Women's Leadership Summit

Join us for a day of inspiration, connection, and growth at the 2025 KRPA Women’s Leadership Summit. This year’s theme, “Lead Loud, Listen Deep: The Art of Powerful Communication,” invites women in parks and recreation to pause, reflect, and recharge—while sharpening the essential skill of truly impactful communication.

Held at the beautiful Lodge at Ironwoods in Leawood, Kansas, the Summit will feature engaging sessions, interactive discussions, and opportunities to connect with peers who understand the unique challenges and joys of leadership in our field.

Date: August 19, 2025
Location: The Lodge at Ironwoods, Leawood, KS
Theme: Lead Loud, Listen Deep – The Art of Powerful Communication
Included: Lunch and .3 CEUs

Whether you’re just stepping into leadership or have years of experience, this Summit offers space to grow your confidence, strengthen your voice, and lead with purpose.

Interested in sponsoring this year’s summit? We’d love to connect! Please reach out to Jamie Reed at jamie@krpa.org.

8:30 AM – Registration & Networking Breakfast

9:15–10:15 AM – Opening Session: Curious Communications: Embracing Conflict with the New Mindset
Speaker: Haley Grayless
Description: What if conflict didn’t have to feel so uncomfortable? In this empowering and practical keynote, Haley Grayless, MSOD, founder of Växa Collective, invites leaders to reframe conflict as a powerful tool for connection, clarity, and change. Through the lens of Curious Communication, attendees will learn how to lean into tough conversations with confidence, emotional intelligence, and curiosity; transforming moments of tension into opportunities for trust and team growth.Whether you're leading a team, collaborating with peers, or navigating challenging personalities of external relationships, this keynote will give you the tools to communicate boldly without burning bridges.

10:30 AM – Relationship Building

11:00 AM – Session 2: Communication Styles: How to Collaborate & Influence by Embracing a Myriad of Perspectives
Speaker: Haley Grayless
Description: Have you ever felt like you’re speaking a different language from your colleagues? This interactive session helps leaders decode communication styles—yours and others’—so you can collaborate more effectively, reduce misunderstandings, and build stronger, more inclusive teams. Haley will guide participants through fun, practical tools to identify style differences and flex their approach in real-world scenarios. Whether you're influencing upward, motivating a team, or managing conflict with pickleballers or parents, this session gives you the tools to adapt without losing your voice.

12:00 PM – Lunch

12:45–1:15 PM – Relationship Building

1:15–2:00 PM – Roundtables

2:00–2:25 PM – Water Bar & Desserts

2:30–3:30 PM – Session 3: Happiness as a Strategy: Leading with Presence, Positivity, and Purpose
Speaker: Lisa Nickel
Description: Happiness isn’t just a feeling – it’s a leadership advantage. In this interactive session, happiness life coach Lisa Nickel invites you to redefine happiness as a deeply satisfying, purpose-driven way of leading and living. You’ll explore how your presence, communication, and mindset impact the people around you – and how you can intentionally use the 6 Pathways of Happiness to create more meaning, energy, and influence. You’ll walk away with practical, uplifting habits to shift how you show up and how you lead.

Schedule:

Thank you to our sponsors!