Development Cohort – North America
Development Cohort – North America
Enhance your thinking and teaching through collaboration with other like-minded humanistic educators.
The HLA Virtual Development Cohort for Fall 2025 begins on October 28th. Apply today!
Please see the full schedule and session details below. Apply to join by completing the application form at the bottom of the page or click the button below!
Business school professors have the opportunity to not just impart knowledge to students but to engage them in practical applications of that knowledge and to alter their mindsets and perceptions of the world. Through our cohorts designed to share collective wisdom, participants put themselves at the forefront of unlocking the potential in their students to become humanistic leaders and make a significant and needed impact on today’s world.
Our world is hungry for business education that prepares tomorrow’s leaders for the complicated array of considerations including sustainability, talent development, strategic planning, social responsibility and more. In this environment, there is a growing recognition among business school faculty for the need to leverage each other’s insights to teach differently.
Virtual Development Cohort Program Overview
The Cohort Program is a co-creation experience designed by professors and leaders, for professors and leaders–developing the ability to be, know, and do of humanistic business education. All aspects of the Cohort Program are aligned to the vision of the Humanistic Leadership Academy “creating a world that works for 100% of humanity” as outlined in the Humanistic Leadership Academy Manifesto (Cohort participants are required to read and sign the Manifesto.)
Each session will be hosted from 9:30-10:30am Central Time USA virtually on Zoom. Participants will create the experience as a collective group while learning and sharing new pedagogical methods that forward the work of humanizing business education.
| Date | Fall Cohort 2025 Schedule (English) |
|---|---|
| 10/28/25 @ 9:30am CT | Session 1: Kickoff and Cohort Participants’ Introductions |
| 11/04/25 @ 9:30am CT | Session 2: Listening, Recognition and Gratitude |
| 11/11/25 @ 9:30am CT | Session 3: Care and Accountability |
| 11/18/25 @ 9:30am CT | Session 4: Dignity and Human Flourishing |
| 12/02/25 @ 9:30am CT | Session 5: Authenticity |
| 12/09/25 @ 9:30am CT | Session 6: Knowing our motivations and creating allies |
| 12/16/25 @ 9:30am CT | Session 7: Capstone and Commitments |
| 01/13/26 @ 9:30am CT | Cohort Celebration Session |
Meet your Fall 2025 Cohort Leaders, David Pickersgill, Jennifer Landrum and Scott Parsons!
David Pickersgill
David is an accomplished Leadership and Personal Development Specialist, passionate about empowering individuals from diverse backgrounds to cultivate the skills and character necessary to flourish. He is the Learning Outreach Program Leader at Barry-Wehmiller, a $3.6B global manufacturing firm with a unique culture of care. In this role he develops and facilitates transformative learning experiences for leaders around the world, both within Barry-Wehmiller and externally.
Within Barry-Wehmiller, David oversees virtual training for leaders, as well as facilitating in-person training for leaders and team members through Barry Wehmiller University. David also leads in Barry-Wehmiller’s outreach to colleges and universities, partnering with key institutions to help them develop leaders with the skills and courage to care.
David studied for priesthood in the Church of England at Cambridge university, gaining a BTh there, and also an MA in Systematic Theology. After seven years in ordained ministry, he left to take an MSc in Psychology from Nottingham University, graduating with first-class honors. This breadth of study allows him to approach human personality from both a scientific and humanities perspective.
In addition to his ministry and leadership development experience, David has experience in instructional design, having created a suite of asynchronous online learnings for university faculty to help them engage with public policy.
Jennifer Landrum
Dr. Jen Landrum, Ed.D., brings over 20 years of experience in adult education, leadership, and Human Resources. She holds a Master of Science in Human Resources Management from the University of Denver and a Doctor of Education in Learning and Organizational Change from Baylor University. Her dedication to lifelong learning is reflected in certifications in Artificial Intelligence from the University of Oxford and Business Management from the London School of Economics. Jen’s approach to education and leadership is grounded in her care for the whole person and her commitment to advancing knowledge and practice across various sectors.
Scott Parsons
Scott Parsons, Ph.D., is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Center for Character and Leadership at Fairleigh Dickinson University. Scott is also the founder and CEO of The Flourishing Leaders Academy and host of the Flourishing Leaders Podcast. His scholarly work focuses on Ethical Leadership, Flourishing, Positive Psychology, Moral Education, Character Development, Virtue Ethics, Flourishing, Aristotle, Stoicism, the Virtue of Gratitude, Reflection, Just War Theory, and the Ethics of War and Peace. Scott holds a Ph.D. in Character Education from the Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues at the University of Birmingham in the U.K. and holds dual master’s degrees in philosophy and political science from Columbia University.
Scott is the co-author of Ethics and the Good Soldier (Routledge, 2024) and has contributed multiple, and individual chapters to the edited volumes Leadership for Flourishing (Oxford University Press, 2025), Teaching and Learning the West Point Way: Educating the Next Generation of Leaders (Routledge, 2021), and the Routledge Handbook on Universities, Security and Intelligence (Routledge, 2019). A retired U.S. Army officer, Scott has served as Professor of Philosophy at the United States Military Academy at West Point and as Assistant Vice Chancellor for Character and Ethics at the Texas Tech University System serving their five universities. Scott helps individuals and organizations cultivate ethical leadership and flourishing cultures.
FAQ’s
Q: What is the cost for participation?
A: There is no cost for cohort participation. If there is an in-person event, there may be travel costs based on your city of origin. However, there is financial assistance available, and we are working to secure additional funding so that travel costs are never an impediment.
Q: What is the curriculum like?
A: We are looking to achieve harmony across the Be.Know.Do dimensions, with a focus on Being. The Kickoff and Cohort sessions will be facilitated but with ample space for the Cohort participants to co-create the experience and engage in a lot of personal sharing. The Pre-Kickoff and Personal Learning sessions will be focused more on Knowing and Doing.
Q: What are some potential topics within the curriculum?
A: Topics always incorporate the experience and expertise of those in each Cohort. Past topics have included Professor Discernment, Transformational Pedagogy, Understanding One’s Calling, Auto-Ethnography, Haiku of You, and Quantum Leadership.
Q: What organizations is this effort linked to?
A: We have a growing list of partners that include the UN PRME, Ashoka, Net Impact, Conscious Capitalism, and associations of Jesuit Universities. The International Humanistic Management Association is a driving force in the initiative alongside the Barry-Wehmiller company, Fairtrasa, and a host of others. We seek to create a space where members of all these organizations can connect, share, grow and ultimately change the world.
We must find these small groups of people to collaborate, and make a meaningful difference in the world, and begin to amplify these goals of introducing more humanistic leadership into business. Finding like-minded leaders who are trying to disruptively create a better future for our world is encouraging.
CHRIS LASZLO
Professor of Organizational Behavior, Case Western Reserve University
Apply to join our next Cohort Program Opportunity
- Read and sign our Manifesto.
- Submit the information requested below.