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Digital Leadership Education at Your Campus or Conference

August is a month in higher education that a flurry of training, events, and emotions fill a once quiet campus quad. Surprisingly to some, this time of year is when I miss working full-time on a college campus the most. The energy of student leaders, the excitement of new students and yes even late night events, was a powerful reminder of why I love working with students, staff, and faculty.
While my role in higher education has changed, my passion and commitment to supporting students and those that serve them have only grown. Instead of putting on over 100 events per year on one college campus – I travel around the world to provide digital leadership education to hundreds of students, staff, and faculty at a time.

Digital Leadership keynote picture
Massive group selfie after my ACPA NextGen Keynote in Montreal this spring. Can you spot me?!?


Why Digital Leadership Education?

Digital Leadership Education remixes leadership in the digital age. Sessions for students, staff, faculty, alumni and even parents are crafted with intentional learning outcomes and practical takeaways. Here are five reasons why you should consider adding digital leadership education into your programming and/conference offerings this year.

  1. Your next Tweet, Facebook post or YouTube video could go viral. Do you want to end up on the Ellen Show for awesome it was or on CNN to apologize? I’ll teach you digital identity and reputation tools to become your own VP of PR.
  2. Students: I educate students on what is possible on social communication tools, not just what not to do. I use my research on college students, that lead to the Digital Student Leadership Education Pillars that empower youth to be positive change agents based on the Social Change Model.
  3. Administrators: The ACPA/NASPA Technology Competency declares technologies, like social media an integral and required part of our work. I teach educators how to apply the tech competency using the foundational, intermediate and advanced levels for practical application.
  4. Staff and Faculty: Have you considered your impact online and applied a leadership philosophy, that taps into relationship building, community curation, and personal branding? I share best practices and real cases of digital leadership in the field of education using my research that resulted in a Digital Leadership Framework and Digital Decision Making Model in higher education.
  5. Your activity online and in-person is not separate, from the boardroom to the keyboard. Beyond the latest tech tools or social media applications, I teach about Heartware; humanizing tech through human operations and relationships. This view of technology use beckons society to tap into our values and life mission to making meaning in the digital age.

As I continue my work as a digital leadership educator, I look globally to share my curriculum. I am thrilled to share my 2016-2017 Leadership Speaking promotional video. Are you looking for a student leadership keynote, campus-wide professional development facilitator on social media, or unique conference speaker? Check out this video and then share with your colleagues and even students!

Learn more about my programs (here) and reach out (here) to start the booking process. It is going to be a fantastic year of sharing digital leadership around the world! Keep scrolling to read testimonies and see where I am going so far in the fall.


What People are Saying about Josie

Christine“Josie’s time at TRU was an important jumping-off point for campus conversations about social media use by students, staff, and faculty. She was impeccable in her preparation and engaging as a presenter. Two great days of learning!”

-Christine Adam, Thompson Rivers University Dean of Students

Gary Morris. SUNY Oswego. 04/29/2015“Josie flew to California from Dubai and jumped onto another flight to the east coast in time for her two-day, four-session event at SUNY Oswego – and never missed a beat! Her high energy level, ability to connect with our students, great use of humor, and of course her technical expertise, moved our institutional needle forward on social media responsibility and online presence. I high recommend Josie – she is technically sound, a great presenter, and will work hard to accommodate your needs.”
– Gary Morris, SUNY Oswego Director of Career Services


Where is Josie Going?

Check out my past speaking engagements and where (so far) I am heading this fall!

Upcoming Engagements

• Xavier University

• Rutgers University – Camden

• University of Northern Colorado

• California Lutheran University

• GuidebookEDU Conference – Keynote Speaker

• State of South Dakota Managers Conference

• International Leadership Association, Annual Global Conference – Invited Pre-Conference and Two Educational Sessions

• NODA Annual Conference – Invited conference session and two educational sessions

• Lead 365 National Conference – Major Speaker

• 2016 BACCHUS Initiatives of NASPA General Assembly – Keynote Speaker

Past Speaking Engagements

• Global Forum of Student Affairs, Monterrey, Mexico – Keynote Speaker

• Global Virtual Leadership Conference (ACUI)

• College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR)

• Ryerson Student Affairs

• Binghamton University

• Loyola Marymount University

• University of Northern Georgia

• Rollins College

• NYU Abu Dhabi

• Parkland College

• SUNY-Oswego

• NACA National Convention – Two Educational Sessions

• NASPA Annual Conference – Five Educational Sessions

• ACPA Annual Convention – Invited Pre-conference and Five Educational Sessions

Josie_2016PK (101 of 7)

• California State University, Fullerton – International Education Week

• AIMHO Conference – Opening Keynote Speaker

• NASPA Western Regional Conference – Featured Educational Session Presenter

• Arcadia University

• Dominican University

• VidCon – YouTube Creator Track Moderator

• University of California – Berkley

• National Conference of Student Leadership – Featured Speaker

• NASPA Annual Conference – Seven Educational Sessions

• Thompson Rivers University

• ACPA Convention – Seven Educational Sessions

• NACA National Convention – Two Educational Sessions

About Josie

I’m Dr. Josie Ahlquist — digital engagement and leadership strategist, researcher, author, and educator. I help higher education professionals and mission-driven organizations harness the power of digital communication to lead with authenticity, build thriving online communities, and tell their stories with purpose.

Through my consulting work, I offer tailored, hands-on support in marketing and communications strategy, executive coaching, upskilling for teams, and keynote speaking. My approach is grounded in research and fueled by empathy, helping clients lead online with clarity and confidence.

You can follow my insights and interviews on my blog and podcast, with content featured by EdTech Magazine, Inside Higher Ed, and The Chronicle of Higher Education. I’m also the author of Digital Leadership in Higher Education (2020), an Amazon #1 New Release.

Let’s connect! You’ll find me on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Threads, and Bluesky.

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Rebekah Tilley

Assistant Vice President, University of Iowa Center for Advancement

Rebekah Tilley is the assistant vice president of communication and marketing for the University of Iowa Center for Advancement (UICA). In that role she supports fundraising and alumni engagement efforts for the university, including its CASE Gold winning Iowa Magazine, and serves UICA in a variety of strategic communication efforts.

Previously she was the director of strategic communication for the University of Iowa Tippie College of Business, and the director of communication for the University of Kentucky College of Law. She is a Kentucky native and a proud alum of the University of Kentucky.

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