Leadership Virtual Conference

The industry is preparing their next generation of leaders

This event is over, but the sessions are now available on demand!

This event was organized by

NYCPS logo
Colorado Society
Matchbox Virtual Media

About

Developing strong leaders is a top initiative for leading companies as the pulp and paper industry continues to expand, change, and redefine itself in the world market. A strong backbone of informed professionals with vision and the ability to adapt is imperative. The Women in Industry, Young Professionals Committee, and PIMA Management Divisions have recognized the necessity for an industry-wide conversation to tackle this need. TAPPI’s first-ever Leadership Virtual Conference provides strategies that help industry professionals transform into leaders and provide managers with practical strategies to cultivate the next generation. What better way to do this internationally than under one virtual roof?

Each session is Continuing Education Credit (CEU) approved, meaning that sessions are worth credit to attendees who joined live. In this way, the educational content consists of the collective body of knowledge and insights made available to all.

What to Expect

Pre-Event

Starts October 18th

Icon Forum

Share articles and thoughts in the event forum.

Sessions Air

November 21-22nd, 12-2:15pm (ET)

Icon Video Session

Watch live screening of the pre-recorded sessions

Icon Chat

Chat with the speakers and the community

After Event

Icon eBook

Receive an eBook that captures all the actionable insights

Sessions and Speakers

A special thank you to our speakers, whose insights drove our conversations.

November 21, 12:00-1:00pm ET

Preparing Leadership To Develop the Experience Gap in the Up and Coming Pool

The pulp and paper industry is experiencing an unprecedented number of retirements.This is causing an experience gap where young professionals are given more responsibility earlier in their careers than previous generations. It is imperative to get training and tools to be flexible in approaching different learning styles, to set emerging leaders up for success. Exposing a young professional to a more holistic view of a situation is infinitely beneficial and an effective route to fostering strong team leadership. We’ll discuss how to develop leadership tools to bridge the experience gap in the talent pool whether you are recently graduated, a seasoned professional or somewhere in between. Greater success for young workers means greater retention for the companies that hire them.

Jack Bray

Jack Bray

President
Sawgrass Horizon, LLC
John Dejarnette

John Dejarnette

Senior Researcher
WestRock
Kurt Mehlberg

Kurt Mehlberg

Paper and Converting Business Unit Leader
Domtar
Brianah Morse

Brianah Morse

Manufacturing Engineer
Georgia-Pacific

November 21, 1:15-2:15pm ET

Recognizing Opportunities To Showcase Leadership Skills

Do you know how and when to recognize an opportunity to highlight capabilities in leadership? Developing, fine-tuning, and showcasing leadership skills is vital to having a thriving career in the paper industry. This session is an open and honest discussion with speakers who share their insights and experiences in developing their own leadership paths. You’ll learn how to refine leadership skills that you already have, acquire new leadership skills, and how to improve in areas in need of maintenance. Come learn about creative strategies and helpful practices designed to draw out the leaders of tomorrow in the pulp and paper industry.

Mary Elliston

Mary Elliston

HR Business Partner
Sonoco Products Company
John Baron

John Baron

Key Account Manager
Solenis
Cydney	Rechtin

Cydney Rechtin

Data Scientist
Solenis
Timothy Hagenbuch

Timothy Hagenbuch

Managing Director, Paper Technology Foundation
Western Michigan University

November 22, 12:00-1:00pm ET

Resourcing Projects To Showcase Leadership Skills

Professional and leadership development programs may be robust in some pulp and paper companies and non-existant in others. At the end of the day though, everyone is responsible for their own career development. No one is just going to give it to you. This session will explore the reality of this fact and highlight ways the budding leaders in the industry can get engaged in volunteering for some leadership roles, proactive ways to learn from the leadership habits of those around you, and developing openness with teams with an eye to growth in leadership roles. No one will spend more time developing you than yourself. Join us to learn more about what it takes to showcase leadership skills.

Jay Stockard

Jay Stockard

Senior Technical Consultant, Pulp and Paper
Fisher Arnold
Mike Subilia

Mike Subilia

Process Engineer / CI Leader
Domtar
Steve Smith

Steve Smith

Strategic Operations Manager
Domtar
Marcina Rogers

Marcina Rogers

Quality Technical Leader
International Paper

November 22, 1:15-2:15pm ET

Knowledge Transfer Techniques To Meet the Challenge of the Silver Tsunami

The pulp and paper industry is not unaffected by the Silver Tsunami. Young professionals are getting more and more responsibilities in their career development than we have ever seen. This session will go about addressing this turning of the tides through creative conversation centered on knowledge transfer techniques. Topics to be covered include but are not limited to: bridging the gap between upper management and the Mill level, implementing and utilizing a professional board of directors to identify blind-spots, and efficiently developing oneself to face tremendous responsibilities and upper-level decision-making. By the end, you will be prepared and excited to meet the challenge of the silver tsunami with this kit of knowledge.

Chris Luettgen

Chris Luettgen

Professor of the Practice and Associate Director
Georgia Institute of Technology
Mike Kocurek

Mike Kocurek

Emeritus Professor, Paper Science & Engineering
North Carolina State University
Matthew Kollman

Matthew Kollman

Graduate Research Assistant
North Carolina State University
Jennifer Wooley

Jennifer Wooley

Director, Professional Master's Programs
Georgia Tech Professional Education

How it Works

Who is putting on this event?

The production of the virtual conference is a partnership between TAPPI and Matchbox Virtual Media.

TAPPI is the leading association for the worldwide pulp, paper, packaging, tissue and converting industries and publisher of Paper360°, Tissue360° and TAPPI Journal. Through information exchange, events, trusted content and networking opportunities, TAPPI helps members elevate their performance by providing solutions that lead to better, faster and more cost-effective ways of doing business. It has provided management training and networking to the industry’s leaders for more than 100 years. Visit www.tappi.org.

Matchbox Virtual Media creates virtual conferences that drive conversations that matter and foster connections that last. Matchbox provides purpose driven organizations strategies to build collaborative networks and leverage the knowledge and experience of their members in order to facilitate progress, education, and awareness.

What is the format of the conference?

This is a two-day event from 12:00 – 2:15PM EDT on November 21-22nd. Each session is an hour long and is pre-recorded, with a 15-minute break in between. Pre-recording allows the speakers to spend the entire session period in the attendee chat answering your burning questions. At the same time, you’ll be able to communicate with the other attendees through the same chat. Join in on whichever conversation is most interesting to you!

How do I access the event?

On October 18th, official registration begins. Once you register, you will enter the event page, where you can immediately start interacting. At the same time, you will be sent an email with the link to return. The event is the finale, but conversations will occur in the platform leading up to it.

Where is this event located?

This conference exists in the virtual space, as it gives us the opportunity to bring together industry professionals from around the world.

How can I ask speakers questions during the event?

The sessions are pre-recorded so that the speakers can spend the time answering attendee questions. They will be typing furiously to reply to as many questions as possible in the live chat!

Will there be opportunities to communicate with the speakers after their specific sessions?

This will depend on individual preference of our speakers.

Can I communicate with other participants?

Absolutely! After October 18th, you can immediately start communicating with fellow attendees in our forum. Throughout the sessions, there will also be a chat running simultaneously.

Will I have access to the sessions after the fact?

If you register before October 18th, you will be given access to watch the recorded sessions at any point after the event.

Can I gain CEU credits by watching the sessions?

Yes, if you are in live attendance.

What is the Code of Conduct for this event?

TAPPI expects event attendees to respect each other and behave in a generally civilized fashion. Members should respect common sense rules for public behavior, personal interaction, common courtesy, and respect for private property. If you wouldn’t do it at home, please do not do it at a TAPPI event. Abusive, harassing, or threatening behavior towards any other attendee or directed at any TAPPI member or partner (even those not present at the conference) will NOT be tolerated. Please report any incidents in which a conference attendee is abusive, insulting, intimidating, bothersome, or act in an unsafe or illegal manner to the conference organizers immediately.

What is the Antitrust Policy?

TAPPI is a professional and scientific association organized to further the application of the sciences in the paper and related industries. Its aim is to promote research and education in the areas of interest of its members. TAPPI is not intended to, and may not, play any role in the competitive decisions of its members or their employers, or in any way restrict competition in the paper and related industries.

For the full Antitrust Policy, click here: https://www.tappi.org/menus/functional-navigation/About-Us/our-organization/antitrust-policy/

Is there an opportunity to sponsor/advertise within the event?

Absolutely! Contact bhopper@tappi.org to set up a call. We’re looking forward to talking with you!

What platform are you using to stream the event?

Matchbox Virtual Media is proudly partnered with CE21 to put on the TAPPI Leadership Virtual Conference.

Are there any browsers that your platform does not support?

The quality will be a little funky on Internet Explorer 8. Although we highly recommend Chrome for the smoothest user experience on any website, here’s a handy link to download Edge, which is Microsoft’s move away from IE:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-ca/windows/microsoft-edge

My question hasn't been answered in this Q&A. How might I satisfy my curiosity?

Email your question to bhopper@tappi.org. If you’re asking, you’re not the only one, and you will help us make our Q&A complete!

Pricing

SOLO TICKET

$199
Need to convince your boss?

10 Tickets

$1,492

Company-Wide Access

$3,995
Have questions or concerns about our packages or registration?
Check out our FAQs or contact us here! We promise we don't bite!

Our Partners

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