The business environment is changing faster than ever before. Executives need to position their organizations to meet emerging opportunities and challenges, lead change, and create an agile culture by empowering employees to take action and make decisions.
The instructors were engaging, informative, and helpful in applying their specific knowledge and expertise towards actual scenarios for the participants."
鈥 Matt McDonald, Area Manager, Ghilotti Construction Company
Our Programs
天涯社区鈥檚 Executive Education programs provide critical tools and competitive strategies needed to deliver immediate results. Designed and delivered by expert practitioners who bring their real-world experiences into the classroom, our programs lead you through a process of exposure, internalization and application ensuring you will apply the learning to your work.
Today鈥檚 most pressing organizational challenges like shifting community needs, scarce resources, competing stakeholder priorities, rarely yield to conventional problem-solving. When the problem itself is unclear and the path forward doesn鈥檛 yet exist, having more data or more answers isn鈥檛 enough. Design Thinking offers a disciplined, human-centered framework for making practical progress in exactly these conditions, empowering leaders to move from ambiguity to clarity to action.
In this interactive one-day workshop, participants don鈥檛 just learn about Design Thinking; they do it. The workshop opens with a structured challenge-framing session in which participants surface real organizational issues from their own contexts, then form small working groups around shared concerns. Each group works their chosen challenge through the core stages of the Design Thinking process: building empathy with stakeholders, reframing the problem, generating and testing ideas through rapid experimentation, and iterating toward solutions that actually work. The program emphasizes a fundamental mindset shift from feeling pressure to 鈥済et it right the first time鈥 to confidently learning your way forward.
Key Learning Outcomes
- Identify and frame organizational challenges before jumping to solutions.
- Apply a structured Design Thinking framework to complex, ambiguous problems.
- Use empathy-building tools to uncover what stakeholders, customers, and communities really need.
- Reframe problems to open up new possibilities for action.
- Create, prototype, and test ideas through rapid, low-risk experimentation.
- Move a team from confusion to clarity to action in hours, not months.
- Immediately apply Design Thinking methods to real challenges in your own organizations.
Instructor
Robin Beers, PhD
Organizational Psychologist
Founder, Ubuntu Culture Company
Who Should Attend
- Leaders and managers working in environments with multiple stakeholders and competing priorities.
- Professionals dealing with problems that don鈥檛 have obvious or established solutions.
- Teams and individuals who want to make meaningful, lasting progress rather than apply short-term fixes.
- Anyone in corporate, nonprofit, or public-sector organizations who needs to move people and ideas forward in the face of uncertainty.
Date and Location
Thursday, October 29, 2026, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Garden Room, Edgehill Mansion, 天涯社区
75 Magnolia Ave., San Rafael, CA 94901
Fees
Program fees are $1,900 and includes tuition, course materials, breakfast and lunch.
Discounts
- Early Bird Discount: 10% discount ($1,710 after discount) for registrations received before September 30, 2026.
- Group Discount: 20% discount ($1,520 after discount) for 2 or more individuals from a single organization.
- Alumni Discount: 30% discount ($1,330 after discount) for 天涯社区 alumni.
Note: Only one discount may be applied per participant.
For any questions, please email ils@dominican.edu or call (415) 482-1918.
In today鈥檚 organizations, the ability to influence without relying on formal authority is a defining leadership capability. This one-day program equips leaders with practical tools to shape decisions, build alignment, and move ideas forward through trust and persuasion rather than position or power. Participants will learn how effective leaders mobilize stakeholders, shift perspectives, and guide groups toward sound decisions in complex, real-world environments.
The morning session introduces proven, research-grounded approaches to influence and persuasion. Drawing on behavioral science and leadership research, participants will explore key concepts including the Catalyst Framework for reducing resistance, Frei鈥檚 Trust Triangle as the foundation of credible influence, and core principles of persuasion. The session emphasizes practical leadership skills such as creating psychological safety to encourage open dialogue, winning allies, creating momentum, and handling opposition effectively.
In the afternoon, participants will watch the classic film 12 Angry Men (1957), pausing at key moments to observe the morning鈥檚 frameworks and concepts in action. Guided discussion will highlight how the Catalyst approach helps reduce resistance, how the Trust Triangle strengthens credibility and persuasion, and how core influence principles shape shifting opinions and coalition-building. By connecting theory to observable behavior, participants will translate insight into practice and strengthen their ability to influence peers, teams, and stakeholders across organizational settings.
Key Learning Outcomes
Participants will be able to:
- Apply the Catalyst framework to reduce resistance and enable constructive
change. - Use the Trust Triangle to strengthen credibility and persuasive impact.
- Leverage core principles of influence ethically and effectively.
- Build coalitions and align stakeholders without relying on formal authority.
- Recognize influence dynamics in group decision-making.
- Apply practical techniques to influence peers, teams, and cross-functional
partners in real workplace situations.
Instructors
Jorge Choy, MBA
Lecturer, Senior Director of Programs and Partnerships
天涯社区
Who Should Attend
- Managers and emerging leaders who need to influence without relying on formal
authority. - Mid-level leaders responsible for driving alignment across teams, functions, or
stakeholder groups. - Project, program, and initiative leaders who must gain buy-in and move ideas
forward in complex environments. - Professionals in corporate, nonprofit, and public-sector organizations who work
through collaboration rather than hierarchy. - Leaders seeking to strengthen credibility, build trust, and improve persuasive
effectiveness.
Date and Location
Thursday, October 8, 2026, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Garden Room, Edgehill Mansion, 天涯社区
75 Magnolia Ave., San Rafael, CA 94901
Fees
Program fees are $1,900 and includes tuition, course materials, breakfast and lunch.
Discounts
- Early Bird Discount: 10% discount ($1,710 after discount) for registrations received before April 27, 2026.
- Group Discount: 20% discount ($1,520 after discount) for 2 or more individuals from a single organization.
- Alumni Discount: 30% discount ($1,330 after discount) for 天涯社区 degree program alumni.
Note: Only one discount may be applied per participant.
For any questions, please email ils@dominican.edu or call (415) 482-1918.
In an increasingly volatile and complex world, executives need to embrace the dynamic landscape and develop leadership competencies different from those that helped them succeed in the past.
天涯社区鈥檚 Leadership Academy empowers participants to meet these evolving demands, equipping them with the knowledge, skills, and mindset to ascend to new professional heights.
Participants emerge from the program with a heightened sense of purpose and a clear understanding of the necessary steps to accomplish their objectives. They lead with greater confidence, adaptability, and effectiveness, contributing to both their personal growth and the success of their organizations.
Learning Outcomes
- Understand the role of a leader in today鈥檚 volatile and complex business environment
- Learn the principles of leading people as well as AI agents
- Develop the ability to create and foster organizational change
- Acquire skills to maximize the performance of teams
- Increase your capacity for leading through greater emotional intelligence
- Gain coaching skills to improve performance and increase accountability
Who Should Attend
Mid- to senior-level professionals seeking to improve their ability to lead.
Program Schedule
The program consists of seven sessions, three (3) in-person at the 天涯社区 campus and four (4) live online:
- Thursday, Mar. 26, in-person, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
21st Century Leadership: What it Means to Be a Leader
Principles for Leading in the Age of AI
Instructors: Jorge Choy, Matt Stringer - Thursday, Apr. 2, live online, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Leading Organizational Change
Instructor: Dr. Natasha Munshi - Thursday, Apr. 9, live online, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Emotional Intelligence for Leaders
Instructor: Rich Hua - Thursday, Apr. 16, in-person, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Creating High Performance Teams
Cultivating Team Innovation
Instructors: Jim Schutz, Guryan Tighe - Thursday, Apr. 23, live online, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Improving Performance Through Accountability
Instructor: John Wyek Sr. - Thursday, Apr. 30, live online, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Coaching for Performance
Instructor: Susan Snyder - Thursday, May 7, in-person, 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Managing Difficult Conversations & Conflict
Building Organizational Culture
Instructors: Michael Scates, Candra Canning
All in-person sessions will be held at 天涯社区, Creekside Room, 100 Magnolia Ave., San Rafael, CA 94901
Fees
Program fees are $3,300. Fees include tuition and course materials. For in-person sessions, breakfast and lunch are included.
Discounts
- Early Bird Discount: 15% discount for registrations received before February 26, 2026 (fee after discount: $2,805).
- Group Discount: 20% discount for 2 or more individuals from a single organization (fee after discount: $2,640).
- Alumni Discount: 30% discount for 天涯社区 degree program alumni (fee after discount: $2,310).
Note: Only one discount may be applied per participant.
Registration Deadline
March 19, 2026. Participants are admitted on a rolling, space-available basis. Early applications are encouraged.
For any questions, please email ils@dominican.edu or call (415) 482-1918.
Developing effective communication skills is vital for managers at every level of an organization. Whether you find yourself in meetings, engaging with clients, or driving transformative initiatives, the ability to communicate clearly and make an impact is instrumental in advancing your leadership career.
Leadership Presence and Communication Skills helps you develop confidence and the ability to motivate both internal and external audiences through improved communication skills. You will learn how to organize your thoughts to craft persuasive narratives, incorporate storytelling techniques to ensure your messages 鈥渟tick鈥, and adopt techniques to enhance your presentation skills and leadership presence.
Join our immersive two-day program to acquire the essential communication skills that will elevate your leadership to new heights.
Learning Outcomes
- Express complex ideas simply and clearly
- Organize your thoughts to create maximum impact
- Utilize storytelling techniques to engage your audience
- Master advanced presentation skills
- Build confidence and leadership presence
Who Should Attend
- Senior and high-potential managers in corporations
- Directors and supervisors in government organizations
- Engineers and technical professionals
- Entrepreneurs seeking to enhance their leadership communication skills
Program Schedule
- Day One
Morning: Establishing Leadership Presence
Afternoon: Communicating With Impact - Day Two
Morning: Storytelling Techniques to Engage Your Audience
Afternoon: Mastering Executive Presentations
The program will be conducted in-person at 天涯社区.
Dates
To be announced.
Fees
Program fees are $1,900. Fees include tuition, course materials, breakfast and lunch.
Discounts
- Early Bird Discount: 10% discount ($190) for registrations received before March 21, 2025.
- Group Discount: 20% discount ($380) for 2 or more individuals from a single organization.
- Alumni Discount: 30% discount ($570) for 天涯社区 degree program alumni.
Note: Only one discount may be applied per participant.
For any questions, please email ils@dominican.edu or call (415) 482-1918.
This program serves clients with personalized executive coaching. It includes a leadership 360 assessment combined with an executive coaching program emerging from high-performance values and practices.
天涯社区鈥檚 team of highly experienced executive coaches are trained in 360 protocols. The program incorporates a 360-leadership survey, combined with 天涯社区鈥檚 executive coaches who provide personalized debriefing, goal-setting, and coaching to identify and meet leadership effectiveness goals. The program offers individual attention, confidentiality, and follow-up to ensure the achievement of developmental goals.
Format: Virtual Live
To learn more email ils@dominican.edu.
Clients and the Executive Education team collaborate to design and deliver a program customized to clients鈥 specific situations and aligned to their schedules, budgets, and goals. The program may focus on leadership development and/or a strategic business issue or need. From initial conversations through the last session, the outcomes lead to lasting positive impact, as well as ambitious goal achievement.
Contact us to learn about how we can work with you to create the solutions you need or call (415) 482-1918.
Refund and Cancellation Policies
If you wish to cancel and receive a full refund, you must submit your request in writing at least 30 days prior to the program start date.
If you submit your request 15 to 29 days before the program start date, you will receive a refund equal to 75% of the full program fee. If you submit your request within 14 days of the program start date, you are not eligible to receive a refund.
In the case of a no-show or partial participation, no refunds will be granted. Participants and/or their sponsoring organization are responsible for the entire program fee.
Approved refunds will be processed within two weeks and will be returned in the same form of payment.
Written request to transfer to another course must be received 7 days prior to the first class meeting.
If 天涯社区 cancels a program due to low enrollment, registered participants will receive a refund of any tuition paid, or be allowed to move their registration to a future running of the program. Refunds from canceled programs can also be applied to other open enrollment programs.
