Description

Building Stronger Business Through Diverse Perspectives 

Part of the larger cross-sector forum, this business session is produced in partnership by Students Shoulder-to-Shoulder and Vail Valley Works. 

When businesses and organizations commit to ethical practices, the impact reaches far beyond the bottom line. The Ethical Leadership Forum brings together owners, managers, and professionals to exchange ideas that drive profitability while strengthening teams, fostering collaboration, and creating lasting benefits for society and the environment.

Through open dialogue and real-world strategies, this year’s Forum highlights how ethical leadership inspires engaged employees, resilient organizations, and cross-sector partnerships that ripple outward to create positive change.

Click Here for Full Event Details & Registration

SCHEDULE:

Session 1 (9:30am - 11:00am): Business Session - Produced in partnership with Vail Valley Works

The Power of 4: How BoomingGenXMillennialZ Teams Win Together - When generations collaborate instead of colliding, innovation rises, culture thrives, and the bottom line grows.

Session led by:

• Barbara Brooks – Age Positive Speaker, Consultant & Founder of SecondActWomen

Concluding with a Fireside Chat featuring:

• Katy Anthes, PhD – Public Education & Business Coalition (PEBC)

Age diversity isn’t just a buzzword, it’s a business superpower. In today’s workplace, Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z each bring distinct perspectives and strengths to their teams. By 2030, five generations will share the workplace - the opportunity to innovate, collaborate, and succeed has never been greater. But ageism still lingers, holding organizations back - ignoring it isn’t an option.

This session explores how leaders can harness generational differences to build stronger teams, improve collaboration, and create workplaces that attract and retain talent. In this energizing keynote-meets-workshop, pro-age speaker, media contributor and SecondActWomen founder Barbara Brooks has the secret sauce to flipping the script on generational divides. Through real stories, data, Return on Experience Method, and a dose of cheeky real talk, Barbara shows leaders and teams how to turn age diversity into a business advantage.

Click here to learn more about Barbara Brooks and her mission to change the way the world sees age!

Session 2 (11:15am - 1:30pm): Keynote - Denver Mayor Mike Johnston (Includes Lunch)

Leadership that Unites

When values collide, truth is contested, and divides deepen, ethical leadership requires more than quiet consensus. It demands moral courage to face conflict, compassion to hear those we oppose, and the integrity to hold fast to what is right — even at great cost.

At the heart of this year’s theme are two truths:

1. The highest form of leadership is bringing people together.
2. Unity is not the absence of disagreement but the triumph of shared purpose over division.

In an era when democracy’s greatest strengths can also be its greatest vulnerabilities, we’ll explore how leaders can transform ethical challenges into fuel for progress — moving beyond polarization toward a future where differences sharpen our vision rather than shatter our bonds.

A former educator, state senator, and now Denver’s Mayor, Mike Johnston has earned national recognition for his ethical leadership and innovative responses to complex challenges — from homelessness and housing to human migration. With roots in Vail, Colorado, Johnston returns not only as a national leader but also as someone shaped by the very community hosting this year’s Forum.

Enjoy this inspiring keynote session over lunch, and reserve your place for an unflinching exploration of leadership at its most challenging — and most necessary.