GCSAA's 2025 Women's Leadershp Academy welcomes 48 particpants from across North America to GCSAA headquarters in Lawrence, Kan. this week. Photos by Tyler Stover
The GCM staff is covering 2025 Women's Leadership Academy highlights and takeaways as the event unfolds. Check back often for the latest updates.
Participants showed up ready to learn about leadership styles during the first full day of education at the Women's Leadership Academy.
Wednesday, Nov. 12
• “Who we are is how we lead,” Jodie Cunningham, CEO of Optimus Talent Partners, told attendees at the Women’s Leadership Academy during their afternoon session. It was an effective way to sum up the day’s conversations. Cunningham was speaking with regard to the Predictive Index, a behavioral assessment tool that measures employees’ behavioral and leadership styles.
In the morning, participants discussed their Predictive Index results and how it impacts their work and management styles. The afternoon session was all about how to give successful feedback as a manager and build relationships with employees.
“How did you learn to be a manager?” Cunningham asked. The answer: Watching others. While it’s true we learn from mentors and supervisors who support us and help develop us as leaders, Cunningham said, we learn just as much from bad managers. As she puts it: “The people who made you think ‘When I step up into that role, I don’t ever want to be like that.’”
A big difference between the two? Empathy and frequent feedback, not just annual reviews. “Your employees crave feedback,” Cunningham said. “Employees want to know when they do something well. Also, they aren’t trying to make your day harder when they do something wrong. They just need to know what needs to change to make that process better.”
• Shelia Finney, GCSAA’s senior director of member programs, kicked off the first full day of learning at the 2025 Women’s Leadership Academy by welcoming attendees into the GCSAA family. “This is your house,” she told the group. “Please take advantage of your membership.”
Finney encouraged attendees to soak up as much information as they can, then bring that back to their workplaces and get comfortable with getting out of their comfort zone. “When you go back home, get out of your house,” she said. “Get out of your comfort zone, go out into the community and get involved.”
Abby Head, grounds manager at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and veteran of the Women’s Leadership Academy, shared her own experience stepping outside her norm by volunteering with FFA students to teach them about careers in the turf industry.
“It’s a great opportunity to inspire younger minds and the people coming up into hopefully my position one day,” Head said. “Telling them they can get into agronomy, and seeing their eyes light up like ‘I can do that? I can work on a golf course?’ Has been really fun.”
Ellie Debelak, senior software engineer at Toro, also offered words of encouragement to participants in the Women’s Leadership Academy.
“We’re honored to be the benefactor of such a special event,” Debelak said. “It means a lot to have a chance to learn from people who know what make our systems work out in the world.”
As a participant in this year’s event herself, Debelak said she understands what it’s like to be the only woman in a given space in a male-dominated industry.
“Events like the Women’s Leadership Academy exist because yes, we are outnumbered, but we’re not outmatched,” Debelak said. “Fostering that sense of confidence and belonging is what opens the door for someone else. Being the only woman on a field isn’t a disadvantage, it’s a position of influence.”
Carol Rau interviews Suzy Whaley, the first woman president of the PGA of America, in the opening session of the 2025 Women's Leadership Academy. Photo by Abby Olcese
Tuesday, November 11
• “We want to help you refresh, grow and learn,” Carol Rau told the group of women turfgrass industry professionals, by way of kicking off GCSAA’s 2025 Women’s Leadership Academy. “You all give and give and give. This time is set aside to help you confidently become the leader that you want to be,”
The opening session of the two-and-a-half-day event in Lawrence encouraged Women’s Leadership Academy attendees to get to know each other, build their professional networks and consider the importance of presence in a world that encourages people to be all things, to all people, all the time. Part of that presence for this week? Encouraging attendees to allow themselves to fully focus on learning and filling their own cup.
“A lot of work and dedication goes into making sure this event is right,” Kevin Sunderman, CGCS, GCSAA’s chief operating officer, assured attendees Tuesday night. “At GCSAA, we recognize the fact that if we support our communities individually, they can come together to make a difference for the whole.”
The evening’s featured speaker was Suzy Whaley, the president of Golf Nation, and former president of the PGA of America. Whaley, no stranger to juggling multiple professional, familial and personal roles at once, encouraged the attendees to “Stay where your feet are,” meaning total focus on the job in front of you.
“If I’m at work, I'm at work. If I’m with my children, we are together,” Whaley said. “If you don’t find that prioritization, you'll drive yourself insane. You'll be better in the moment you’re in if you’re truly in it.”
Whaley also stressed the importance of a network — including mentors, sponsors (cheerleaders in your professional life who will bring up your name in conversation to others) and supporters who can help you build your self-confidence.
“If I walk into a room and I’m not confident, I try to think about the people who got me to where I am. If I lack confidence, I bring a support team with me even if I can't see them,” Whaley said. “I think of the Renee Powells of the world, people who stood up to far more than I ever have. I need to be who I know I can be.”