Season 6 Episode 1

Life After College: How Does Your Leadership Evolve Over Time?

November 16, 2023

DeAnthony Foster, an experienced construction management professional, discusses with Christine and Josh how his time in the Michigan Community Scholars Program (MCSP) at the University of Michigan shaped his understanding and approach to leadership in his career. He shares an invaluable perspective on how leadership skills evolve, adapt, and mature over time, shaped by real-world experiences. This is a must-listen for those interested in exploring the connections between one's college experiences and forging one's unique path post-graduation into the world as a leader committed to change.

Episode Transcript

Competencies

Episode Resources

Reflection Questions:

What experiences and people have shaped your definition of leadership?
How are you currently developing and refining your leadership skills? (e.g. specific classes, training, organizations, etc.)
What change do you aspire to create as a leader in your career/industry?

Josh Thurman

Associate Director of Michigan Community Scholars Program

Josh Thurman (he/him) is the Associate Director of U-M’s Michigan Community Scholars Program. He is an advocate and educator committed to supporting individuals’ holistic development and creating inclusive learning environments. A proud Detroiter and University of Michigan alum, Josh holds a Bachelor's degree in English and a Master's degree in Education with a focus in Urban Pedagogy. At U of M and around the state, Josh has presented on wellness, intercultural learning, social identities and implicit bias, manhood and masculinity, interfaith, and other related DEI topics. He has extensive experience coaching and supporting students, staff/faculty, and executive leaders to develop their intercultural competence as a licensed consultant of the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) and Intercultural Conflict Styles (ICS) Assessment. Josh has had professional training in restorative practices, intergroup dialogue, supporting youth who experienced foster care and much more.

DeAnthony Foster

Experienced Construction Management Professional and MCSP Alum

My name is DeAnthony Foster, a proud MCSP and University of Michigan alumnus. Like many, I overcame adversities in life to find my calling. As an experienced construction management professional, I have found the perfect career to reach my goal of helping advance the next generation of society through my work building hospitals, schools, and community businesses in
one of our society's primary industries. I have also had the opportunity to work on reaching my life goal of improving Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in our society by kickstarting the MOSAIC Team Member Network and running over 35 Cultural Conversations, where we celebrated the many cultures that make up American society by hosting round table discussions between construction management professionals who share in being part of those cultural
groups. I am proud to come back to join MCSP in their continued work and look forward to doing everything I can to help MCSP produce more community leaders who understand the importance of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Go Blue!

Christine Modey

Director of Michigan Community Scholars Program

Christine Modey directs the Michigan Community Scholars Program at the University of Michigan. From 2015 to 2020, she directed the Peer Writing Consultant Program at the Sweetland Center for Writing at the University of Michigan and taught courses in the theory and practice of peer writing tutoring, new media writing for nonprofit organizations, and first year composition. She has published articles about university-secondary school writing center partnerships, data visualization and corpus analysis of writing center session notes, and nineteenth-century literature, and has an abiding interest in networks, collaboration, and community building. She is the co-editor with David Schoem and Edward St. John of Teaching the Whole Student: Engaged Learning with Heart, Mind, and Spirit. She holds degrees in chemistry and English from Hope College (B.A.) and in English and American Literature from the University of Delaware (M.A., Ph.D.).