2023 NGLA Keynote Addresses

NGLA is excited to announce Keynote Addresses for the 2023 NGLA Annual Conference in Pittsburgh, PA from February 23 - 26, 2023!


Save the Dates: Registration and hotel room block open on September 1, then applications for Student Staff, NGLA Awards, and NGLA Scholarships open on October 3.

Friday Keynote | February 24

Supported by Circle of Sisterhood Foundation

Do You Even Know Me?: How Genuine Curiosity Destroys Apathy
presented by James Robilotta

Curiosity creates community but small talk is painful, so what are we supposed to do? Conferences are filled with opportunities to authentically connect with someone who can help validate our values, consider a new way of thinking, and reflect about the role we play in the world around us. In this hysterical and motivational keynote we will talk about how to ask better questions, change the way we hear people’s stories and insights, and apply what we learn from others. And that starts right here at this event, so let’s laugh, learn, and get a little more curious together.

Presenter Biography:

James Robilotta is an improv comedian, professional speaker, author, and host of the podcast Diner Talks with James. He speaks to willing and unwilling audiences internationally about authentic leadership and promoting memorability. As a speaker, he is doing the two things he loves the most: causing audiences to think critically about their leadership journeys and making people laugh! His thought-provoking talks are infused with self-awareness and comedy stemming from his background as a trained stand-up and improv comedian.

James loves to help people get out of their own ways to live the lives they deserve and be the leaders they are capable of becoming.

Email: [email protected]
Facebook: @jamestrobo
Instagram: @jamestrobo
LinkedIn: James Robilotta
Twitter: @jamestrobo

Learn More

 

 




Saturday Keynote | February 25

What do we mean, “Values-Based Organizations”? Race, class, gender, and sexuality
in Fraternity and Sorority Life
presented by Victoria Alexander

Fraternities and sororities have a long and storied history. Some aspects are positive and worth accolades. Others are marked by exclusion, hate, and vitriol. We can’t tell the stories of our organizations or fully understand our groups without a full picture of the history of race, class, gender, and sexuality in fraternity and sorority life. Let’s move past the information on the website and in the new member education pamphlet and start addressing the challenges that prevent generating welcoming and affirmative spaces for all students who seek membership in fraternities and sororities.

As a result of attending this program, students will:

  • Gain a greater understanding of the historical relationships between privilege, identity, bias, discrimination, and fraternity/sorority life specifically as it relates to race, class, gender, and sexuality

  • Become more familiar with each National Council/Umbrella organization

  • Understand and honor the culturally based fraternal experience

  • Acknowledge the discriminatory history of many fraternal organizations

  • Recognize the impact of stereotype threat phenomenon

  • Locate ways privilege, bias, and discrimination continue to permeate the fraternity/sorority experience

  • Identify means to generate welcoming and affirmative spaces for all students who seek membership in fraternities and sororities

Presenter Biography:

Victoria Alexander is a Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion practitioner whose passions are rooted in anti-racist pedagogy, critical consciousness building, and experiences of Black students in predominately white institutions. The aim of her work is to challenge the myths regarding the historical and present-day distributions of power, investigate the role of racism and anti-racism in social, professional, and educational spaces, and empower people to analyze their own social identities and positions within systems of power.

Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @campuspeak and @victoriaalxndr
Facebook: @campuspeak
TikTok: @victoriaalxndr
Twitter: @campuspeak

 

 


  

Closing Keynote | February 25 

The Extraordinary Art of Caring (When No One Else Seems to Give a F*ck)
presented by Casey J. Cornelius

Does it seem like folks don’t really care anymore? Common decency is lacking, attendance is low, and even leadership positions are going unfilled. There must be a way of re-energizing our members-and ourselves-to have more passion and empathy.

There is. And it starts with CARE.

Casey J. Cornelius has been a leading voice with topics moving the needle on college campuses and in large organizations for years. Now he is turning his attention to one of the most pressing concerns of our day: enthusiasm fatigue. Casey wants to help individuals and groups recapture the love of membership, friendship, and service by blending a message of mindset and strategy. The art of caring, he says, is extraordinary and needs to be connected to long-term goals, habits, and daily choices.

In our complicated, challenging world, what we need is care. And we need it now!

Presenter Biography:

Casey J. Cornelius is a leading national voice on the topics of personal development and healthy masculinity. A proud fraternity man and member of his chapter's Hall of Fame, he serves as "SpokesMo" (their word, not his) for the Movember Foundation, has received recognition for his signature program Be The Man and international awards for his educational content creation. 

Proudly First-Gen, Casey was born and raised in Cincinnati, holds a Bachelor’s, two Master’s degrees, and a 4.0 in his doctoral studies despite once being advised "college isn't for everyone.”

Casey is the Founder and President of ForCollegeForLife, America's Leading College Speaking Agency, and works with campuses and organizations who aim toward extraordinary.

He resides in Michigan with his wife and daughter and, in his spare time, is a Coach and practitioner in the art of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @CaseyJFCFL
Facebook: @CaseyJFCFL
Twitter: @CaseyJFCFL
LinkedIn: Casey J. Cornelius