NCBA Rising Stars Leadership Conference Agenda
NCBA is excited to present a leadership conference designed to empower emerging leaders with the skills to lead effectively. Learn proven strategies for leadership development, personal branding, and creating a sustainable impact, both in your career and your community. In addition to receiving focused training led by industry leaders and influencers, you’ll have the chance to meet like-minded peers and strengthen your professional network.
Who Can Attend? Attendance at the Rising Stars Leadership Conference is limited to attorneys in their 11th – 20th year of practice. This conference is complimentary for NCBA Members.
During the registration process, you will be asked to confirm your eligibility to attend. The conference has a limited capacity of 60 attendees, so sign up early to reserve your spot! Registration is first-come, first-served. No CLE credit will be available for this Leadership Conference.
Conference Agenda | March 12, 2026
Schedule and panelists subject to change.
Location: Kenan Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
9:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
Check-in and Continental Breakfast
10:00 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.
Welcome Remarks
10:15 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Protecting Your Personal Brand
Brandon Birkmeyer, Personal Branding Consultant, Brands on Brands, Inc.
As attorneys take on greater responsibility and visibility, reputation becomes one of their most valuable professional assets. Personal brand is shaped not only by legal expertise, but by leadership presence, communication, decision making, and how attorneys show up with clients, colleagues, and teams. In this workshop, participants will explore how personal brands are formed inside and outside the firm, how unintentional signals can create risk or limit opportunity, and how to proactively protect credibility as leadership expectations increase. The session provides practical guidance for strengthening trust, navigating professional visibility, and showing up with greater intention and confidence in high impact roles. Attendees will receive a complimentary copy of the speaker’s bestselling personal branding book, “Front & Center Leadership.”
About the Presenter:
Brandon Birkmeyer is a personal brand consultant and former Coca-Cola and Apple advertising executive with more than 22 years of experience advising Fortune 100 companies on brand strategy and leadership positioning. He is the host of the Brands on Brands podcast and the author of the bestselling book Front & Center Leadership, which explores how professionals build credibility, visibility, and influence as leaders.
12:00 p.m. – 1:15 p.m.
Networking Luncheon at the Kenan Center
You’ll have the opportunity to dine with fellow attorneys and NCBA members at the Kenan Center, part of the Kenan-Flagler Business School.
1:15 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.
Leading Through Conflict
Terence McElroy, Ph.D., Clinical Assistant Professor of Organizational Behavior, UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School, and Jonathan Britton, COO and Co-Founder, GreenLead Institute
Conflict is inevitable in legal practice: with clients, opposing counsel, colleagues, and within teams you lead. This session draws on participants’ real-world experience to examine why some disputes escalate while others resolve, why some conversations feel impossible to navigate, and how to manage conflict strategically when outcomes and relationships are at stake. Through structured peer discussion and hands-on practice, participants will develop practical approaches for diagnosing conflict in the moment and responding effectively when the stakes (and emotions) are high.
About the Presenters:
Terence McElroy, Ph.D., is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Organizational Behavior at UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School, where he teaches leadership and organizational behavior in the MBA and Executive MBA programs. His work focuses on how leadership, culture, and ideology shape decision-making, trust, and performance in complex organizations. Before entering academia, Dr. McElroy served as a U.S. Army officer and Army Ranger, leading diverse teams during deployments in Afghanistan and Europe. He is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and earned his MBA from the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business before completing his PhD at UNC Kenan-Flagler. Dr. McElroy’s research, published in outlets such as Personnel Psychology, examines affective polarization in the workplace and how multicultural experiences foster open-minded, effective leadership. His teaching and executive coaching emphasize active listening, empathetic engagement, and navigating conflict in high-stakes professional environments.
Jonathan Britton is a retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel, decorated Black Hawk helicopter pilot, and global operations strategist with more than 24 years of experience leading in combat, crisis, and high-consequence environments. A former commander and instructor pilot, he trained and mentored hundreds of Army aviators, led cross-functional teams of more than 800 personnel, and managed aviation assets valued at more than $3 billion. His career includes multiple deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan, Africa, and the Pacific, as well as senior leadership roles within the 82nd Airborne Division, Joint Special Operations Command, and U.S. Army Special Operations Command. His service has been recognized with honors, including the Bronze Star, Air Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, and the Sikorsky Helicopter Rescue Award during the Ebola outbreak in Liberia, Africa. Jonathan holds an Executive MBA from UNC Kenan-Flagler and is a member of Beta Gamma Sigma. He now focuses on helping leaders strengthen judgment, resilience, and ethical decision-making in complex, high-pressure environments.
2:45 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Break
3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Multiply Your Impact: Lead By Mentoring
Vanessa Spiron, Founder, Spiron Solutions
One of the best ways to develop one’s industry and community is through mentoring other professionals. Mentoring is a powerful way to extend your influence, build leadership capacity, and create sustainable impact. In this interactive workshop, participants will explore mentoring as a leadership skill. Attendees will learn how to mentor with intention, adapt their approach, lead coaching conversations, and create meaningful developmental relationships that drive growth and accountability. Through discussion and practical applications, participants will leave with tools they can immediately use to mentor emerging leaders, peers, and communities.
About the Presenter:
Vanessa Spiron is the founder of Spiron Solutions, an organizational training company specializing in leadership development, interpersonal skills, and effective communication. Her company also focuses on improving workplace cultures and program management. Vanessa worked in the nonprofit and government sectors for over 20 years before stepping out on her own. Educationally, Vanessa has a bachelor’s degree in microbiology and Master in Public Administration. The combination of her technical education and nonprofit work gives her a unique perspective to teaching and training others. In her free time, Vanessa supports entrepreneurs, serves on nonprofit boards, and keeps up with her busy family.
Registration Information
North Carolina Bar Association Members: Complimentary
Non-Members: $400
To become a North Carolina Bar Association member, visit ncbar.org/join.
Please sign in or create an account to register. Questions about registration? Please contact [email protected].
Attendance Confirmation
Because the leadership conference is offered complimentary to members and to ensure the greatest opportunity for members to attend, attendance confirmation will be required. Approximately one week before the conference, registrants will be contacted by email and asked to confirm their anticipated attendance. Registrants must confirm their intention to attend within 48 hours of delivery of the email to avoid having their registration canceled and their spot offered to another member on the waitlist.