Leadership Week brings growth opportunities for UK employees
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 21, 2026) – Employees across the university and UK HealthCare are invited to attend Leadership Week 2026 Nov. 2-6, a weeklong celebration of growth, connection and leadership development.
UK Human Resources is offering a mix of virtual sessions designed to help employees strengthen leadership skills, explore new ideas and build practical tools they can use in their work.
This year’s sessions cover a range of topics, including:
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Insights from high-performing UK HealthCare leaders
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Leadership decision-making and difficult conversations
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Artificial intelligence and its impact on work and leadership
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Emotional intelligence and conflict navigation
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Microsoft 365 and Excel skills
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Employee engagement, team performance and well-being
“Leadership development isn’t just about preparing for the next role. It’s about building the skills, self-awareness and perspective to make a difference in the role you have today,” said Amanda Schagane, a senior organizational development specialist with UK Human Resources. “Leadership Week creates space for employees to learn from one another, explore new ideas and walk away with practical tools they can put into action with their teams and colleagues.”
Kasey Lightle, director of employee experience and engagement, said Leadership Week is for all employees at any stage of their career.
“One of the things I appreciate most about Leadership Week is that it reinforces something we believe strongly in: leadership development is for everyone, regardless of title or position,” Lightle said. “We have tremendous talent across our organization, and creating opportunities for our people to learn from one another and continue growing is an investment in our entire organization. I’m incredibly proud of the team for bringing together such a thoughtful and relevant lineup of learning opportunities.”
Whether you’re an experienced leader, new to leadership or simply interested in developing skills that can help you work more effectively with others, Leadership Week offers opportunities to learn from colleagues and experts across the university and beyond.
As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and healthcare. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $1.02 billion research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.