Training and Events

Keynote Presentation:  • THE HERO’S JOURNEY •

Presented In Person for Your Special Event

THE HERO’S JOURNEY is a special, keynote presentation designed to inspire, uplift and validate the people and organizations affiliated with the magnificent Head Start program!  This engaging and interactive keynote presentation celebrates as heroes the people and organizations affiliated with Head Start, and highlights themes around compassion, self-care and personal wellness, teamwork, and the service we bring to the children and families we serve.  The presentation highlights the mindset for our work (our mission of service to children, families, staff and communities), the heartset needed for this mission (compassion, engagement, and an abundance of kindness), and the anchoring practices necessary to maintain compassion and mission-focus (specific practices around self-care, personal wellness and self-regulation).  This special keynote is structured to provide outstanding content, as well as a considerable “fun factor” with activities to make it interactive, engaging and memorable. 

Contact me at walnutleadership.com/contact/ for pricing and scheduling

CONFERENCE AND EVENT APPEARANCES HISTORY 2024

Below are national, regional and state engagements – keynotes, training sessions, and speaking to capacity audiences.

Not listed are dozens of engagements for local organizations throughout the U.S., including Head Start pre-service, in-service and professional development days, management team engagements, and consulting work.

2024

•  NHSA Annual Conference – Portland, OR

•  NHSA Leadership, Education And Development Summit (LEADS) (virtual)

•  Region 1 Head Start Association Conference (virtual)

•  Region 2 Head Start Association Conference – St. Thomas USVI

•  Region 4 Head Start Conference – Atlanta, GA

•  Region 5 Head Start Conference – Chicago, IL

•  Idaho Head Start Conference

•  Kansas Head Start Virtual Leadership Series

•  New Jersey Head Start Conference

•  New York Head Start Conference

•  North Carolina Head Start Conference

•  Pennsylvania Head Start Virtual Leadership Series

•  Virginia Head Start Directors Conference

•  Virginia Head Start Conference

•  Texas Head Start Conference

Tues., Jan. 7, 2025 from 9:00 AM to 10:30 PM EST

Tues., Jan. 14, 2025 from 9:00 AM to 10:30 PM EST

Tues., Jan. 21, 2025 from 9:00 AM to 10:30 PM EST

Pennsylvania Head Start Association Series ● Via Zoom

What is workplace culture?  People working in a positive workplace culture are happier, healthier, less stressed, more productive, more engaged in teamwork, more likely to have high morale and job satisfaction, less likely to leave the organization, and more.  This session will review how we can develop and maintain workplace climates and environments of joy, teamwork, communication, camaraderie and mutual support.  We will discuss the key elements of positive workplace culture, along with structural adjustments and communication practices to enhance employee support and well-being.

Learning objectives

• Participants will discuss the goals and benefits of positive workplace culture
• Participants will review the key elements of workplace culture, including a sense of contribution toward mission and purpose, social connection with colleagues, and opportunities for growth and professional development
• Participants will consider strategies around thoughtful and intentional development of program initiatives and communication practices which make people feel valued and enhance engagement and morale

Three-session, DEEP DIVE SERIES!

Pennsylvania Head Start Association Series ● via Zoom

Tues., Jan. 14, 2025 from 10:00 AM to 12:15 PM CST

Kansas Head Start Association Series ● Via Zoom

What is workplace culture?  People working in a positive workplace culture are happier, healthier, less stressed, more productive, more engaged in teamwork, more likely to have high morale and job satisfaction, less likely to leave the organization, and more.  This session will review how we can develop and maintain workplace climates and environments of joy, teamwork, communication, camaraderie and mutual support.  We will discuss the key elements of positive workplace culture, along with structural adjustments and communication practices to enhance employee support and well-being.

Learning objectives

• Participants will discuss the goals and benefits of positive workplace culture
• Participants will review the key elements of workplace culture, including a sense of contribution toward mission and purpose, social connection with colleagues, and opportunities for growth and professional development
• Participants will consider strategies around thoughtful and intentional development of program initiatives and communication practices which make people feel valued and enhance engagement and morale

Tues., Jan. 14, 2025 from 10:00 AM to 12:15 PM

Kansas Head Start Association Series ● via Zoom

Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025 from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM EST via Zoom

In Dec. 2024, I presented my 3-part, national advocacy series MODERNIZING Head Start ● A Blueprint for Hope via zoom webinar.  Following this series, I have since obtained from the Office of Head Start non-confidential, nationwide, program-level data for all HS and EHS awards (FY23 and FY24) indicating funded enrollment level (slots), annual federal operations funding level (base), and annual federal T/TA funding level (T/TA).  The attached spreadsheets – FY23 and FY24 – were vetted and sent to me by ACF FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) via the FOIA process.

I will provide a free webinar on Thurs., Jan. 16 at 1:00pm EST to present and comment on the data.  Zoom registration click here.  Please share – with your state and regional networks, leadership teams, staff, Boards and Policy Councils – the opportunity to register for this zoom webinar to review some of this data, its implications, and how you might configure it for your program, state or regional purposes.  Please encourage your stakeholders to attend, as I will not be posting a video or recording following the webinar.   

Knowledge is power, and this advocacy is in service to Head Start and Early Head Start organizations which can and should make use of this data.  It is the type of non-confidential data which should have been transparent, and readily available to the public, for the better part of the past 60 years.  If we had this transparency, quality benchmarks such as pay parity with public schools, and more humane, lower and more optimal group sizes and ratios, might have been achieved without the arduous efforts driven by today’s crises and challenges, and these benchmarks might have been achieved not by 2031, but here and now.  My hope is that with better data and transparency, we can accelerate this journey.

Thank you for your commitment, and I hope you will join me in these efforts to help assure better solutions and a brighter future for our Head Start program, its workforce, children and families.

My best to you,

Paul Behrman

walnutleadership.com

Tues., Feb. 4, 2025 from 10:00 AM to 12:15 PM CST

Kansas Head Start Association Series ● Via Zoom

“People don’t quit their job, they quit their supervisor.”  That’s the finding, essentially, of recent research from the Gallup organization.  Outstanding employee performance (and retention) requires outstanding supervision.  Yes, wages and benefits are important, but so too is the vibe and climate created by the supervisor.  This workshop will review the key principles of supervision, including the proper balance of support and accountability, the mindset, values and character of outstanding supervisors, non-attachment to results, and how to handle challenges when the going gets tough.

Learning objectives

• Participants will review the core function of supervision, and why it matters, including implications for organizational culture and climate.
• Participants will consider the balance and sequence of support and accountability, including the mindset and practices necessary to help employees develop and perform at their greatest potential.
• Participants will discuss key concepts around accountability at the individual and team levels, “ownership” for supervisory performance, and how to handle challenging situations around employee performance or behavior when the going gets tough.

Tues., Feb. 4, 2025 from 10:00 AM to 12:15 PM

Kansas Head Start Association Series ● via Zoom

BE THE CHANGE • A Leadership Master Class

Special Pre-Conference Track

Region 4 Head Start Association Conference

Omni Atlanta Hotel

Atlanta, GA • Feb. 11 from 9:00am to 4:00pm 

Buckle up, buttercup!  Get ready for an extraordinary day of personal and professional growth, fun, reflection and community around: 

• SELF-REGULATED LEADERSHIP with EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE.  Living and modeling the vision, mission, compassion, self-care, resilience and personal wellness of world-class leadership

• ELEVATING WORKPLACE CULTURE, communication and teamwork!

• BEST PRACTICES IN SUPERVISION to support outstanding employee performance and conduct

This leadership master class will equip you to develop:

• The best version of YOU as a leader
• The best version of YOUR STAFF and COLLEAGUES, and the people around you
• The best version of your ORGANIZATION and PROGRAM

Join us for a transformative day of knowledge, skill-development and colleagueship on our journey to BE THE CHANGE we wish to see in our local communities and in our world!

TARGET AUDIENCE

This seminar is designed for current leaders and those in leadership development at all levels to include but not limited to:

Executive Directors, Head Start/Early Head Start Directors, Program Managers, Board and Policy Council members and others in leadership development.

OBJECTIVES   

Participants will:

• Learn and apply the emotional intelligence framework of mindset (our mission of service to children, families, staff and communities), heartset (compassion, engagement, and an abundance of kindness), and anchoring practices (self-care, personal wellness and self-regulation) necessary for outstanding leadership and organizational excellence.

• Discuss research-based elements and strategies around building positive, high-performing workplace culture, climate and environment to attract and retain extraordinary employees, and nurture a shared ownership and pride in the organizational family and community.

• Review best practice in supervision, and individualized support and service for employees, along with gentle and thoughtful accountability, necessary for individuals and teams to reach their full potential around performance and professionalism in the workplace.

Register for Training

Wed., Feb. 12, 2025 at 10:30 AM and 1:30 PM EST (Repeat)

Region 4 Head Start Conference ● Omni Atlanta Hotel ● Atlanta, GA

“People don’t quit their job, they quit their supervisor.”  That’s the finding, essentially, of recent research from the Gallup organization.  Outstanding employee performance (and retention) requires outstanding supervision.  Yes, wages and benefits are important, but so too is the vibe and climate created by the supervisor.  This workshop will review the key principles of supervision, including the proper balance of support and accountability, the mindset, values and character of outstanding supervisors, non-attachment to results, and how to handle challenges when the going gets tough.

Learning objectives

• Participants will review the core function of supervision, and why it matters, including implications for organizational culture and climate.
• Participants will consider the balance and sequence of support and accountability, including the mindset and practices necessary to help employees develop and perform at their greatest potential.
• Participants will discuss key concepts around accountability at the individual and team levels, “ownership” for supervisory performance, and how to handle challenging situations around employee performance or behavior when the going gets tough.

Wed., Feb. 12, 2025 at 10:30 AM and 1:30 PM EST (Repeat)

Region 4 Head Start Conference ● Omni Atlanta Hotel ● Atlanta, GA

Wed., March 12, 2025 from 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM EST

North Carolina Head Start Conference ● Raleigh Marriott ● Raleigh, NC

Leadership is challenging work.  Directors, managers, supervisors, teachers and others – we’re all leaders.  Leading with emotional intelligence provides the firm foundation for relationships, trust, and high-functioning organizational cultures and climates of teamwork, communication and mutual support.  How can leaders optimize well-being and utilize executive function to process challenging situations, minimize reaction and stress, and respond constructively with humility, compassion and truth?  Using the Emotional Intelligence (EI) model introduced by psychologist and science journalist Daniel Goleman, this workshop unpacks some of the key elements of EI necessary for great leadership, and how we cultivate and develop these qualities in ourselves and in those around us.

Learning objectives

• Participants will consider the motivations and mindset which provide the foundation for leading with emotional intelligence
• Participants will discuss the heartset of empathy, and utilizing well-developed social skills to support the well-being of others and cultivate organizational culture
• Participants will review anchoring practices around personal wellness and self-care, including self-awareness and self-regulation techniques which enable us to choose our best responses, rather than reacting from ego, in challenging situations

Wed., March 12, 2025 from 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM

Raleigh Marriott ● Raleigh, NC

Wed., March 12, 2025 from 2:45 PM to 4:15 PM EST

North Carolina Head Start Conference ● Raleigh Marriott ● Raleigh, NC

“People don’t quit their job, they quit their supervisor.”  That’s the finding, essentially, of recent research from the Gallup organization.  Outstanding employee performance (and retention) requires outstanding supervision.  Yes, wages and benefits are important, but so too is the vibe and climate created by the supervisor.  This workshop will review the key principles of supervision, including the proper balance of support and accountability, the mindset, values and character of outstanding supervisors, non-attachment to results, and how to handle challenges when the going gets tough.

Learning objectives

• Participants will review the core function of supervision, and why it matters, including implications for organizational culture and climate.
• Participants will consider the balance and sequence of support and accountability, including the mindset and practices necessary to help employees develop and perform at their greatest potential.
• Participants will discuss key concepts around accountability at the individual and team levels, “ownership” for supervisory performance, and how to handle challenging situations around employee performance or behavior when the going gets tough.

Wed., March 12, 2025 from 2:45 PM to 4:15 PM

Raleigh Marriott ● Raleigh, NC

Wed., March 19, 2025 from 3:30 PM to 5:00 PM EST

Region 1 Head Start Conference ● Westin Portland Harborview ● Portland, ME

Leadership is challenging work.  Directors, managers, supervisors, teachers and others – we’re all leaders.  Leading with emotional intelligence provides the firm foundation for relationships, trust, and high-functioning organizational cultures and climates of teamwork, communication and mutual support.  How can leaders optimize well-being and utilize executive function to process challenging situations, minimize reaction and stress, and respond constructively with humility, compassion and truth?  Using the Emotional Intelligence (EI) model introduced by psychologist and science journalist Daniel Goleman, this workshop unpacks some of the key elements of EI necessary for great leadership, and how we cultivate and develop these qualities in ourselves and in those around us.

Learning objectives

• Participants will consider the motivations and mindset which provide the foundation for leading with emotional intelligence
• Participants will discuss the heartset of empathy, and utilizing well-developed social skills to support the well-being of others and cultivate organizational culture
• Participants will review anchoring practices around personal wellness and self-care, including self-awareness and self-regulation techniques which enable us to choose our best responses, rather than reacting from ego, in challenging situations

Wed., March 19, 2025 from 3:30 PM to 5:00 PM

Westin Portland Harborview ● Portland, ME

Keynote Presentation:  • THE HERO’S JOURNEY •

Thurs., June 12, 2025 at 10:30 AM CST

Region 7 Head Start Conference

Sheraton Hotel • Overland Park, KS 

THE HERO’S JOURNEY is a special, keynote presentation designed to inspire, uplift and validate the people and organizations affiliated with the magnificent Head Start program! This engaging and interactive keynote presentation celebrates as heroes the people and organizations affiliated with Head Start, and highlights themes around compassion, self-care and personal wellness, teamwork, and the service we bring to the children and families we serve. The presentation highlights the mindset for our work (our mission of service to children, families, staff and communities), the heartset needed for this mission (compassion, engagement, and an abundance of kindness), and the anchoring practices necessary to maintain compassion and mission-focus (specific practices around self-care, personal wellness and self-regulation). This special keynote is structured to provide outstanding content, as well as a considerable “fun factor” with activities to make it interactive, engaging and memorable.

Thurs., June 12, 2025 from 10:30 AM to 12:00 PM CST

Sheraton Hotel ● Overland Park, KS

Sessions to be announced.  Stay tuned for more info!

Keynote Presentation:  • THE HERO’S JOURNEY •

Presented In Person for Your Special Event

THE HERO’S JOURNEY is a special, keynote presentation designed to inspire, uplift and validate the people and organizations affiliated with the magnificent Head Start program!  This engaging and interactive keynote presentation celebrates as heroes the people and organizations affiliated with Head Start, and highlights themes around compassion, self-care and personal wellness, teamwork, and the service we bring to the children and families we serve.  The presentation highlights the mindset for our work (our mission of service to children, families, staff and communities), the heartset needed for this mission (compassion, engagement, and an abundance of kindness), and the anchoring practices necessary to maintain compassion and mission-focus (specific practices around self-care, personal wellness and self-regulation).  This special keynote is structured to provide outstanding content, as well as a considerable “fun factor” with activities to make it interactive, engaging and memorable. 

Contact me at walnutleadership.com/contact/ for pricing and scheduling