Meeting/Event Information

Alexia Vernon is the founder and CEO of the leadership and communication development company, Step into Your Moxie. Over the last two decades, she has designed and implemented robust, experiential leadership and communication programs for public agencies, Fortune 500 companies, and spoken at the UN Commission on the Status of Women. Dubbed a “Moxie Maven” by the White House Office of Public Engagement for her distinctive approach to communication and leadership development, Alexia is a sought-after speaker and facilitator known for helping leaders communicate with clarity, credibility, and confidence in complex, high-stakes environments. She has been featured by media, including CNN, NBC, the Wall Street Journal, European Business Review, and SUCCESS Magazine.

As retirements accelerate and “next-in-line” leaders step into roles they haven’t fully been prepared for, agencies can no longer afford to treat leadership development as optional or episodic. Building a leadership bench today means equipping supervisors, managers, and directors to lead before the title changes—internally with maturity, clarity, and trust, and externally with credibility and confidence. Too often, deep institutional knowledge exists without the communication, strategic thinking, or behavioral skills required at higher levels. This moment calls for a deliberate shift from technical competence to leadership readiness—so emerging leaders can navigate pressure, represent the agency well, and lead people through complexity, not just manage work. HR plays a pivotal role in making leadership development structured, behavioral, and aligned with the realities of modern public service.

In this highly experiential presentation, you will learn to:

• Identify the difference between succession planning and true leadership readiness—and why readiness matters now
  
  
• Recognize common behavioral patterns that quietly undermine leadership maturity so that departments experience less drama, build more trust, and improve operational efficiency

• Strengthen leaders’ ability to communicate clearly up, down, and outward—so they can speak effectively with direct reports, senior leadership, and external stakeholders, including community members, partner agencies, and the media.
  
  
• Reframe executive presence as a learnable skill rather than a personality trait—so managers and directors can intentionally build the credibility, clarity, and composure required at executive levels.