“I’ve been in alumni relations for more than 22 years, but just recently took on an added role of the Touring Tigers program director for the Mizzou Alumni Association. With the support of the NEAT scholarship, I was able to attend the Educational Travel Consortium (ETC) Symposium to explore how to turn a good travel program into a great program and to discuss current issues facing the travel industry. List serves and Zoom calls are great, but to really get to know and learn from your business partners and colleagues from across the country, nothing beats interacting in-person. Symposium presentations and conversations with national experts on Travel marketing, risk management, transformational learning, COVID/Post-COVID issues, insurance, sustainability, and diversity/equity in travel gave me a much better understanding of the industry, the challenges we face, and many great ideas for growing our program.”

“I used my NEAT Scholarship award to attend the 2022 Association of Louisiana Alumni Executives (ALAE) Conference held in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The LSU Alumni Association was the conference host this year, creating a perfect opportunity to connect with our flagship institution. I was able to establish meaningful relationships with other alumni development professionals from across the state of Louisiana, while also getting insight into how to handle common challenges faced by a transitioning association. Conference participants not only got exclusive tours of the LSU campus, but we also learned strategies of how to market the assets of our individual campuses. I was able to walk away from this conference with fresh ideas on growing our association and having added to my skillset.”

“The opportunity to attend The Leadership Challenge Workshop was one that has shaped my leadership curriculum development for Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity. I went into the workshop feeling as though it would assist me in gathering information on myself, but I completed the workshop with a toolbox of resources that I can pass along to the membership of Alpha Gamma Rho. Our alumni are looking for ways to help coach and guide our collegiate men and this workshop will help me create training programs to engage more of our men. It was a unique experience where I met a variety of other professionals who are seeking to develop leadership programs for their constituents as well, so it allowed me to talk through several ideas that I have, while also receiving feedback and suggestions from others. I feel the opportunity to attend this workshop will help me to create new initiatives for the continued development and growth of Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to attend this workshop through your scholarship program. I really appreciate the you help to acknowledge and support the work we do!”