McDonald Conference for Leaders of Character

The mission of the McDonald Conference for Leaders of Character (MCLC) is to bring together a diverse group of the top undergraduate student leaders from across the globe with world class senior leaders who act as mentors in a team-based, experiential event that bolsters leadership skills, fosters critical thinking and collaboration, and develops potential strategies for addressing pressing global issues.

MCLC  History

The McDonald Conference for Leaders of Character began in 2012 with the vision of being the premier transformative, short-duration leadership experience for young, emerging global leaders who unite together with preeminent world leaders in an enduring partnership.  The annual conference is made possible by the vision and resources of founding benefactors Secretary & Mrs. Robert McDonald and is supported by a kind gift from the Garrison and Sharman families. The conference has been hosted each year by the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership. Since its inception, the event has touched the lives of over 600 students and senior leaders through its exploration of relevant and timely themes. 

Conference Information

Conference Resources & Helpful Links:

For More Information, please email our team.

Bob McDonald speaks to conference attendees at West Point.
Colonel Everett Spain speaking to a room full of cadets and guests during the McDonald Leadership Conference at West Point

Past Conference Themes:

  • 2022 - Pursuing Purpose: Leading with Character in your 20s
  • 2021 - MCLC Reconnection 2021 
  • 2019 - Leading with Character in a Technology Driven World
  • 2018  - Making Ripples: Character, Ideas, and Teams
  • 2017  - Opposition & Innovation: Taking Risks to Lead Change
  • 2016  - From Failure to Inspiration and Change
  • 2015  - Cross-Cultural Competence
  • 2013  - Responsibility
  • 2012  - Leading in an Interconnected World

Benefactors

Bob McDonald

MCLC Founding Benefactor 8th Secretary, Department of Veterans Affairs
Retired Chairman, President, and CEO, Proctor & Gamble

Robert A. “Bob” McDonald was nominated by President Obama to serve as the eighth Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA), and he was confirmed unanimously by the United States Senate on July 29, 2014. Secretary McDonald led VA in its ambitious transformational journey to be a world-class service provider and the number 1 customer-service agency in the Federal government to give Veterans consistent, high-quality experiences.
 

Diane McDonald

MCLC Founding Benefactor

Diane (pronounced Dee-Ann) was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Upon graduation from Chatham College, she taught elementary school and coached high school sports where her passion was working with children.

Soon after Bob joined P&G, they had the opportunity to live abroad—in Canada, the Philippines, Japan, and Brussels. At each location Diane played a leadership role in the P&G community, in her children’s schools and in their activities. She was a Girl and Boy Scout leader, home room mother, PTA officer, Sunday school teacher, American Women’s Club member and P&G spouse support group leader, among other roles.

Senior Fellows

Indra Nooyi

Indra Nooyi

Indra Nooyi is the former Chairman and CEO of PepsiCo. During her tenure, PepsiCo grew net revenue more than 80%, and PepsiCo’s total shareholder return was 162%.

In this role, Mrs. Nooyi was the chief architect of Performance with Purpose, PepsiCo’s pledge to do what’s right for the business by being responsive to the needs of the world around us. As part of Performance with Purpose, PepsiCo was focused on delivering sustained growth by making more nutritious products, limiting its environmental footprint and protecting the planet, and empowering its associates and people in the communities it serves. 

Marc Allen

Marc Allen

Marc Allen has been a senior vice president of Boeing and member of the Boeing Executive Council since 2015. In 2019, he was appointed president of Embraer Partnership and Group Operations, responsible for preparing for the integration of multiple Embraer group operations with the Boeing enterprise and, upon closing of the multiple Boeing-Embraer joint ventures and contractual support agreements, for delivering on execution, financial performance and growth of total partnership operations. 

Dr. Leslie Fenwick

Leslie T. Fenwick

Dr. Leslie T. Fenwick, PhD, is Dean Emeritus of the Howard University School of Education and a tenured professor of educational policy and leadership. A former Visiting Scholar and Visiting Fellow at Harvard University, Fenwick has served as a Senior Fellow for the McDonald Character Leadership Conference at the United States Military Academy at West Point since 2017. Additionally, she is a Salzburg Global Fellow (the cohort was convened in Salzburg, Austria to examine globalization and leadership) and a member of the American cohort of university administrators invited to the University of Oxford (Exeter College) to discuss ethics and leadership. Dr. Fenwick is recipient of the WEB DuBois Award for Leadership in Higher Education which recognizes those who exemplify character leadership.

H. Patrick Swygert

H. Patrick Swygert

H. Patrick Swygert is President Emeritus of Howard University and the State University of New York (SUNY) at Albany and former Executive Vice President of Temple University. Recipient of nine honorary doctorate degrees, Mr. Swygert began his career in higher education at Temple University where he was a Law School professor and Interim Dean of the Law School.

Denis McDonough

Denis McDonough

Denis McDonough served as White House Chief of Staff for President Barack Obama from February 2013 until January 20, 2017. He managed the White House staff, as well as Cabinet Secretaries and agency leaders. He also advised the President on domestic policy and national security challenges facing the country, management issues facing the federal government, and devised and enforced plans and accountability for performance and goals, maintaining the Obama Administration’s reputation for effective, ethical operation.

Carolyn Woo

Carolyn Woo

Dr. Carolyn Woo received her Bachelor of Science, Master of Science and Ph.D. from Purdue University. She was a faculty member in the area of Strategy, Organization and Entrepreneurship. Both her teaching and research has been recognized by awards from Purdue University and the Academy of Management. From 1997 to 2011, Dr. Woo served as dean of the business school at the University of Notre Dame which was ranked the top undergraduate business program by BusinessWeekBloomberg from 2010 to 2016. From 2012-2016, Dr. Woo served as CEO of Catholic Relief Services which served over 100 million people in over 100 countries. 

CSM(R) Patrick McCauley

CSM(R) Patrick McCauley

CSM (R) Patrick McCauley is an accomplished Special Operations veteran who distinguished himself leading this nation’s most elite Special Operations organizations in diverse and challenging combat environments. Serving in the U.S. military for over 33 years, he culminated his career as the ninth Command Senior Enlisted Leader for the U.S. Special Operations Command. CSM McCauley initially entered service with The United States Marine Corps in 1986, attending boot camp at Parris Island, South Carolina. Upon completion of his training, he was trained as an Armor Crewman at Ft. Knox, KY and subsequently assigned to A Company, 8th Tank Battalion, 4th Marine Division.

Shelley Brindle

Shelley Brindle

Shelley Brindle is the Mayor of Westfield, NJ, (pop 31k) elected as the first female Mayor in town history in November 2017. Previously, she served as Executive Vice President, Domestic Network Distribution and Marketing at HBO where she was responsible for the revenue, marketing, and overall distribution and growth strategy of HBO’s $4.4B domestic subscription business. In that capacity, she oversaw many of HBO’s most important initiatives, including the transformation of HBO’s distribution strategy with the launch of HBO Go, followed by the subsequent launch of HBO Now, HBO's Over The Top (OTT) streaming service, sparking a sweeping disruption of the media landscape.

Stephanie Khurana

Stephanie Khurana

Stephanie Khurana is an impact driven entrepreneur and social venture investor. She is passionate about big ideas that drive significant shifts in markets and open opportunities for social impact, particularly leveraging technology and business model innovation. Her experience spans the fields of education, healthcare, financial inclusion and environment. During her twenty-five-year career, she has played significant leadership roles as CEO, Executive Director, as well as advised and enabled leaders to realize their own potential through her board service as a venture philanthropist.

Joey Reiman

Joey Reiman

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