Creighton University Heider College of Business

Strong leadership starts with understanding people.

Today’s leaders are navigating change, uncertainty and evolving workplace expectations. Emotional intelligence helps leaders respond with empathy, communicate with clarity and create environments where people feel supported and motivated to grow.

In Creighton’s online Leadership Certificate, professionals build practical leadership skills they can apply right away, including emotional intelligence, change management and self-awareness.

Read more about why emotional intelligence is one of today’s most essential leadership skills.

🔗 https://www.creighton.edu/blog/why-emotional-intelligence-matters-more-ever-leadership

Why emotional intelligence matters more than ever in leadership Develop emotional intelligence to lead with clarity, build trust and support teams through change with Creighton's flexible Leadership Certificate program.

📰 Heider in the Headlines

This edition celebrates two faculty members whose work is advancing business ethics education and thought leadership around the world.

🌎 Andrew B. Gustafson, PhD, professor of marketing and management, was invited to speak at the 35th Anniversary Meeting of the Economy of Communion in Buenos Aires, Argentina. His keynote, “Relationships are the Real Return on Business,” explored the importance of human relationships in creating lasting value through business.

📚 Eric Roark, PhD, associate professor of practice, recently published “Student Engagement and Learning Through Applied Microfinance: An Ethics Course Learning Activity” in Teaching Ethics. His article highlights an innovative classroom exercise that helps students connect ethical theory with real-world decision-making.

Join us in congratulating Dr. Gustafson and Dr. Roark on these accomplishments!

Our camera roll perfectly captures the city we love. 📸🏙️

📰 Heider in the Headlines

Heider faculty continue to advance research, scholarship and public conversations through their work.

Recent accomplishments include:
• A forthcoming article in The Independent Review by Diana W. Thomas, PhD, examining the economic and social costs of demographic decline.
• A forthcoming Public Choice article by Jedediah Pida-Reese, PhD, exploring civilian control and democratic reversal in Imperial Japan.
• A KETV NewsWatch 7 feature with Brad Klontz, PsyD, discussing the financial opportunities and challenges facing student-athletes in the NIL era.

Congratulations to these faculty members for sharing Heider expertise with audiences across academia, industry and the public sphere.

For Maddie McNalley and Lily Eltzroth, Creighton became more than a place to earn a degree—it became the place where they built a lifelong friendship.

The two met during Welcome Week freshman year in Whitney Eiden’s RSP class and have remained close friends and roommates ever since.

Throughout their time in the Heider College of Business, both students immersed themselves in campus life through internships, leadership roles, student organizations and professional experiences that helped prepare them for life after graduation.

Maddie gained experience through internships with Blue Cross Blue Shield Nebraska and Amynta Dealer Solutions while serving as Vice President of the American Marketing Association and as a member of Gamma Phi Beta.

Lily was involved with J. Blue Marketing Agency, worked in both the Creative Suite and the Enrollment Office, and served as President of the American Marketing Association.

Together, they say some of their favorite memories came from cheering on the Bluejays at Creighton basketball games with friends!

After graduation, the roommates will continue living together in Omaha as they begin their careers at Lockton and Elemental Scientific.

Congratulations, Maddie and Lily!

“Coming to Creighton as a first-generation student has taught me persistence, strength through faith and how to grow.”

For James Silva, a senior studying financial analysis and marketing, that growth has been shaped by the support systems around him—including TRIO Student Support Services, his scholarship advisor D’Lynn Buck and Heider Family Foundation.

“With their support, I have been able to obtain internships and gain real-world experience that has prepared me for my future,” he says. “These experiences have shaped me into a man for and with others.”

That commitment to student success has earned Creighton recognition as a FirstGen Forward Network Champion. 🏆

Learn more: https://www.creighton.edu/news/creighton-recognized-national-leader-first-gen-student-success

Congratulations to Caleb Abernethy, a finance major who is heading to Minneapolis after graduation to begin his career with Columbia Threadneedle Investments.

At Creighton, Caleb built hands-on investment experience through opportunities like the Portfolio Practicum, where select Heider seniors manage $14.5 million of the University’s endowment, and the CFA Society Nebraska Research Challenge, helping prepare him for the next step in his career.

Alpha Kappa Psi and studying abroad in Limerick, Ireland, also helped shape his leadership and perspective, while the Creighton Career Center supported him from day one through mentorship, skill-building and meaningful relationships along the way. 🐦✅