From Endurance to Intention: Leading a Legacy in Motion Across Career and Life Transitions
Morning Breakout Session II
Women in higher education are often recognized for their endurance, navigating complexity, leading through sustained change, mentoring others, and carrying institutional knowledge forward. Over time, endurance can shift from a personal strength to an unspoken expectation, leaving limited space to pause, reflect, and lead with intention in the present moment. When leadership becomes primarily about sustaining systems, the opportunity to actively shape legacy through daily professional practice can be overlooked.
This session reframes legacy as an active, continuous leadership practice, one built through purposeful action rather than conferred by title or position. Drawing from leadership experience in higher education and career transitions across evolving institutional landscapes, participants will explore how intentional leadership choices made in real time influence culture, strengthen teams, and model possibility for others.
Grounded in the conference theme "A Legacy in Motion", the session centers present-focused leadership: how women are leading today amid shifting priorities, staffing changes, organizational transformation, and increasing institutional demands. Rather than focusing solely on retrospective accomplishments or future aspirations, the discussion emphasizes how clarity, alignment, and intention in everyday decisions compound into meaningful professional impact.
Participants will engage with practical reflection tools and leadership frameworks designed to support sustainable decision-making during periods of transition. Emphasis is placed on mentorship through modeling, shared leadership, and relational influence; recognizing that professional legacy is measured not by titles held, but by how leaders show up for colleagues, teams, and communities. Through facilitated discussion, participants will examine how leadership behaviors, both visible and subtle, shape workplace culture and create pathways for others to grow and lead.
This interactive session invites women in higher education to move from endurance-driven leadership toward intention-driven leadership. Participants will leave with renewed clarity about how they are leading now, how their choices influence others, and how legacy is actively formed through presence, purpose, and community-centered action each day.
Gail Reynolds
Gail Reynolds is a Director of Learning Resources in higher education with experience leading cross-functional teams, managing strategic vendor partnerships, and navigating organizational change. Her work sits at the intersection of learning resources, educational technology, and student impact, with a focus on sustainability, equity, and thoughtful innovation.
Across her career, Gail has led through periods of significant transition, organizationally and personally, shaping a leadership approach grounded in intention, presence, and community impact. She is a coach, speaker, and endurance athlete who brings a reflective, people-centered lens to leadership, helping individuals and teams reconnect with purpose while navigating complexity.
Gail is passionate about mentoring through modeling and believes legacy is built not through titles, but through daily leadership choices that create space for others to grow, contribute, and lead.