Team Blue Hens - A Chat with the CLC Champs

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What does it take to be a Collegiate Leadership Competition champion? Join the coaches and team members from The University of Delaware, 2021 CLC champions, for their observations on the experience and their thoughts on student leadership.

Team Advisor - Susan Luchey is Associate Director, University Student Centers for Leadership Development. She's had a 30-year career in student affairs and created and directs the national award-winning Blue Hen Leadership Program. Susan consultants in the areas of higher ed program design, non-profit boards, and program development.

Team Coach - Garrett Beau Currie is a senior and pursuing a degree in economics with a concentration in econometrics. He was named CLC "Coach of the Year" and a former CLC team MVP. He has experience working in prehospital emergency medicine for three years in Maryland and Delaware. 

Team Coach - Nishant Chintala is a senior pursuing degrees in honors computer science and finance. He's a former CLC competitor and MVP. He was recently named UD’s top male senior in the Class of 2021, winning the Alexander Taylor Award.  He is headed to work for Bloomberg in NYC after graduation.

Team members include:

• Charlie Hannum - a senior honors computer science major while simultaneously pursuing a master’s degree in data science.
• Kyle Roberts -  a senior communication major with a concentration in interpersonal communication.
• Craig Klevan -  a senior environmental engineering major.
• Sean Friday - a junior construction engineering and management major.
• Matthew Weis - a sophomore honors computer science major pursuing minors in organizational community leadership and cybersecurity.
• Jacob Herz - a sophomore media communications major pursuing minors in history and journalism.
• Kathleen Knesek - a first-year art conservation major.

What is the CLC?
Collegiate Leadership Competition (CLC), a nonprofit founded in 2015, creates a digital practice field where students can actively apply what they learn via CLC’s global virtual competition.

Colleges and universities identify a coach and recruit teams of six students. Any student interested in practicing leadership is welcome. Throughout the experience, each team member leads one challenge and receives extensive feedback based on their performance.

The competition begins in January. Competition activities occur via Zoom. The top 25 teams with the highest cumulative point total after the first four challenges compete in the global head-to-head in April.

CLC’s curriculum explores topics such as the attributes of effective leaders, leadership/followership styles, creative problem solving, and influencing others.

Other Episodes About the CLC

• Meg U'Ren, Ashley Li, & Allison White - Leaders Developing Leaders at Western University
• Dr. Kaitlin Wolfert - The Influence of Action Learning, Coaching, and Intrapersonal Reflection on Individual Resilience
• Meghan Pickett & Dr. Bruce DeRuntz - Coaching a Leadership Team (Online)
• Bela Jevtovic & Dr. Dan Jenkins - The Collegiate Leadership Competition

Learn More Ab