Lift Off

ND Elevate empowers leaders to take the next step in their professional journey by developing knowledge and skills relating to resilience, negotiation, presence and authenticity.

ND Elevate launched in 2022 with an ambitious goal: to help aspiring leaders overcome common but often daunting challenges in the workplace, particularly those faced by women.

The challenges include work/life balance, communication, the incentive system and what is commonly known as the "imposter syndrome" — a psychological phenomenon that leads individuals to doubt their skills, talents or accomplishments.

"The University of Notre Dame and the Mendoza College of Business are committed to contributing to a society in which all can flourish and are in a unique position to use both educational programs and its powerful alumni network to build a community that is more diverse, equitable and inclusive," said Kristen Collett-Schmitt, associate dean for innovation and inclusion at Mendoza College of Business who founded and leads ND Elevate. "I am proud that both the University and the College have chosen to support aspiring leaders through ND Elevate."

ND Elevate is a professional development program that provides learning opportunities through online learning modules and in-person workshops with Notre Dame experts. The learning modules are taught by Collett-Schmitt along with some of the University's foremost leaders and scholars: former women's basketball coach Muffet McGraw, legendary basketball player Ruth Riley Hunter (EMBA '16, ND '01), former Mendoza dean Carolyn Woo, and Mendoza management professors Cindy Muir (Zapata), Jessica McManus Warnell, Angela Logan and Amanda McKendree.

After each module, participants complete an activity related to their learning such as writing a journal entry on their own experiences or creating a timeline of the history of women in the workplace. They are also encouraged to post work from these activities on LinkedIn as an outward-facing expression of their skills, value system and leadership.

During the in-person workshops, the participants hear from special speakers and some of the professors featured in the modules. Throughout the program, they are matched with a Notre Dame mentor to discuss challenges they encountered on the job and possible ways to negotiate them.

To date, ND Elevate has been offered to cohorts involving partnerships with Beacon Health Systems, a locally owned not-for-profit health system, and the Notre Dame Office of Human Resources. The 60-plus participants represent different levels of experience and jobs.

A survey of participants shows ND Elevate to be an unqualified success, with 100% saying they would recommend the program to a colleague or friend and 90% responding favorably to questions regarding their confidence and capability to take the next steps in their professional journey.

The program was developed in partnership with ND Learning, the University hub devoted to learning excellence and innovation.
ND Elevate originated from a special University grant program announced in 2021 called Moment to See, Courage to Act, which called on Notre Dame faculty to reflect on the unprecedented challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and to chart new and ambitious plans for the future based on lessons from the historic pandemic.

Collett-Schmitt herself has come away from ND Elevate with some life lessons. McGraw, who wrote a book on leadership called, "Expect More! Dare to Stand Up and Stand Out," attended the executive presence workshop during the immersion with Beacon Health. Collett-Schmitt noticed that McGraw was taking notes.

"To see that from a leader with such a presence and who so many people respect reminded me that we are never finished learning in this way," she said. "Everyone can benefit from empowerment and support and growing their network."

Photo by Kaity Fuja.