Lessons on Leadership: A Discussion Group Recap
January 2, 2026 - Features
by Ava Levin | Discussion Group Coordinator
Dole Fellow Joni Wickham, former Mayor Sly James, and student dinner attendees pose for a photo following the first program of the fall series. Photo by Sarah Stacy.
The Dole Institute’s fall 2025 semester-long Discussion Group series, “Leadership Lessons from the Front Line of Politics,” featured Dole Fellow Joni Wickham in a five-part series that spanned a range of topics and student interests. The series explored various careers in leadership and the different ways leadership can be effectively pursued.
Joni Wickham, Fall 2025 Dole Fellow, is an accomplished political strategist, communications expert, and organizational leader. She served as Chief of Staff to former Kansas City Mayor Sly James and in public policy and communications positions at the Missouri State Capitol. A recipient of the 2019 University of Missouri Truman School of Public Affairs Mel Carnahan Public Service Award, she was also named to the Kansas City Business Journal’s prestigious Class of 2023 Women Who Mean Business.
The series kicked off with Joni and former Mayor Sly James speaking about transformational leadership practices. Attendees had the opportunity to ask questions on leadership in politics to someone with a great deal of knowledge and experience with local-level governance.
For the second program of the series, Joni was joined by Wendy Doyle, CEO of United WE. The conversation featured a discussion on how United WE, a heartland-based think tank, uses research, policy solutions, and civic engagement to deliver results for women in Kansas. Audience members, including KU journalism students, asked many thoughtful questions to Joni and Wendy.
Dole Fellow Joni Wickham, Wendy Doyle, and student dinner attendees pose for a photo following the second program of the series. Photo by Sarah Stacy.
For the third event of the series, Kansas State Representative Laura Williams and Kansas House Minority Leader Brandon Woodard joined Joni Wickham for a discussion on bipartisan consensus-building. Both program guests are University of Kansas alumni and spoke about the opportunities available to KU students when preparing for a leadership role.
Dole Fellow Joni Wickham, Rep. Laura Williams, and House Minority Leader Rep. Brandon Woodard discuss the role of bipartisanship in legislating. Photo by Kenna McNally.
The second-to-last program of the series broached the topics of journalism and civic engagement. Joni welcomed John Holt and Mary Sanchez for the conversation. Throughout the program, topics included adapting to the media of the digital age, how coverage of political leaders has changed, and how Gen Z gets its news.
Mayor Lily Wu, left, claps for Dole Fellow Joni Wickham at the final program of the fall series. Photo by Kenna McNally.
The series concluded with Wichita Mayor Lily Wu discussing her experiences with leadership, innovation, and resiliency throughout her mayoral tenure. Mayor Wu spoke of her experience growing up in Kansas and how others supported her as she pursued various leadership endeavors. The conversation covered how to continue to act as a leader even when faced with hostility and other difficult situations.
Dole Fellow Joni Wickham, Mayor Lily Wu, and student dinner attendees pose for a photo following the conclusion of the fall series. Photo by Sarah Stacy.
The “Leadership Lessons from the Front Lines of Politics” series was successful in providing the student body, community members, and the Dole Institute’s online audience with civil perspectives on the role of leadership in our current political climate. This discussion group series provided access to KU students with a high attendance record to exclusive post-event dinners that featured frank conversations with Joni and her guests on social issues and modern problems.
Check out the full series on the Dole Institute’s YouTube.
Ava Levin is a second-year student studying political science, English, and Spanish at the University of Kansas. She serves as a Discussion Group Coordinator at the Dole Institute. Ava has had the honor of participating in the Dole Institute’s Counselors program, a cross between mock trial and debate, alongside Visiting Dole Fellows Pedro Irigonegaray and Ed Duckers as well as Washburn School of Law students.
About the Dole Institute
Inspired by the leadership legacies of Senators Bob and Elizabeth Dole, and the enduring civic contributions of the Greatest Generation, the Dole Institute of Politics strives to promote a new era of leadership that uses politics to bring people together through opportunities that emphasize bipartisan cooperation, public service, and civic education and engagement.
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