CHS University Commencement Program

CLASS OF 2O23

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CLASS OF 2023!

The CHS University (CHSU) leadership program was officially launched in June 2020!

The primary goal of CHSU: to build the confidence and leadership effectiveness of its participants who will, in turn, impact and strengthen the work culture at CHS. The first class was comprised of 45 CHS staff who supervise others, or are in leadership roles, across the agency.

Participants got a jump start in CHSU with a resiliency training in late April 2020. The goal of this early training was to help staff respond to the immediate challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The June curriculum continued to build off this initial resiliency training.

Over the next two years, the Class of 2023 covered the following topics:

Leadership 101: The Foundational Tools of a CHS Leader

Know Yourself, Know Others: How to Leverage Behaviors to Get Results

Trust: The Bedrock of Organizational Health and Results

Leading with Purpose, Vision, Values and Strategy

High-Impact Teams

Creating a Culture of Performance and Accountability

Coaching Trust for Engagement, Development and Performance

Coaching Change and Transformation

Art and Science of Conversation

Tenacious Ownership

Co-Elevation and Collaboration

The long-term goal is to offer training to as many CHS staff as possible.

MANY THANKS TO THE EFFORTS OF THE CHSU STEERING COMMITTEE!

Janet Andersen

Jeff Bass

Amy Carter

Michael Groher

Lisa Johnson

Beth Keizer

Freddy Maseman

Ondrea Patzlaff

Tifanie Petro

Kathy Schneider

Aunnie Vande Griend

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WHAT IS THE MEANING BEHIND THE LOGO?

At CHS, we value education and leadership. The CHS University logo communicates both through the use of our corporate colors, purple and blue, and the design itself. The subtle use of the “y” curve inside the “U” represents a person–YOU–emerging out of the University as stronger, better leaders for tomorrow. MISSION

To prevent, treat and heal trauma. VISION

A world that stands up to trauma where all people are safe, healthy and resilient.

VALUES

We are better together. We choose kindness.

We are tenacious.

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Dear Graduates,

You have learned, grown and worked hard.

You have made time, even when you had none to spare, and you have engaged with the lessons and material deeply.

You have taken risks, shown your vulnerability, become empowered and formed new relationships.

You are more confident. More collaborative. And more accountable.

You are the first graduating class of CHS University, and I could not be more proud of you!

As you know, CHS University was created as a unique, customized program specifically for our organization, in step with our Five-Year Plan, which includes a Culture of Leadership and Development.

This year, we celebrate the 130th anniversary of the founding of CHS. While the essence of our mission has not changed, leadership has changed significantly! We live in a time of highly sophisticated service delivery, operations, finances, communication and management.

By investing in you—our leaders—we are responding to change, transforming our culture and setting up CHS, and our clients, for continuing success.

Please accept my heartfelt congratulations!

Michelle Lavallee CEO

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OUR COACH

Mike Meagher

Dear CHS Leaders,

In early 2020, a new strategy was coming together to build on the legacy and historical mission impact of Children’s Home Society of SD (CHS). The strategy process revealed that some organizational “renovation” was needed to ensure the organization remained relevant and vibrant in the future. As the new vision formed, Michelle Lavallee, the executive team, and the CHS Board of Directors shared a conviction that the organization must strategically invest in its leaders to achieve a big strategic vision.

CHS University (CHSU) was a bold bet on the future of CHS. And, you know what? It’s working.

We set out to create a program that would empower CHS leaders to…

• Collaborate as a community to develop the mindsets, skillsets and toolsets needed to lead and manage people effectively.

• Create alignment across the organization using common language and behaviors.

• Secure a foundation of trust, healthy conflict, commitment, accountability and results.

• Increase engagement and retention throughout the organization.

Each component of the curriculum was selected under the initial guidance of the CHSU Steering Committee. Sessions were created and customized by Sagency specifically for the culture, needs and current context of CHS.

I’ve personally witnessed significant leadership growth in each of you. The meaningful achievements of CHS over the past three years wouldn’t have been possible without your progress and effectiveness. Congratulations and cheers to your continued growth, development and success as leaders.

It has been a highlight of my career to navigate this leadership development journey with you through CHSU. Members of our team at Sagency feel the same. Thank you for embracing us as an extension of your team and your vital mission.

As you continue your leadership journey, don’t forget what great leaders do. Our job as leaders is to cultivate an environment where others can flourish. Cheers to your continued success in helping others achieve their greatness.

With

Gratitude, Mike Meagher Founder and CEO Sagency

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CongraTulations class of 2023

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Janet Andersen Sue Andrews Jeff Bass

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Blake Bennett Julie Blaine Michelle Carlson

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Lakota Carbone Amy Carter Tara ChaYka

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Scott Colwill Sarah Crager Candi Eaton

STAY In the Moment

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Scott Egan Steve Feild Kate Feilmeier

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Karen Heinricy Mike Groher Jesse Groeneweg

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Mike HIEb Darlene Hillmer Karl Jegeris

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Lisa Johnson Sabrina Johnston Elizabeth Keizer

Candy Koehn-lauCk

Staci Kropuenske

MichellE lavallee

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Freddy Maseman JessIe Mollett Christina Myers

19 Mark Niemeyer Chelsie Ogaard Ondrea Patzlaff

Kobi Ringling

April Roselles

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Tifanie Petro

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Courtney Sargent Kathy Schneider Erin Schons

Theresa Schreiner

Brandi Tonkel

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Mark Sigette

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Donna Traut Aunnie Vande Griend Craig Walton

REMEMBER WHEN...

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

Remember your first day of school?

Children’s Home Shelter for Family Safety staff commemorated their first day of CHSU with a certificate!

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Left to right: Kobi, Michele, Julie, Jenica and Staci.

JANUARY 23, 2023

TENACIOUS OWNERSHIP

• Role model behavior that is desired

• Talk the talk AND walk the walk!

• Approachable to have honest and open communication

• Goal setting that is valuable and achieveable

Praise / gratitude / validation

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Our Coach, Mike Meagher from Sagency, works on a team-building exercise with Aunnie Vande Griend, Amy Carter, Julie Blaine and Aaron Vaul.

— Positive

— Approachable

— Psychological safety

— Listen to understand

— Good communication!!!

— Shifting to solutions

— Identify problem areas

v s. frustration

— Leaders are models!

— Review/one-on-ones

— Be specific, explain whys

— Team relationships

— Ownership of tasks

— Assigning tasks

— Coach your peers

— Share goals w/your team

* Info could be delived agency wide

* Incorporating the language & modeling to our staff

* Call out when we see a victim mentality & talk through it

* Positive reinforcements

* Giving opportunity to victim mindset people to take ownership of a particular project to “practice” ownership mindset

* Have ownership minded staff/ training new staff

• Lead by example

• More rapport w/staff

• Bring the topic out m ore converstion

• Goal setting

• Consistent expectations

• Team building

• Acknowledge, recognize, reward

• Connecting to the mission

• Seeking input

• Safety in failure

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CHSU teams worked on key take-aways from the leadership session on Tenacious Ownership.

CO-ELEVATION AND COLLABORATION

CHSU students learned to “Lead Without Authority” — a way of leading that uses these three CHS mindsets:

• Everyone in my organization can and should develop their leadership skills

• To truly excel at work, I should be looking for opportunities to lend my skills and abilities to advancing the mission of the whole organization, not just my role.

• There are ways my team can work with other teams in the organization to develop and achieve goals that wouldn't be possible without our collaboration.

One of the collaborative CHSU activities was to form groups and “INCREASE JOY” on campus.

From flowers to door wraps to videos pictured are the creative ways each group employed to spread joy!

Michelle Lavallee and staff formed a conga line to spread joy campus-wide.

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OCTOBER 20, 2023

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Michelle Lavallee leads the dance moves to a CHS version of the “Happy” song lyrics written by Kate Feilmeier and presented to the Marketing team and Admin staff (with apologies to Pharrell Williams!)

SPREADING MORE JOY

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Courtney Sargent and Lisa Johnson brought “flower joy” to Hanna Fenicle, Residential Youth Counselor. Lisa Johnson and Ericka Bohle brightened Residential Youth Counselor Macie Booton’s day with a flower bouquet. Kathy Schneider and Lynn Peterson greeted Residential Youth Counselor, Morgan Brady, in the parking lot to brighten her day.

Van Demark secretary Lynn Bauske was surprised with this note of appreciation from a CHSU team spreading joy! “Joy’n Us and Spread Joy!” was the parade theme led throughout the SFCH campus by Julie Blain and Gabby Larson. Aunnie Vande Griend is all smiles as she spreads her message of joy campus-wide! This is what we do at CHS: “Work for Joy!”