Executive Women Leaders' Institute - June 5-9, 2025

“Leading in Disruptive Times”

Location: Cedar Springs Christian Retreat Center (Sumas, Washington)

(Designed for CCCU Women Presidents and Cabinet-level Leaders)

This gathering of executive women will be held at Cedar Springs Christian Retreat Center, a beautiful, prayed-over setting located two miles from the Canadian border near Lynden, Washington. For the past 25 years, Cedar Springs has hosted Leadership Development Institutes offered by the CCCU each June. In total nearly 800 leaders and emerging leaders (475 women; 188 people of color) have participated, representing 110 member institutions. Cedar Springs is known as a place where the Holy Spirit is evident and where the still, small voice of God can be heard. Beautiful gardens and ponds accent the surroundings, with numerous hiking trails offering chances to explore and reconnect with nature.

The EWL program has been designed specifically for presidents and women who report directly to the president in a CCCU institution, typically meaning having institutional (supervisory) responsibilities in a cabinet-level role. The schedule will include opportunities to share participants’ lessons from “real-world” case studies and discussions about leadership successes and challenges.  In specific, each full day of the EWL program will focus on addressing a different level of disruption, with input provided by three resource books as identified below.

Available slots in the EWL Institute will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis by individuals meeting the criteria stated above. The registration deadline is March 17, 2025, with the registration fee of $1,200 payable to the CCCU no later than April 17, 2025. If a subsequent refund is necessary, standard policies related to conference registration will guide decisions made by the CCCU.

The registration cost of $1,200 is all-inclusive, meaning that the registration fee covers single-room lodging, all meals, refreshments, books, and related sources.  Round-trip charter bus transportation for group members will be provided by the CCCU from Seattle’s “SeaTac” airport.

Please REGISTER BY CLICKING THIS LINK.

Questions? Please contact CCCU Senior Fellow Dr. Karen A. Longman at klongman@apu.edu. 

What to Expect – From Beginning To End:

The EWL program begins with conversations on the 2.5 hour charter bus ride from SeaTac Airport to Cedar Springs on June 5, followed by dinner together and introductions to group members and the daily focus and format.  

The pattern for each day will include morning prayers followed by breakfast, then morning sessions that introduce the daily theme and a summary/discussion of a related resource book. Large and small group conversations will be guided around the day’s topic, with exercises for listening to oneself and to others. Individual and group time will be provide opportunities to develop a leadership response to the theme. Each day will conclude with evening prayers and a Fireside Chat on “hot potato” leadership issues currently being faced on Christian college campuses.

In advance of our gathering, participants will receive YouTube links to presentations by the authors of three primary resource books that will be distributed on site, coinciding to the three levels of disruption being experienced by today’s leaders. Limited targeted readings on-site will be encouraged to provide common grist for group interactions about the topics at hand. When packing, participants should save space to carry these three books home for continued reading following the EWL.

 

Provided Resources:

Leading a Disrupted Self – Atlas of the Heart by Brene Brown

Leading a Disrupted Community – How to Know a Person by David Brooks

Leading in a Disrupted World – Who Do We Choose to Be? Facing Reality, Claiming Leadership, and Restoring Sanity by Margaret Wheatley

 

What was most helpful about the institute:

Meeting all the women leaders, being part of a smaller group where we could share more intimately and continue our sharing after the event to support each other.

 

What was most helpful about the institute:

The clear schedule freed me to to be fully immersed and completely focused on my time with God.

 

What was most helpful about the institute:

Sharing confidentially with other women who understand.

The entire workshop program will take place at the Cedar Springs Retreat Center. The closest airport to the Cedar Springs facility is Seattle-Tacoma (Sea-Tac) International Airport. A charter bus will transport participants to and from Sea-Tac airport only (cost is included in your registration fee). Participants must arrange their own transportation from any other airport.

Participant flights should arrive at SeaTac no later than 1:00 p.m. on June 5; return flights from SeaTac should be booked after 1:30 p.m. on June 9. Single-room lodging, all meals, refreshments, books, and related resources are provided as part of the registration fee.