A successful graduate of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and proponent of change will showcase how to implement transformational change initiatives during the Department of Applied Communication’s annual Leadership Lecture Series on Thursday, Feb. 7.

Tamidra Marable, a performance initiatives leader for Heifer International who received a master’s degree in applied communication from UA Little Rock, will present “Leading Transformational Change” at 7 p.m. in the Donaghey Student Center Ledbetter A.  

Marable began her career with a “go with the flow” mentality. Twelve years ago, she took a chance and applied for a job at Heifer International, a nonprofit organization dedicated to ending hunger and poverty by helping to build sustainable livelihoods within farming communities.

Now, she serves as a performance initiatives leader, leading and facilitating special projects that impact both organizational and employee performance. She focuses primarily on special project work, and her ability to embrace change makes her ideal at leading initiatives within the company. She firmly believes that students should feel free to “just try things.”

“That’s one thing I noticed a lot of students are anxious about,“ she said. “They tell me, ‘I don’t have this figured out. I don’t know what I want to do.’”

This, along with the work she has done within Heifer, led her to her topic for the upcoming leadership lecture. In her work as an organizational change agent, she recognizes the world is changing so quickly that it requires both people and businesses to take a more strategic approach to manage change. The third in a yearlong series of four lectures, this session will explore transformational change through practical examples that focus on the necessary skills and tools that support leading transformational change initiatives.

“Organizations don’t have the luxury to move incrementally anymore. They have to be about transformational shifts,” Marable said.

Within her lecture, she will discuss how remaining fluid and embracing change within the workplace can open doors in a constantly shifting economy.

“Change is a constant. How we manage our way through it makes the difference,” she said.

The final lecture of this year’s series will be presented by Tonya Oaks Smith, executive director of university communications and marketing at Louisiana Tech University, at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 9. In this lecture, listeners will unpack their perceptions and learn to hold public communication to a higher standard.

Smith has previously served as executive director of marketing and communications at Henderson State University and director of communications at UA Little Rock’s William H. Bowen School of Law. She received a master’s degree in applied communication from UA Little Rock.

Tickets are $20 for general admission and $5 for UA Little Rock students and employees. To register and purchase tickets, visit the Leadership Lectures Series website.