The VMI Leader Journey Podcast

The Importance of Culture and the Academy Advantage with Alejandro Villanueva

This is a mobile edition of the VMI Leader Journey podcast recorded live on the stage of Gillis Theater in Marshall Hall.
Our podcast hosts Emily Coleman and Derek Pinkham, staff members at the VMI Center for Leadership and Ethics, sat down with our first Courageous Leaders speaker from February of 2019 Alejandro Villanueva to discuss his insights on leadership based upon his experiences as a West Point graduate, Army veteran, and offensive lineman in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Our Center's mission is to enhance the VMI citizen-soldier journey with programming that educates, engages and inspires critical thinking, ethical decision-making, and leader development. For more information about our Center and its programs, please visit our website.
In this episode, we touch on the following leadership competencies of the VMI Leader Journey: teamwork, initiative, goals & planning, responsibility for personal behavior.

Challenging Yourself with Sean Matson '05

VMI Center for Leadership and Ethics' conference project manager Derek Pinkham and conference assistant Emily Coleman sat down last spring with Sean Matson '05, co-founder & CEO of MATBOCK and the co-founder and president of Strike Force Beverage. Matson spent 13 years (2005 - 2018) as a Navy SEAL Officer, with multiple deployments in strategic locations. Matson is currently an entrepreneur.  We heard from him spring of 2019 during VMI's Business Leadership and Innovation Conference.  He has been instrumental in the success with MATBOCK and Strike Force by leveraging the leadership skills from his time on active duty.
Our Center's mission is to enhance the VMI citizen-soldier journey with programming that educates, engages and inspires critical thinking, ethical decision-making, and leader development. For more information about our Center and its programming, please visit vmi.edu/cle. Visit our YouTube page to see Matson's BLIS conference remarks.
In this episode, we touch on the following leadership competencies within the VMI Leader Journey: communication, supervision, inclusion, self-development, initiative, decision making.

The Rat Line and Leadership Transformations with 2nd Lts. Townsend & Forehand '19

This mobile episode captured in our Center's Green Room features our 2019 summer interns and brand new VMI alumni 2nd Lt. Jeybriel Townsend and 2nd Lt. John 'Jay' Forehand. They spoke with Emily and Derek about experiences at VMI before they left town for duty assignments. They talked about the unique VMI experience, the Rat Line, and leadership transformations. 
Hailing from Fayetteville, NC, Townsend was introduced to VMI by a high school teacher. He was a computer science major here at VMI now a 2nd Lt. in the Army Reserves.
Forehand is a Roanoke, VA native, graduate with a degree in international studies, and commissioned in the Marines as a 2nd Lt. Jay became acquainted with VMI as a kid and would visit post frequently with his dad.  He knew he wanted to be in the military since junior high school.
Our Center's mission is to enhance the VMI citizen-soldier journey with programming that educates, engages and inspires critical thinking, ethical decision-making, and leader development. For more information about our Center and its programming, please visit vmi.edu/cle. 
In this episode, we touch on the following leadership competencies from the VMI Leader Journey: motivation, personal values, mentoring, teamwork, inclusion, helping others.

It's Not About You Anymore with Stewart Spurry '20

This is a mobile edition of our podcast (on remote location) taped in the Center's Green Room (speaker lounge).
VMI Center for Leadership and Ethics' conference project manager Derek Pinkham and conference assistant Emily Coleman sat down at the beginning of the 2019-20 academic year to talk leadership with Stewart Spurry '20 including his journey to becoming the Rat Disciplinary Committee (RDC) president and his future goals. During this episode, Spurry talks about a tactic unique to VMI called 'the strain.' A strain is when you march very erect with your chin pulled in as far as you can to your neck. It is required of all 'rats' or incoming freshmen. VMI defines it as 'An exaggerated position of attention;' what rats are supposed to do [whenever they walk in barracks] as part of VMI's traditional 'rites of passage' phase until their 'breakout' when they earn the right to being called official members of the VMI Corps of Cadets. For more on the VMI Leader Journey, access the booklet here: https://vmi.box.com/v/VMILeaderJourney2019.
Our Center's mission is to enhance the VMI citizen-soldier journey with programming that educates, engages and inspires critical thinking, ethical decision-making, and leader development. For more information about our Center and its programming, please visit vmi.edu/cle. 
In this episode, we touch on the following leadership competencies of the VMI Leader Journey: responsibility for personal behavior, self-development, mentoring, teamwork, and social responsibility.