2025 Conference Agenda:
Growing Followership

Expanded 3-Day Schedule

This year our core program of research presentations, workshops, discussions, panels and plenaries will span a full 3 days, 9am Wed-3pm Fri.

PLUS: Join us Tuesday night for a social Meet & Greet at the hotel and Wednesday night for the Followership Farmer's Market and Community Dinner, included with registration.

REGULAR RATE: $395
STUDENT RATE: $195
GROUP TABLE OF 8: $2000

Plenary Guest Panels

Furthering our commitment to connect research and practice, we are coordinating two plenary guest panels for the 2025 conference. 

The first brings together ground-breaking followership scholars: Melissa Carsten, Kevin Lowe, and Mary Uhl-Bien, hosted by Conference Co-chair Ron Riggio.

The second highlights innovative followership trainers: Wendy M. Edmonds, Samantha Hurwitz, and Ruth Sims, hosted by Conference Co-chair Sharna Fabiano.

Deep Dive Sessions

We've received rave reviews on many of our past conference sessions, and we feel that some of them deserve not only an encore but a deeper dive. 

This year, we're bringing back some of our most beloved workshops and extending them into six 3-hour sessions in a special Deep Dive conference track.

See Deep Dives for details on Courageous Followership, Polarity Thinking, Introducing Followership to New Audiences, and more.

Featured Presenters

Ira Chaleff
UNITED STATES

Recently the keynote speaker for the British Army’s annual leadership conference, Ira is renowned for his landmark book, The Courageous Follower.

Ira will guide a discussion on the practice of engaged political followership, as well as offer a 3-hour Deep Dive train-the-trainer session on his Courageous Followership curriculum.

Dr. Marc Hurwitz & Samantha Hurwitz
CANADA

Exemplifying a Generative Partnership (they co-created The Generative Partnership Model!), Marc and Sam are known for their engaging, “pracademic” sessions.

Having taught followership with leadership for nearly two decades, Marc and Samantha will share insights from the latest research along with many practical takeaways for both personal and organizational effectiveness.

Dr. Wendy M. Edmonds
UNITED STATES

A captivating storyteller, Wendy was the first researcher to conduct focus group studies with survivors of the 1978 Jonestown Massacre, culminating in her gripping book, InToxicating Followership.

Sadly many of us have - or are still - experiencing toxicity in our workplaces or communities. Wendy will create space for sharing, healing, and helping us see our personal agency and power with fresh eyes.

Robert Kelley
UNITED STATES

Dr. Kelley pioneered the concept of "Followership" in his best-selling book The Power of Followership and his Harvard Business Review article "In Praise of Followers.”

At this year’s conference, he links his past work with his thinking on the current era: the trends, the issues, and the responsibilities of those acting as followers every day and of those working in the followership field itself.

Dr. Maike Kugler
GERMANY

A passionate people and team developer in both higher education and applied contexts, Maike incorporates followership in her research and work as a lecturer and business coach.

Maike will foster thoughts around the informal role of followership, highlighting the outcomes of follower behavior for individuals and organizations, as well as its significance.

Chris Monö
SWEDEN

Christian Monö, author of Why We Follow, is recognized for his work on “natural followership” and “collaborationship.” For nearly two decades, he has explored leadership and followership from the follower’s perspective, working with universities, corporations, and the Swedish Army.

Join Chris in a session that redefines what it truly means to lead and follow.

Lindsay Burr
UNITED STATES


An engaging facilitator and Polarity Thinking™ Master Trainer, Lindsay brings a depth of knowledge and a global perspective that supports seeing the known in a new way.

Lindsay will unpack the key concepts of Polarity Thinking and change how you think about leadership and followership forever. Come away with a fresh perspective and toolset for greater inclusivity and impact.

Liz Monroe-Cook
UNITED STATES

Consulting psychologist, graduate of Polarity Thinking™ Mastery Program; Past Chair, Creative Education Foundation Board; facilitation and training mastery; author of articles and book chapter about Polarity Thinking applications.

This approach avoids the narrow view of the world caused by false-choice, either-or thinking, and instead gives individuals, teams, and organizations the mindset and toolset for utilization of multiple viewpoints, including those of both leadership and followership.’

Dr. Althea Simpson
UNITED STATES

In an era where organizations struggle to foster authentic leader-follower relationships, Althea offers a breakthrough approach using LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® methodology.

Following her acclaimed session that earned top ratings at the 2024 conference in Glasgow, Scotland, she returns by popular demand to guide participants through a three-hour immersive exploration of leadership-followership dynamics.


Dr. Thomas Sy
UNITED STATES

Tom is an award-winning scholar and professor at UC Riverside, specializing in leadership and teams. His research appears in top journals like Journal of Applied Psychology and Leadership Quarterly, and he has consulted for organizations like Google, General Motors, and the U.S. Army. 

Tom will share findings from a series of studies exploring the impact of leaders' positive conceptions of followers as well as a novel, gamified mobile intervention. This research not only deepens our theoretical understanding of followership development but also introduces scalable, evidence-based strategies to improve organizational effectiveness. 

Tim Hurson
CANADA

Tim has taught Productive Thinking and Creative Problem Solving in business schools on six continents. He is a Founding Director of Mindcamp, a creative thinking forum, and his first book, Think Better, is published in twelve languages.

Tim and collaborator Gloria Williams will guide participants through dynamic, hands-on activities designed to spark insights, generate actionable ideas, and draft first-pass ‘scripts’ for productive conversations about followership. By the end of the workshop, participants will have the opportunity to refine and test engaging, connection-rich discussions that highlight the tangible benefits of adopting a followership stance.

Sharna Fabiano
UNITED STATES

Internationally recognized Tango artist, author of Lead & Follow, and host of the Lead & Follow podcast, Sharna teaches precise and effective leading and following skills from the ballroom to the boardroom.

Through playful movement exercises, Sharna invites us into an embodied experience of leading and following that consistently produces memorable epiphanies and a-ha moments! Experience physicalized, lead and follow partnership in real time and take home simple yet powerful exercises you can use in your own work.