The Wilks Leadership Institute brings speakers and lecturers to Miami University each year. As a part of our mission to provide opportunities for community leadership and civic engagement we coordinate leadership lectures during the academic year that inspire action.

Keep an eye out in the Wilks Newsletter for an announcement of our planned lectures for the 2022-2023 year. If you have any questions, contact wilksleadership@miamioh.edu.

Past Lectures

Derreck Kayongo. Derreck Kayongo is the founder of the Global Soap Project, which recycles used hotel soap and redistributes it to impoverished populations around the world. In creating this global humanitarian initiative, he demonstrated that a simple, yet novel idea has the power to transform the lives of millions. A Top Ten CNN Hero in 2011, his passion for helping others and commitment to innovative thinking earned him his current role as CEO of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights. From Ugandan refugee to successful entrepreneur and renowned human rights activist, Derreck inspires audiences to dream big as he shares his vision for harnessing the power of observation to identify issues and solve challenges in any community or organization.

Edward Davis. Edward Davis, the 40th Police Commissioner of the City of Boston, presented a leadership lecture entitled,"Policing in America: The Changing Landscape of Our Cities & Law Enforcement's Role in Protecting our Communities." Commissioner Davis oversaw the law enforcement response to the Boston Marathon Bombing; his involvement is dramatized in the recent move, "Patriots Day". We were excited to host him in Oxford in April of 2017!

Dr. Maura Cullen. Have you ever been afraid of saying the wrong thing so said nothing at all? On April 13, 2016 we welcomed Dr. Maura Cullen for a full day of events surrounding inclusive leadership leading up to the evening lecture. Dr. Cullen is the author of the best-selling book "35 Dumb Things Well-Intentioned People Say" and hosted dialogues throughout the day over lunch, dinner and an interactive workshop changing the way we think and talk about diversity.

Michael Uslan. In 2015, we hosted Michael Uslan, the Originator and Executive Producer of the Batman movie series. He is an Emmy Award recipient as well as numerous other Achievement and Motion Picture Industry awards. His talk described the journey of bringing Batman to the big screen despite repeated rejections and he inspires audiences to reach for their dreams and believe in themselves. To learn more, check out University Communications and Marketing's blurb.