For the past three years, Dean of the Newman University School of Business Brett Andrews has been a facilitator for the Wichita Manufacturers Association (WMA) Roundtable, giving him an opportunity to interact with top-level executives in the Wichita business community.
WMA has partnered with the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce to provide the roundtable program since 2016 as a professional development opportunity for local executives looking to take their company to the next level.
Each year, a new cohort begins the program and meets quarterly, twice in fall and twice in spring, for half-day sessions.
The overall goal of the roundtable is to connect CEOs and other executives for peer-to-peer education and discussion. Andrews and various guest speakers add additional value to the program. The curriculum for each cohort is uniquely and collaboratively designed around participants and their needs. Topics have included crisis management, data analysis, strategic planning, retaining talent, digital dashboarding and more.
“CEOs and other C-Suite individuals at the top of the organization are unlike any other person in a company. Because of their position, they have very few peers that they can share ideas with and share best practices with,” said Andrews.
Along with working collaboratively with Chamber leadership and participants to choose content for the roundtable, Andrews enjoys interacting with the local executives taking part in the roundtable.
“If you’re at the top of a medium- or large-sized organization, there’s not a lot of resources. This was an opportunity to speak to that unserved part of the community but do so right here within the boundaries of Wichita, Kansas.”
Andrews said he has enjoyed facilitating the meetings during the past three years and expects the popular program to continue for many more to come.
“I like being involved because it’s very close to what I do for a living anyway, which is to teach and help people grow and become more knowledgeable about their life and career,” he said. “This gives me an opportunity to speak directly into the lives and careers of executives in a way that I ordinarily wouldn’t have the opportunity to do.
“It’s really exciting for me. It’s also really exciting for me to help out the city of Wichita. And this is a way that Newman University and the School of Business gives back to the community.”
