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ConantLeadership’s online leadership course for Administrative Professionals, Success Through Empowering Professional Support (STEPS) is designed by a Fortune 500 C-Suite Level Executive Assistant and taught by Doug Conant. Based on The Blueprint: 6 Practical Steps to Lift Your Leadership to New Heights, this course honors administrative professionals as influencers and leaders in their organizations and helps them develop a personal leadership approach. 

Calling all Administrative Professionals: Create your own leadership model while supporting your executive’s leadership goals.
The Blueprint

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ConantLeadership Administrative Professional Advisory Group

We believe administrative professionals are born leaders and should have the same opportunities as their executives to find their leadership voice—and we can help. 

The Mission of our Advisory Group is to serve recommendations and provide feedback throughout the development of the STEPS program.

Diana Hansen, ConantLeadership

Diana Hansen, ConantLeadership

Founder & Co-Chair

Diana Hansen, Executive Administrator at ConantLeadership, founded STEPS because she is passionate about helping other Administrative Professionals reach their best potential. With a long career supporting executives at the highest levels of Fortune 500 companies, Diana is tenacious, detail-obsessed, creative, whip-smart, and clairvoyant.

Mara Katsikis, ConantLeadership

Mara Katsikis, ConantLeadership

Co-Chair

Mara Katsikis, Chief of Staff at ConantLeadership, is dedicated to the success of the STEPS program. Mara is an enthusiastic developer of people and a seasoned leader of high-performing small business teams. She delights in helping contributors to grow their skill sets and thrive in a fiercely complex marketplace.

Jane Hyun, Hyun & Associates

Jane Hyun, Hyun & Associates

Special Advisor

Jane Hyun is a Global Leadership & Diversity Strategist and author Often called an “interpreter,” Jane Hyun engages organizations to lead effectively across differences. She advises leaders in the U.S. and globally, who are motivated to succeed in today’s changing work environment, on how to leverage culture and diversity to drive high performance and innovation. Jane enjoys helping people flourish in the workplace and in their communities.

Traci Eckard, Campbell Soup Company

Traci Eckard, Campbell Soup Company

Advisory Board Member

Traci Eckard is Senior Executive Assistant for HR Services at Campbell Soup Company. Traci serves on two external Executive Assistant boards. She is one of the founding members of the Bridge Assistants Network, a networking group for assistants in the Tri-State area. She also leads the Event Committee on the C-Suite Executive Support Professional (C-SESP) board.
Rza Flournoy, NOD

Rza Flournoy, NOD

Advisory Board Member

Executive Assistant to the President, Rza Flournoy, partners with the Management Team to support National Organization on Disability (NOD) with scheduling and serves to streamline coordination between staff and the Executive Office. Before NOD, Rza began working in the nonprofit sector as a Field Organizer at Chicago Votes. She went on to serve as Director of Operations for Fritz Kaegi’s campaign for Cook County Assessor. 

Brenda Rogers, McDonalds USA

Brenda Rogers, McDonalds USA

Advisory Board Member

Brenda Rogers provides executive support to the Field Vice President at McDonald’s USA. Brenda leads, manages, and evaluates the administrative team while ensuring their continuous skill development with all administrative systems. She is an energetic strategic business partner and team leader and is described as professional, approachable, proactive, humorous, and a team player.

Kelly Sanchez, CSL Behring

Kelly Sanchez, CSL Behring

Advisory Board Member

Kelly Sanchez is the Executive Assistant to the Chief Human Resources Officer and VP, Total Rewards at CSL Behring. Kelly previously served as Executive Assistant to the CEO at AmerisourceBergen.  Prior to this role, she provided executive-level support to the President, Integrated Global Services and CEO of Campbell Soup Company.  She also has experience as a meeting and event planner for American Express.  Kelly is a Certified Meeting Professional (CMP).

Ella Snow,           CECP

Ella Snow, CECP

Advisory Board Member

Ella serves as Executive Assistant to the CEO and Secretary to the Board of Directors at Chief Executives for Corporate Purpose (CECP). After graduating from Bard College with a degree in written arts and a concentration in nonfiction writing, she worked as the Executive Assistant to the founder & president of a boutique literary agency. Ella has completed numerous publishing internships and comes to CECP with over four years of administrative and operations experience.
Morgan Uhler, Modern Transportation

Morgan Uhler, Modern Transportation

Advisory Board Member

Morgan is the Executive Assistant at Modern Transportation, a dry bulk and liquid chemical trucking company. She supports the president of the company and his executive team, focusing on project management, marketing, social media, and internal event planning. Previously, Morgan served as the sales and marketing assistant and later the Promotions Director at the major market radio station, KYW Newsradio, based in Philadelphia, PA.

Examples to Inspire

Personal Leadership Models

Albert Morales, Chief Transformation Officer at AmerisourceBergen
(Boot Camp Alumni)

Kristen Heffernan, General Manager, Henry Schein MicroMD
(Boot Camp Alumni)

Linda Hagerty-Dotterer, Executive Director, Change Management & Culture at CSL Behring
(Boot Camp Alumni)

John Kreger, VP, Chief Operating Officer for MITRE Engenuity
(Boot Camp Alumni)

Chris Abboushi, Commercial Learning + Development, Astellas

John Wooden, Legendary UCLA Head Basketball Coach

Stephen Covey, Author of the Bestselling Book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”

Organizational Leadership Models

Partnership for Public Service: Public Service Leadership Model

Centered Leadership, How Talented Women Thrive

Gallup Engagement Hierarchy

Servant Leadership Model