Success Education Colleges’ (SEC) Leaders Attend Sixth Annual President’s Retreat

Leaders from Success Education Colleges came together for the organization’s Sixth Annual President’s Retreat last week in Laguna Beach, California. The two-day event provided members of SEC’s Leadership Team and leaders in training a chance to focus on improving leadership skills, participate in team building and gain new insights into the evolving world of career education.

Day one of the retreat began with special guest speaker Steve Gunderson, an eight-term United States Congressman, author, and the current President and CEO of the Career Education Colleges and Universities (CECU). Mr. Gunderson shared his perspective about the current state and future of career education and the growing need for more postsecondary education graduates over the next several years.

Steve Gunderson’s presentation was followed by Florence Tate, the Executive Director of the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES). Mrs. Tate spoke candidly to the attendees about new challenges faced by ABHES and other accreditors in the sector, including greater diversity in the student bodies and the modernized delivery of academic programs. Mrs. Tate described some of the challenges she faces each day in her role as an Executive Director and she shared her thoughts on the most important attributes a leader needs to be successful.

Day two began with a presentation from Kevin Roberts, President and CEO of Adventist Health, Glendale (previously Glendale Adventist Medical Center). Mr. Roberts spoke to attendees about the current state of the health care industry along with several challenges facing hospitals and other health care systems in today’s changing landscape. He emphasized the critical importance of a well-trained workforce, and shared with the team some of the basic skills and proficiencies that Adventist Health and other health care providers desire most in the new employees and graduates coming from postsecondary colleges.

Additional speakers included Matthew Stewart, co-founder and CEO of National Service Group, and Newth Morris, Senior Vice President, Strategy, with Verizon Telematics, who both shared their thoughts and perspectives on the role of leadership versus management and how good leadership helps contribute to the vision and overall success within an organization.

The Retreat was praised as a great success by those in attendance and culminated with a team building exercise designed to help re-energize everyone and help the team to focus on SEC’s Mission and Core Purpose to better serve their students.