The Line Up

8:30a - 9:00a

The Evolving Landscape of Project Management in Southwest Virginia

Caleb Sly

Project Manger, Modea

Vicki Kibbe

Program Manager, Anthem

9:00a - 9:50a

From Vision to Value: Strategic Project Selection in a World of Priorities

In today's complex organizational landscape, making the right project choices is paramount to achieving exceptional outcomes. This main panel discussion will bring together leaders from relevant employers across the Roanoke region to share their insights on strategic decision-making. Explore how they navigate competing priorities, select the most impactful projects to advance their organization's mission and vision and what tools, methodologies, or organizational structures (such as PMOs) they leverage to standardize operations and ensure strategic alignment across various business units. Gain practical wisdom on how to translate strategy into tangible results.

Cassandra Nolan (Moderator)
VP of Corporate Projects, Member One Federal Credit Union

Webb Burns
VP of Business Development, Carilion Clinic

Patience O'Brien

Director of Business Transformation Strategy at Member One Federal Credit Union

Rory Chisholm

Manager-Projects at American Electric Power

10:00a - 10:50a

Building Your Project Capital: An Interactive Networking Experience

11:00a - 11:50a

Breakout Session #1A:

Built for Change: A Project Manager’s Edge

David Duby

Professor at Liberty University

Breakout Session #1B:

Expanding Perspectives to Drive Learning and Action: Lean Coffee in Practice

Turning vision into value requires conversations that balance strategy with action. Yet research shows nearly half of organizational decisions fail because teams don’t explore enough options. This session introduces Lean Coffee, a participatory meeting format that solves both problems. You’ll practice the process at round tables: proposing and voting on topics, time-boxing conversations, and capturing learning and next steps. Through visualizing the flow of communication, you’ll see how Lean Coffee can expand perspectives, improve prioritization, and produce actionable clarity while keeping everyone engaged. With direct ties to the Symposium theme “Strategic Projects, Exceptional Outcomes,” you’ll leave equipped with a facilitation tool you can apply
immediately to transform your project meetings into drivers of communication, respect, and continuous improvement.

Jeffrey White

Lunch

1:00p - 1:50p

Breakout Session #2A:

Brilliant strategies don’t always become exceptional outcomes

Projects fail not because teams aren’t smart or dedicated, but because leaders fall into the trap of believing myths and overlooking the fundamentals. In this session, Kevin Pannell, Navy veteran and IT PMO leader, shares insights from his book The People, Process, & Progress of Project Management on how to bust common myths and apply seven practical pillars of project success. Drawing on lessons from healthcare IT, public safety, and emergency management, Kevin provides field-tested guidance for turning strategy into results. Attendees will leave with a clear understanding of the myths to avoid, the pillars to build on, and a simple action to take back to their teams Monday morning.

Kevin Pannell

Breakout Session #2B:

Curiosity over Certainty: The Project Manager's Guide to Asking Better Questions

Project managers often feel pressure to have all the answers, but the most effective leaders know that success begins with curiosity. In this engaging session, participants will explore why curiosity is a project manager’s most underrated skill and how the art of asking meaningful questions can unlock clarity, build stronger stakeholder relationships, and uncover hidden risks. Through interactive exercises and practical examples, you’ll learn how to transform ordinary project conversations into opportunities for insight and innovation. Leave with tools you can use immediately to bring curiosity into your meetings, team dynamics, and problem-solving processes to ensure that your projects don’t just get done, but get done smarter.

Tanya Hockett

2:00p - 2:50p

Showcasing Virginia’s Blue Ridge: Driving Tourism as a Catalyst for Regional Growth

Debora Wright

3:00p - 3:50p

Closing Keynote: Project Success: High-Level Findings from PMI Project Success Research

Sarah Maxwell