The 2025 summer Leadership Pikes Peak (LPP) conference took place on July 30 at UCCS, with community members from multiple industries joining, including business, education, government, nonprofits, tech and more.
Leadership Pikes Peak is an organization dedicated to creating and upholding community leaders through a partnership with UCCS and has been in place for over 40 years. Their Signature Program offers a ten-month course dedicated to helping local professionals develop leadership skills with a focus on the areas of self, community and collaboration.
“We were excited to host the LPP conference here at UCCS,” said Joe Wehrman, Ph.D., UCCS Dean of the College of Education. “The conference was a great success with more than 120 attendees, and brought together leaders from across El Paso County and the Pikes Peak region. It gave everyone the opportunity to discuss challenges as well as focus on building the next generation of leaders who will serve in our community. Leadership development and community building were common themes. The LPP alumni are passionate and committed to our community and we hope to continue to provide support for this long-standing organization. Thank you to the more than 2,500 alumni living and working in El Paso County.”
Attendees gathered to hear panels, join breakout sessions and connect with one another. The event opened with remarks from UCCS Provost Lynn Vidler, Ph.D., followed by a “Business Leadership In A Time of Uncertainty” panel, then separate breakout sessions on leadership with focuses such as STEM, parenting and community culture.
The afternoon session took place after a keynote address given by President of Colorado College Manya Whitaker, Ph.D., and an awards ceremony to recognize Leadership Pikes Peak alumni, led by Melanie Hicks, Ph.D., Vice President of Programs at Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation.
More breakout sessions followed, with topics on AI in leadership, community change, empowering student leaders, cross-sector collaboration, data on the Pikes Peak region and others. The day concluded with a “Mentally Strong Workplace” panel.