Rooted in Leadership: Reflections from the 2026 Caldwell Fellows Alumni Conference
What happens when generations of leaders gather to explore the values that ground them? At this year’s Caldwell Fellows Alumni Conference, we found out, and the conversations that unfolded reminded us why this community continues to matter year after year.
A Day Centered on What Matters Most
This year’s conference theme, Rooted in Leadership, invited alumni to step back from the daily rush of leadership and ask fundamental questions: What values guide us? How do they show up in our everyday decisions? And what do we do when those values are tested?
The day opened with Dr. Kevin Clark challenging us to examine the sources of our personal values—from family and culture to pivotal life experiences. His framework for identifying values through peak experiences, core beliefs, and moments of discontent gave participants practical tools for self-reflection. His personal values of authenticity, kindness, gratitude, and tenacity resonated throughout the room, especially his guiding principle borrowed from his mentor: “Treat people like you’re going to see them again.”
Values in Action
A panel conversation with Rob Squires and Jami Kelley brought the abstract into sharp focus, exploring how values manifest in everyday leadership moments—the small decisions, the difficult conversations, the times when doing right isn’t the same as doing easy.
One of the conference’s most meaningful activities followed: a paired walk-and-talk where alumni explored their similarities and differences in values with a partner. These unhurried conversations—moving through space together—created the kind of connection that sitting in a conference room rarely allows.
Honoring Our Roots
Jim Arnold’s session on the history and values of the Caldwell Fellows Program was a masterclass in institutional memory. Tracing the program’s lineage through the Richardson family legacy, Robert Greenleaf’s servant leadership philosophy, and the visionary work of NC State leaders like Banks Talley, Gerald Hawkins, and Bryce Younts, Jim reminded us that we stand on the shoulders of those who believed deeply in developing the next generation of leaders.
One quote from H. Smith Richardson Sr. particularly resonated: “A man never stands still—he is at all periods of his life either advancing or going backwards, and this applies not only to individuals but institutions.” The Caldwell Fellows Program, now celebrating its rich history, continues to advance because each generation of Fellows carries forward the commitment to growth that its founders envisioned.
When Values Are Pressed
The afternoon took a more challenging turn as Marianne Romanat led a session on navigating conflict while honoring values. In a time when moral clarity, the pursuit of justice, and servant leadership feel both more necessary and more difficult, her session asked us to consider: When do we speak up? When do we stand firm? Her framework—speaking up to ensure human rights, against hate speech, for children, and for compassion toward the vulnerable—gave us language for the hard conversations we face in our communities and workplaces.
Small group discussions followed, allowing alumni to wrestle with real dilemmas they encounter in their daily lives. There are no easy answers, but there is profound value in struggling through these questions together.
Looking Forward, Staying Rooted
The day concluded with a collective creative project led by Katie Brooks: botanical pressing. There was something beautifully fitting about ending a day focused on roots by literally preserving leaves—creating something lasting from the natural world, requiring patience and care.
As we gathered for a group photo and transitioned to happy hour, the energy in the room was different than it had been that morning. We’d moved from polite reunion to something deeper—a community that had done real work together, asked hard questions, and remembered why we chose to be part of this program in the first place.
The Work Continues
The Caldwell Fellows Program has always been about more than developing individual leaders. It’s about cultivating a community of people committed to something larger than themselves. This year’s Alumni Conference reminded us that staying rooted in values isn’t passive—it requires ongoing reflection, honest conversation, and the courage to lead even when the path forward isn’t clear.
As Robert Greenleaf wrote: “The enemy is strong natural servants who have the capacity to lead but do not lead.”
We left the conference recommitted to leading—not perfectly, but purposefully. Rooted in values. Connected to each other. Ready for the greater task that awaits.
