Leadership Empowerment Series 2026 - PART 4
Let’s Talk About Conflict Resolution: What We Avoid, What We Need
Thursday, April 23, 2026
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Conflict shows up everywhere, between colleagues, across offices, within leadership, and in the lives of the students we serve. But too often, we avoid it instead of understanding it.
Join us for a dynamic conversation with panelist that explores conflict from every angle, student perspectives, leadership realities, workplace dynamics, and wellness-centered approaches. Walk away with practical strategies to navigate tension, build trust, and lead with intention, even when things get uncomfortable.
Conflict is a natural part of collaborative work—especially in higher education, where career services professionals regularly engage with a wide range of stakeholders, including students, faculty, staff, administrators, alumni, and campus partners. Balancing these diverse perspectives while advancing office and university priorities can be challenging, particularly amid campus politics and evolving institutional expectations.
Join us for an engaging webinar designed specifically for career services practitioners who want to strengthen their conflict‑resolution skills and lead with clarity, empathy, and confidence. Together, we’ll explore practical strategies for navigating conflict within your own team, managing difficult conversations with students and colleagues, and maintaining productive relationships across departments.
Whether you’re a new staff member, a seasoned career services professional, or a leader guiding a team, this session will offer meaningful, actionable approaches to resolving conflict and fostering a collaborative, student‑centered culture.
Presenters
Justin Tarbell, Assistant Director of Selection and Development Residential Life and Housing, Virginia Commonwealth University
As the Assistant Director of Residential Life for Selection and Development, Justin works to enhance the living-learning experience by providing a holistic approach to work with student staff; including the management, planning, implementation and support of undergraduate student selection and ongoing development and training.
Crystal Cotton, Chief People and Culture Officer, New York City Criminal Justice Agency
Crystal A. Cotton (she/her) is the Chief People and Culture Officer, serving as the executive advisor to senior leadership on organizational culture, people management and operations, and professional development. A homegrown leader with over 30 years of nonprofit human resources experience, Crystal brings deep expertise across the full employment lifecycle, learning and development, and inclusive workplace practices. Crystal holds certifications in corporate training, EEO studies, trauma‑informed care, and DEIB that ground her human-centered approach to people and culture management. As a graduate of Coro Leadership New York, she employs innovative leadership practices, including adaptive leadership principles, to advance organizational change. She is currently applying her studies and experience in relational culture‑building to support CJA’s thriving multigenerational workforce by spearheading CJA’s Creating Inclusive Workplaces Initiative—a program designed to deepen connection to the values, relationships, experiences, and identities that are central to CJA’s mission and culture. Crystal fuels her passion for developing others as an adjunct instructor and faculty mentor at her alma mater, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, where she earned her master’s degree in public administration. She is also the founder of Crystal Clear Connextions, a career coaching consultancy supporting BIPOC women in career transition.
Megan Johnson, Director for Student Wellness Education & Prevention, St. John's University
Megan Johnson currently serves as Director for Student Wellness Education and Prevention at St. John’s. She has been working in the Health Education field for 10 years. Before working at St. John’s, Megan worked as a Health Promotion specialist and later Assistant Director at the University of Florida where she heavily focused on violence prevention initiatives and wellness coaching. Megan received her a Master Certified Health Education Specialist certification in October 2024. She holds a master’s degree in health education and behavior from the University of Florida, a bachelor’s degree in Community Health from SUNY Cortland, and a graduate certificate in Public Health from the University at Albany.
Registration & Pricing
This session is one part of the four-part Leadership Empowerment Series 2026. Use the form linked below to register for one or more sessions. We offer bundle discounts!
Session 1: January 29 - Permission to Fail: Reframing Risk Taking from Career Services & Employer Perspectives
Session 2: February 26 - Transitioning from Individual Contributor to Manager
Session 3: March 26 - Inclusive and Cross-Generational Leadership
Session 4: April 23 - Conflict Resolution
Per-Session Pricing:
Members: $30
Non-Members: $45
Package/Bundle Deals:
2-Session Mini Bundle
Members: $55
Non-Members $85
4-Session Bundle
Members: $100 ($25 per session)
Non-Members: $160 ($40 per-session)
Department Package | Group of 4, All 4 Sessions
Members: $360 total ($22.5 per person, per session)
Non-Members: $560 ($35 per person, per session)
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