NEXTUp Leaders Syllabus

Brittania Wright is an Organizational Development (OD) Consultant with St. Charles Health System in Bend, Oregon. Brittania works on the St. Charles’ OD Team and loves supporting St. Charles’ caregivers and leaders with their engagement, interpersonal skills and development. She has developed and facilitated classes such as New Leader Orientation, Effective Communication, Managing Conflict, DISC Profile, Feedback and Psychological Safety. She is the Program Administrator for a week-long intensive leadership program for St. Charles supervisors, managers and directors.

Over the years, Brittania has served the Bend Emerging Talent (formerly YP) program as a program ambassador, committee member, committee chair and advisory Council Chair. She now currently serves on the board for the BendNEXT Foundation and is a moderator for Opportunity Knocks, leading a peer mentorship group for HR professionals in the community. Brittania’s drive for community and connection influence her ties to Central Oregon.

Kristi Runberg, RN BS BSN MSN brings nearly 20 years of diverse healthcare and leadership experience, spanning public health, bedside nursing, education, and leadership development. Her passion for fostering high-performing teams in dynamic, fast-paced environments led her to focus on training, culture, change management, and leadership development to deliver collaborative, impactful outcomes. She currently serves as the nurse manager of the St. Charles Cancer Institute’s oncology clinics.

Kristi earned her Master of Nursing with a concentration in Leadership in Healthcare Systems and has since led and consulted on several successful change initiatives in her role as a Leadership Development Consultant. Her expertise centers on team dynamics and culture, effective communication and managing conflict, development coaching, change management, and facilitating team retreats and strategic work sessions.

An active contributor to her community, Kristi serves as external faculty for the American Hospital Association and as Vice President of Membership for the Central Oregon OHSU Alumni Association. Alongside her husband, Damon, she co-owns East Slope Economics, a consultancy specializing in data-driven organizational storytelling and leadership support services.

When she’s not working, Kristi enjoys exploring the outdoors, spending time with her family, and connecting with her Central Oregon community.

Lisa X Walden is a speaker, author, and consultant dedicated to helping people create authentic, empowering workplaces that don’t inspire the dreaded Sunday scaries. As co-founder of Good Company Consulting, she’s delivered her message to organizations across the globe and strives to create deep mindset shifts that help people better collaborate, communicate, and prepare for the workplace of the future. Lisa is co-author of Managing Millennials for Dummies, and is currently wrapping up her next book, The Future is Human:  How the Pandemic Made the Case for People-First Workplaces.

Sean Minard : Sean’s life runs on curiosity, movement, and purpose. Traditional education didn’t fit him, but that didn’t stop him from landing a job at Google, co-founding a labor marketplace, or leading global teams of more than 1,200. He’s been a Director, Founder, Coach, and even a Food Truck Owner, and now leads Global Learning and Development Strategy at Chewy.At Bend Leadership Academy, Sean helps families raise critical thinkers who love learning and lead with purpose. Through RuckTalks, he creates space for men to move, connect, and grow together. When he’s not working, he’s playing with his daughter, dating his wife, and diving deep into education, wellness, and learning itself—testing it every day at the school, with men in the community, and through challenges like the Tactical Games and Spartan Races.

Su Embree is the founder of Saute, a sauce and marinade brand for Asian-inspired flavors. She is the former CEO and owner of DHM Research, a well-respected public policy research firm in Portland and Seattle. She sold and exited the business in 2021 to her dream buyer.

She is also a cofounder of the nonprofit, The Script, a premier network for underrepresented communities to build leadership skills and generational wealth.

Su is an investor of several James Beard nominated restaurants in Portland. She serves on
multiple boards to make Oregon a better place to live. She has called Oregon home for 30 years with her husband and two daughters

Some fun facts about Su:
● She started her entrepreneurial journey at age 14
● She taught herself how to snowboard in the 90’s
● Three family members are Olympic athletes
● All the men in her immediate family are military veterans