This event is internal and is limited to those who were invited to register via email.
The College of Arts and Letters, the College of Science, the Keough School of Global Affairs, the Mendoza College of Business, and Notre Dame Research is thrilled to announce a partnership to host the second annual Staff Development Day on Wednesday, November 12, from 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. at McKenna Hall. This internal staff event will be a great opportunity to enhance your professional skills, make new connections, and foster growth within our organization. It will feature engaging workshops, leadership development sessions, and chances for collaboration.
Please note this event is targeted toward individual contributors and is offered as a full-day event. In-person attendance is strongly recommended for our local teams. We will have some virtual sessions available for our geographically remote staff only. More details to come.
Registration is required, and there are limited seats available. Please have your supervisor's approval before registration. Seats are on a first-come, first-serve basis. Registration will close at 5:00 p.m. EST on October 17, 2025.
Agenda
| 8:30 a.m. |
Welcome and Registration
Rob Kelly and Dean Mary Gallagher |
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| 9:00 a.m. |
Opening Keynote |
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| 10:00 a.m. |
Transition Break |
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| 10:30 a.m. |
Morning Breakout Sessions |
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McKenna B01 Intro to EQ-i: The Power Behind People Skills |
McKenna B02 Google Sheets 101: Work Smarter, Not Harder |
McKenna 215/216 Own Your Role: How to Grow Where You Are and Get Ready for What's Next |
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| 11:15 a.m. | Transition Break | ||
| 11:30 a.m. |
Pictures with the Leprechaun and/or Active Class: Reset & Recharge, McKenna 215/216 |
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| 12:00 p.m. | Grab your Lunch | ||
| 12:15 p.m. |
Lunch and Fireside Chat |
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| 1:00 p.m. | Transition Break | ||
| 1:15 p.m. |
Keynote Session Continuous Improvement & Magic Stuart MacDonald (Virtual option available) |
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| 2:30 p.m. | Transition Break | ||
| 2:45 p.m. | Afternoon Breakout Sessions | ||
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McKenna B01 Optimize & Organize: The Power of Work Management Systems |
McKenna B02 “This Could’ve Been An Email” – How to lead purposeful, efficient meetings |
McKenna 215/216 Turning Friction into Focus: A Guide to Difficult Dialogues |
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| 3:30 p.m. | Transition Break | ||
| 3:45 p.m. |
Closing Remarks Planning Team McKenna 215/216 |
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Keynote Speaker Bios
Katie DeWulf is a Fortune 500 business leader and globally recognized leadership and high-performance coach. With over 15 years of experience leading top-performing teams and coaching ambitious professionals, she helps individuals navigate workplace change, lead with confidence, and grow their careers without sacrificing their well-being. As the founder of The Big Apple Red, Katie empowers working professionals to build careers that reflect and respect their worth, achieve meaningful success, and lead with authenticity. Her practical approach blends research-backed strategies with real-world experience, making her a trusted voice for those looking to lead through uncertainty with clarity and courage. Katie has delivered transformational talks and workshops across corporate, academic, and nonprofit sectors. She’s passionate about equipping people with tools they can apply immediately, whether they’re leading a team or learning to lead themselves through everyday workplace scenarios.
Stuart MacDonald is a TEDx speaker, Penn & Teller: Fool Us winner, and Lean Expert and brings a one-of-a-kind experience to corporate events, conferences, and keynote stages. Whether he's dazzling audiences with award-winning magic or delivering game-changing insights on continuous improvement, Stuart merges entertainment with meaningful transformation — this isn’t just a show; it’s a catalyst for change.
Stuart got his start in magic at 7 years old and never stopped. He put himself through college and went on a 15-year national tour in the college market with a large illusion show. He got off the road to start two businesses, a seasonal haunted house and a video production company. Both were exceptionally successful but it all came to a crash in 2008, just like everything else did. He never left magic, though and that saved him through the lean times but it just wasn't coming back like it used to, so he went to work in corporate America and landed a job at Whirlpool. The company immediately put Stuart into a LEAN and CI program shortly after hiring him, and that's when the bells went off in Stuart's mind. He wondered what would happen if he applied LEAN principles and CI to his magic.
This is where his story takes a wild turn. Not only did Stuart's magic improve, it soared! He went from a nobody to winning the North American Championship, International Championship, People's Choice Winner, and then he went on TV and fooled Penn and Teller with his famous mirror illusion routine. Once the public viewed his act on T,V the phone and internet blew up. Stuart was getting calls to do shows in China and Europe. But a strange thing happened: the corporate world got word that Stuart was using LEAN to build his magic. That's when bookings from TEDxDetroit, Detroit Edison, Whirlpool, and many other companies started to pour in. They all wanted to know how Stuart applied LEAN to Magic.
Originally published at research.nd.edu.