Courageous Leading, Following, and Building Trust (Retreat @ Nudlaghi Leadership Institute)

Overview
Many leaders across Alaska are experiencing expanded responsibilities, shifting expectations, and the need to support teams through rapid change. This retreat offers a dedicated space for mid‑ and senior‑level leaders to step back from daily pressures and strengthen the skills required to lead—and follow—with courage, humility, and clarity.

Participants will explore how trust is built and sustained within organizations, how to navigate the dynamics of leading from the middle, and how to support healthy culture during times of transition. Through facilitated dialogue, reflective practice, and peer learning, the retreat emphasizes tools for managing change, strengthening relationships, and contributing to resilient, values‑aligned workplaces.

What You’ll Explore
- Practices for leading and following with courage, clarity, and self‑awareness
- Approaches for supporting teams through change and uncertainty
- Tools for strengthening trust and communication
- Strategies for shaping organizational culture from any position
- Peer insights from leaders navigating similar challenges across Alaska

Who Should Attend
Staff in mid‑ and senior‑level leadership roles across nonprofit, civic, Tribal, education, and community organizations who want to deepen their leadership practice and strengthen their ability to support teams and culture.


Facilitators: Polly Carr & Shoshi Bieler
Polly Carr is the Vice President of Programs and Partnerships at the Alaska Humanities Forum, where she leads a team fostering community‑minded leadership, connecting people through stories and dialogues, and supporting cultural resilience. Proudly raising her family on Dena’ina lands in Anchorage, Polly brings more than 25 years in the nonprofit sector as an outdoor educator, youth organizing director, foundation program officer, and executive director. She’s facilitated training for youth and adults in leadership, community organizing, and civic engagement; and has facilitated significant organizational change processes, leading teams through uncertainty while maintaining trust and morale. She champions staff leadership, mentoring, and the central role of organization culture in creating positive community impact. She’s also helped launch some fun endeavors in Alaska including a flat-track roller derby league. Polly enjoys mountain biking, writing poetry, and learning fashion trends from her daughter.


Shoshi Bieler is the Director of Stories and Grants Programs at the Alaska Humanities Forum, where she has worked since 2021. In this role, she gets to connect with and support storytelling and community dialogue projects across Alaska. She approaches this work with a focus on trust-based practices and creating opportunities for peer-to-peer learning. Her work includes the Forum’s grantmaking programs, the FORUM Storytelling Fellowship, FORUM Magazine, and FORUM Films. She also facilitates several of the Forum's workshops, including how to cultivate participatory leadership through storytelling. Shoshi has worked at the Forum through a number of internal and external transitions. As a result, she has gained deep experience working with senior leadership to maintain -- and strengthen -- programming during times of change, ensuring programs continue to align with the organization's mission, vision, and values and respond to community input and need. Shoshi grew up in Cleveland, Ohio; she first moved to Sitka in 2016, and has been in Anchorage since 2021. She is happiest when making things—whether painting, helping a friend build a greenhouse, or finding her way through a sewing project.