Dr. Karen "Ann" Sheats, founder of Authentic Leadership Development, LLC, is an experienced strategic Human Resources Professional with over 15 years experience in the higher education, non-profit, and public entertainment/hospitality industries. Her areas of expertise are in Training & Development, Leadership Development, Diversity/Inclusion, Employee Relations, Compensation/Benefits, and Employee Engagement/Morale. She is known for her positive energy, leadership capabilities, and collaborative nature. Additionally, she is an Adjunct Faculty member with experience in online curriculum development and instruction in the areas of Human Resources Management, Benefits and Compensation Administration, Human Resources Leadership, and Change Management. Ann volunteers with the Fresh Start Scholarship Foundation and Year Up Wilmington, providing guidance and encouragement to students from low-income families and women who are returning to college. Ann is a member of the College & University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA), Delaware and National Chapters of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), and Delaware American Council on Education Women's Network (DAWN). Ann became a Certified Dare to Lead™ Facilitator in Fall 2109. Based on the research of Dr. Brené Brown, Dare to Lead™ is an empirically based courage building program. The most significant finding from Brené’s latest research is that courage is a collection of four skill sets that are teachable, measurable, and observable. The Dare to Lead™ program focuses on developing these courage building skills through workshops, trainings, and coaching to help individuals, teams, and organizations move from armored leadership to daring leadership. Individuals who successfully complete the full 24-hour Dare to Lead™ program will receive a certificate of completion and are allowed to put the Dare to Lead Trained badge on their LinkedIn account.