility
By the end of the conference, attendees were left considering not just where they might go next in their travels or career development, but how they will move as a global leader as they go there.