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Educating for a Democracy in Question

Creative Leadership

Thursday, January 22, 2026
2:00 PM - 3:15 PM East Coast USA Time
Location: George Washington - Level M1
Presidents—from community colleges to small privates and large multicampus publics—who began their careers in the arts will engage in a public conversation about the ways they employ creativity in their leadership roles. How is conducting an orchestra like leading a university? How does performing for an audience who does not understand your language help someone marshal a constituency of faculty and staff to agree upon a strategic plan? How might writing and rewriting a poem prepare one to be an informed voter or convince a donor to contribute? This panel of expert creative leaders will provide evidence of the ways creativity can be deployed for strategy, decision-making, collaboration, and visioning. Democracy requires creative action; we must continually invent it. These presidents will offer the unique experience of leadership grounded in creative experience, sharing insight to anyone invested in educating for a creative democracy.