TRAINING
The Leadership Programs team plans and implements a variety of leadership training opportunities throughout the academic year. Research shows that employers are looking for candidates who have work experience and strong leadership skills. The goal of Leadership Programs is to provide students with various opportunities to develop their leadership skills and prepare them for roles on campus as well as employment after graduation. Students can select from any of the programs to customize training based on their personal leadership knowledge and skill base. Be sure to check out the various program opportunities and reserve your spot through the Panther Involvement Network. To accommodate more students, we will be offering some programs both online and in-person this fall.

Certified Peer Educator Training
The Certified Peer Educator Training is an eight-module training course that helps students recognize the unique role they play on campus. The training is perfect for students who are part of peer education groups or student organizations, resident advisors, orientation leaders, or other involved students on campus. In order to receive official certification from the National Association for Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA), students must complete the eight modules in the training series and successfully complete the post-training assessment. Once the assessment has been completed, students will receive a certificate and letter of recommendation from NASPA that can be utilized when applying for future leadership opportunities or employment.
The eight training modules include the following topics:
- Understand the Power of Peer Education
- Create Change in High-Risk Behaviors
- Listen Effectively
- Manage Crises, Respond, and Refer
- Act as an Empowered Bystander
- Reflect on Identities
- Hone Programming and Presentation Skills
- Manage Group Development and Success
To register for the program and gain access to the training modules, please complete the Certified Peer Educator Application.
Leadership Coaching
Leadership Programs offers support to students wanting to grow and develop their leadership potential and student organizations struggling with a leadership issue. Students can schedule an appointment with Kristina Clement to explore solutions for themselves or their organizations. Leadership Programs utilizes the CliftonStrengths for Students assessment in our coaching. This assessment identifies students’ top five strengths and offers a variety of supportive materials to help them determine how these strengths look in action and how they can be utilized to meet personal and organizational challenges.
Leaders Communicate
The ability to communicate effectively is one of the most important skills of a leader. The Leaders Communicate series provides an introduction to the skills and strategies in human communication including resolving conflict, active listening, speaking with confidence and persuasion, delegating responsibilities to others, speaking publicly, and fostering teamwork and collaboration. The Leaders Communicate Series will be offered again in Fall 2021. The following topics will be covered in the series:
- How to be Confident and Persuasive in Conversations
- Active Listening: A Essential Skill for Effective Communication
- Fostering Teamwork and Collaboration
- Resolving Conflict: How Leaders Resolve Conflict
- Delegating and Coaching Others
- The Five Essentials of Public Speaking
Register online for the Leaders Communicate sessions.
Leadership Compass
A follow-up series to the Leadership DNA program series, the Leadership Compass program is offered in collaboration with various campus departments. Students are guided through the development of a five to ten-year plan that identifies their academic and career goals and develops a detailed strategic plan, their Leadership Compass, to achieve it. Register online to reserve your space. The following sessions are offered in the series:
- Leaders Dig Deeper: Connecting College to Career
- Vision Board
- Leadership Action Plan (Phase II)
- Leadership Action Plan (Phase III)
Leadership DNA
The Leadership DNA training program is a foundational leadership training program for students beginning to explore their leadership potential. Student will develop a deeper understanding of personal power, potential, and vision. Students who complete the program will leave with short-term goals to guide their next steps in their leadership journey. The Leadership DNA program is a four week commitment for students. Register online to reserve your space. The following sessions are part of the series:
- Why Leadership Matters
A practical look at why and how developing your leadership skills and qualities matters in college and career - Identity and Self-Awareness
A guide to harnessing self-discovery, personal power, and potential - Clifton StrengthsFinder and Personal SWOT Analysis
What your strengths say about you and how you interact with others - Developing a Life and Leadership Action Plan (Phase I)
Where are you going and how will you get there?
Leadership Essentials
The Leadership Essentials series provides a practical understanding and application of six essential skills and qualities for leading effectively with or without a title. The Leadership Essentials series will be offered again in Fall 2021. Register online to participate in the program series. The following topics will be covered in the series:
- Modeling Leadership: Ethics, Integrity and Social Responsibility
- Adaptability
- Decisiveness
- Persistence versus Resilience
- Emotional Intelligence
- Problem Solving, Critical Thinking, and Creative Thinking
Leadership Toolkit
Do you feel confident in your ability to lead a group? In these weeklyl interactive workshops, you will learn basic leadership skills and tricks to confidently and effectively lead others. Register online for the sessions you are interested in attending. The following sessions will be offered in Fall 2021.
- Creating Effective Agendas
Learn to create agendas that ensure your time in meetings is well spent - Managing Meetings
Practice facilitation skills needed to ensure everyone’s voice is heard in meetings - Clarifying and Confirming Objectives
Practice a script to help you ensure that the instructions you give to your team are clear - Managing Differences
Learn how to effectively manage differences between members of your team - Building on Others' Ideas
Learn how to empower others and encourage them to build on their ideas - Giving Credit to Others
Prepare yourself to give positive and effective feedback to others - Giving Constructive Feedback
Equip yourself with the skills to effectively provide feedback to your team
- Consensus Building
Discover tips to help lead your group towards consensus - Identifying Successors
Learn to identify individuals in your organization who can be trained and mentored to assume leadership positions - SWOT Analysis
Learn how to conduct a SWOT analysis of your organization. - Creating a Transition Blueprint
Review a template to utilize when preparing a group for transition - Facilitating Effective Transitions
Review tips to ensure a smooth transition between leadership teams within your organization
Strengths Assessment
The Leadership Programs office utilizes CliftonStrengths for Students as a personal assessment tool to help students identify their strengths. Students can complete the StrengthsFinder assessment by creating an account through CliftonStrengths for Students using their Georgia State email address. Once an assessment is completed, students can access a variety of reports and resources for further exploration. Students who complete the assessment have access to a report of their top five most dominant themes including insight into how these themes shape the way an individual navigates life. Once students complete the online assessment, they can schedule a one-on-one coaching sessions or attend a workshop to learn how to leverage their strengths in their personal, academic, and professional lives.
True Colors
True Colors is an assessment designed to help students understand themselves and others. This assessment will help students identify their personality temperament and the personalities of others by giving insight into different motivations, actions and communication approaches. Students that attend a True Colors workshop will earn credit towards the Student Leadership Certificate under the Individual Values domain.
True Colors training programs are listed in the Panther Involvement Network. If you are interested in scheduling a private True Colors workshop for your group or organization, please contact Kristina Clement. When planning a training for your organization, please keep in mind this workshop requires a minimum of one hour and fifteen minutes.
Contact Us
Leadership Programs Office
Office Location:
Student Center West 475
Office Hours:
Monday - Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 5:15 p.m.
Leadership Programs Staff
Ellin McDonough
Director, Leadership and Service
Ali Khaleel
Assistant Director, Leadership
LaJoi Boone
Coordinator of Student Engagement
Kirk Johnson
Coordinator of Student Engagement
Mailing Address
Georgia State University
Leadership Programs
P.O. Box 3972
Atlanta, GA 30302-3972
Physical Address
Georgia State University
Leadership Programs
66 Courtland Street SE, Suite 475
Atlanta, GA 30303