East Tennessee is fortunate to have a growing population of professionals with strong technical and innovation-based backgrounds. To foster networking and help these individuals round out the skills and knowledge necessary to become effective business leaders, the Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (ACEI), housed in the University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s Haslam College of Business, created the TechExec Leadership Development program.
Launching in January 2024, the in-person, cohort-based program consists of 10 sessions over a one-year period. Its limited enrollment size allows participants to build strong professional relationships with others who share similar backgrounds and goals. Larry Bodie, a seasoned executive with extensive experience in strategy, leadership, management, acquisitions and business technology, serves as the program’s manager and lead instructor.
Leadership Skills for Technology and Innovation Professionals
TechExec will cover a range of leadership styles participants can use to build and manage a strong company culture in today’s diverse, cross-functional and multi-generational workplaces. Topics will include strategic planning and execution, vendor and customer relationships, finance and accounting practices, business law, funding strategies and employee recruitment and retention.
Bodie explains, “This program is intentionally designed to focus not on technology and innovation, but rather on the various functional areas that all businesses need to thrive. We have developed the curriculum to provide participants in the program with knowledge and guidance from experts with many years of experience in their field.”
Multifaceted Business Acumen
The TechExec Leadership Development program offers a variety of professional and personal development benefits. TechExec cohort members will have ample opportunities to connect with business leaders, industry experts and a supportive cohort for networking, knowledge sharing, collaboration and mentorship. Emphasis on entrepreneurial thinking and experiential learning will enable professionals to put their new knowledge into action for hands-on, real-world projects and case studies.
Bodie looks forward to helping tech-minded professionals dive deeper into the facets of business operations that may be new to them. “In many cases, people can work within companies for years and still not gain a full understanding of how all areas of a business function,” he says. “I am excited to provide our participants with a year-long program that will give them new skills and accelerate their working knowledge of most aspects in business.”
ACEI’s new program supports Haslam’s efforts to forge relationships with other areas of the university and the community at large. Russell Crook, First Horizon Foundation Distinguished Business Professor and head of the college’s Department of Management and Entrepreneurship, says, “Through this program, along with collaborations with the Bredesen Center, UT’s Office of Research, Innovation and Economic Development, the UT Research Foundation, the Spark Innovation Center and many other community partners, the Haslam College of Business is excited to help accelerate entrepreneurship endeavors around the Knoxville area.”
The TechExec Leadership Development Program is now accepting applications for its inaugural cohort. For more information, visit the program’s website or contact Larry Bodie.
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CONTACT:
Stacy Estep, writer/publicist, sestep3@utk.edu
