Upcoming Events
Leading Forward: A Webinar Series with Distinguished Leaders
Join us for a live, online webinar series spotlighting bold ideas, human insight and purposeful action from senior leaders redefining their next chapter.
From Experience to Impact: Reinvention in the Second Half of Life
Thursday, July 31, 2025 at 12 p.m. PT / 3 p.m. ET
Featuring expert advisor Kamy Akhavan, USC Distinguished Leaders RoJean DeChantal and Felicia Schwartz, and more.
At a certain stage in your career — and in your life — the question you’re asking shifts from “What’s next?” to “What’s worth it?” For some accomplished professionals, it means rethinking retirement altogether and approaching this phase with a new mindset. For others, it means starting fresh, questioning long-held assumptions, reshaping identity and designing a rhythm for life and work in spaces they may once have supported only from the sidelines.
In this upcoming roundtable, we will take a look inside the Distinguished Leaders program with current cohort members RoJean DeChantal and Felicia Schwartz, using real-world examples of how senior leaders are building a meaningful bridge between everything they’ve done and everything they still want to achieve.
Community as Strategy: Leadership Beyond the Institution
Wednesday, August 13, 2025 at 12 p.m. PT / 3 p.m. ET
Featuring expert advisors Kamy Akhavan and Julian Hirst, USC Distinguished Leader Charles Moody Jr. and more.
As leaders step away from formal roles, the question isn’t whether they’ll keep contributing — it’s where and how. For many, that answer is rooted in communities (cities, neighbourhoods, networks and systems) that don’t respond to titles, but still need leadership.
In this upcoming session, USC Distinguished Leader Charles Moody Jr. leads a discussion on how seasoned professionals are applying their experience, judgement and voice in deeply local, deeply human contexts — from civic coalitions to health care systems to community regeneration.
Information Sessions
USC Distinguished Leaders Information Sessions
Join a 30-minute virtual meet and greet to get a snapshot of the USC Distinguished Leaders experience. Learn how you can start your journey to bring purpose and challenge to your life and unlock your next chapter.
Register below to attend the live event of your choice, gain insights into the program and learn about your exploration with global changemakers. After you attend, schedule a 1:1 meeting to learn more.
Event Dates & Time:
Wednesday, August 6, 2025 at 12 p.m. PT / 3 p.m. ET
Thursday, August 21, 2025 at 12 p.m. PT / 3 p.m. ET
Monday, September 8, 2025 at 12 p.m. PT / 3 p.m. ET
Tuesday, September 30, 2025 at 12 p.m. PT / 3 p.m. ET
Tuesday, October 14, 2025 at 12 p.m. PT / 3 p.m. ET
Monday, October 27, 2025 at 12 p.m. PT / 3 p.m. ET
Monday, November 10, 2025 at 12 p.m. PT / 3 p.m. ET
Location: Zoom link will be shared after sign-up.
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Past Events
Housing, Dignity and the Future of the Middle Class
Watch “Housing, Dignity and the Future of the Middle Class”, an engaging webinar led by USC Distinguished Leaders Advisor, Kamy Akhavan and Julian Hirst, USC Distinguished Leader John Rochford and USC faculty, Samuel Mistrano.
Across the country, key workers and middle-income families are being priced out of the communities they serve. Rents are rising. Supply is broken. The middle class is vanishing. And no one’s coming to fix it.
Through the USC Distinguished Leaders program, current cohort member John Rochford developed a response: a grounded, values-led housing project designed to serve the people who keep our cities running. We discussed how Rochford used his experience and network to move his personal, purpose-driven project and take a behind-the-scenes look at the Distinguished Leaders program.
Register below to gain access to this recording, gain insights into the program, and learn about program outcomes.
Making Impact: A Session with Kamy Akhavan
Watch “Housing, Dignity and the Future of the Middle Class”, an engaging one-hour session led by USC Distinguished Leaders Advisor, Kamy Akhavan, in conversation with Bob Shrum, political consultant and Director of the USC Center for the Political Future. Learn how you can start your journey on a project that will bring purpose and challenge to your life.
Register below to gain access to this recording, gain insights into the program, and learn about program outcomes.
Crafting Your Narrative: A Storytelling Session with Gabe Sachs
Watch “Crafting Your Narrative,” an exploratory one-hour session led by storytelling expert and USC Distinguished Leaders program advisor Gabe Sachs. Hear about the art of narrative-building and learn how to create your own powerful story.
Register below to gain access to this recording, gain insights into the program, and learn about potential projects.
