2025 Pre-Conference Opportunities
The Association of Leadership Programs is thrilled to offer a variety of pre-conference activities for those arriving in Fort Worth early in the day on Monday, July 21. The National Conference will officially kick off at 3:00 PM CT, but we invite you to arrive early to participate in a pre-conference learning session or an adventurous excursion.
Below, you will find information on two half-day pre-conference workshops as well as information on two excursions. Put your learning cap on early or experience a taste of Fort Worth - the choice is yours!
Questions? Contact Sarah Alice Keiser, Director of Events, at events@alpleaders.org.
EXCURSION OPPORTUNITIES
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Explore the iconic Fort Worth Stockyards through the lens of multicultural cowboy history. The Fort Worth Stockyards are synonymous with cowboy culture, but the reality of the American West was far more diverse than Hollywood ever depicted.
On this engaging two-hour walking tour, we’ll explore the multicultural legacy of the Stockyards, uncovering the untold stories of Black cowboys, Mexican vaqueros, Native American traders, and the many immigrant communities that helped shape Texas ranching, cattle drives, and Western expansion.
Beyond history, this tour will also highlight the foodways of the Old West. What did cowboys actually eat on the trail? How did ranching traditions influence Texas barbecue? What foods did different cultural groups introduce that are still staples today?
You’ll sample hearty, history-rich foods as we stop at local Stockyards eateries, enjoying tastes inspired by the past while learning about the deep connections between Fort Worth’s cowboy culture and its culinary traditions.
Duration: Two hours
Cost: $60
Departure Time: 11:00 AM CT
Take a short road trip from our conference hotel in Fort Worth, where JFK spent his last night alive, to Dallas where you'll visit the grounds of Dealey Plaza, the famous Sixth Floor Museum, and follow the trail of the assassination events. Spellbinding details and the background story leading up to November 22 and beyond will fascinate and captivate you, providing new insight into this tragic, human drama.
Duration: Approximately four hours, including travel time from Fort Worth to Dallas
Cost: $100
Time: 9:00 AM CT - 1:00 PM CT
PRE-CONFERENCE WORKSHOPS
Leadership is more than managing tasks. It is about fostering meaningful connections, sustaining energy, and leading with impact. Yet, burnout, disengagement, and leadership fatigue are real threats to effectiveness. What if the key to unlocking sustainable success lies in both relationship intelligence (RQ) and strategic rest?
In this interactive workshop, Dr. Erin Wilson, co-author of Strategic Rest in Leadership, introduces the NAP Framework (Nurture, Assess, Prioritize) alongside core principles of Relationship Intelligence (RQ) to help leaders elevate their effectiveness. Through hands-on activities, insightful discussions, and real-world applications, attendees will discover how integrating rest and relational awareness into their leadership approach fosters higher engagement, stronger decision-making, and greater team resilience.
Whether you’re looking to enhance team performance, build trust, or sustain high-impact leadership, this session will equip you with practical tools and a personalized recharging strategy to bring back to your organization. Walk away with actionable insights that will help you lead with clarity, connection, and confidence.
WHO IT’S FOR
This course is open to all interested participants, even if you're not attending the full ALP National Conference.
Facilitator: Erin Wilson, Ed. D | Design Ideal Consulting
Dr. Erin Wilson, CEO and principal consultant of Design Ideal Consulting, is passionate about helping individuals and teams unlock their full potential through relationship intelligence and intentional leadership practices. With more than a decade of experience in leadership, learning and development, and community engagement, Erin has designed and facilitated team-building workshops and staff retreats for organizations and universities nationwide and internationally.
Dr. Wilson is a certified Core Strengths, The Five Behaviors, and Everything DiSC partner, equipping her with the tools and expertise to guide teams toward improved communication, collaboration, and performance. She is also the co-founder of the Strategic Rest Summit, a transformative experience designed to help leaders prioritize well-being and sustainable success.
Inspired by the power of strategic rest, Erin co-authored Strategic Rest in Leadership, a groundbreaking book that empowers leaders to cultivate clarity, resilience, and creativity through intentional rest. Building on the principles in her book, she co-hosts Power NAP, a live show that explores the intersection of rest, creativity, and leadership, offering practical insights and inspiration for viewers.
As a thought leader in organizational growth, she holds a doctorate in Organizational Leadership and a master's in Human Development and Leadership.
When she's not guiding teams toward excellence, Erin enjoys exploring new destinations with her husband, Frederick, and spending time with her beloved pitty, Harley Quinn. Her work continues to inspire leaders to embrace innovation, connection, and sustainable success.
Connecting Across Difference
Are you looking for practical, effective ways to foster a welcoming culture in your organization? Do you want actionable strategies to help your team engage constructively across differences in background, identity, and perspective?
Civity, a national nonprofit organization, has been working with leaders for over ten years to strengthen ‘social muscle’—cultivating relationships of respect, empathy, and trust across difference.
Workshop participants walk away with actionable, research-backed strategies that seamlessly integrate into their work. More than just a workshop, this experience provides leaders with tools to build trust and foster meaningful relationships that last far beyond the session.
Our interactive workshop blends plenary discussions, personal reflection, and one-on-one storytelling, helping leaders practice intentional relational engagement—connecting both head and heart to build authentic common ground.
WHO IT’S FOR
This course is open to all interested participants, even if you're not attending the entire ALP National Conference.
Facilitators: Malka Ranjana Kopell & Lucy Lantis | Civity
Malka Ranjana Kopell, a graduate of Leadership San Francisco, is Co-Founder and CEO of Civity. She has more than 30 years’ experience facilitating public policy conflict resolution and community engagement processes. Malka also served as a program officer for the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, was the founding managing director of the Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society at Stanford University, and is a senior associate with the Program on Consensus and Collaboration at California State University, Sacramento. She holds a Master of Public Policy from Harvard University and a B.A. from Stanford University.
Lucy Lantis is an entrepreneur, a Fulbright scholar, and an organizational facilitator. For over a decade, she worked in the world of international higher education. Today, she helps organizations create a culture of belonging through her work with Civity and beyond. She holds a Masters Degree in Conflict Resolution from Dominican University and a B.A. from Creighton University.