By Katherine Silva
Vanderbilt Executive Education announced its Fall 2025 lineup of leadership programs designed to equip professionals with essential skills for today’s dynamic business environment.
Whether you want to master negotiation, navigate complex organizations, sharpen financial acumen or elevate your strategic communication, these immersive programs provide actionable frameworks and practical experience to help you excel.
Negotiation Skills for Leaders
Oct. 7–8 | In person | Nashville, Tennessee
Become a better negotiator in two days through an immersive, practice-driven experience. Led by an expert in negotiation and conflict resolution, this program combines exercises and simulations to help you manage disputes, build consensus and tailor your approach for multi-party negotiations.
What you will learn:
- Analytical frameworks to navigate any negotiation scenario
- Techniques for managing disputes and building organizational value
- Strategies to identify and respond to others’ negotiation tactics
- Approaches for effective team and multi-party negotiation
Benefits:
- Gain confidence to negotiate successfully in high-stakes situations
- Improve your ability to resolve conflicts and create win-win outcomes
- Enhance your influence by mastering tactics across various negotiation contexts
- Strengthen your team’s collaboration through skilled multi-party negotiation
Who should attend: Senior leaders aspiring to the C-suite, small business owners, entrepreneurs and managers who want to strengthen their negotiation skills.
Meet your teacher: Professor Ray Friedman, Brownlee O. Currey Jr. Professor of Management at Vanderbilt Business, is an expert in negotiation and conflict resolution. Friedman brings decades of research and real-world experience to the classroom. He has published widely in top management journals and served as President of the International Association for Conflict Management. Friedman’s engaging teaching style helps participants master practical negotiation skills for today’s complex business challenges.
Program fee: $3,000 | CEUs: 1.4 | Learning hours: 14
Register here for Negotiation Skills for Leaders
Navigating Organizations: The Leader’s Roadmap
Oct. 16–17 | In person | Nashville, Tennessee
Lead with insight and agility in complex organizations. This research-driven program helps you understand organizations as living systems and equips you with tools to influence, build coalitions and deliver results amid ambiguity or limited authority.
What you will learn:
- Managing people, information and responsibilities in dynamic settings
- Strengthening self-awareness and executive presence
- Building trust and influence across teams and functions
- Mobilizing action and aligning strategy with execution
Benefits:
- Navigate organizational complexity with clarity and confidence
- Develop influence and build strategic relationships across boundaries
- Lead change effectively even without formal authority
- Deliver measurable results by aligning teams with strategic goals
Who should attend: Mid- to senior-level professionals leading cross-functional teams or navigating organizational change.
Meet your teacher: Professor Rangaraj “Ranga” Ramanujam, Richard M. and Betty Ruth Miller Chair of Management at Vanderbilt Business, is a renowned expert on organizational errors and operational reliability. Ramanujam’s research focuses on improving quality and safety in complex settings like healthcare. With extensive consulting experience and a dynamic teaching style, he equips leaders to navigate and influence complex organizations effectively.
Program fee: $3,000 | CEUs: 1.4 | Learning hours: 14
Register here for Navigating Organizations: The Leader’s Roadmap
Financial Fundamentals for Non-Financial Leaders
Oct. 21–23 | In person | Nashville, Tennessee
Speak the language of business with confidence. This three-day program provides practical financial knowledge and strategic perspectives to help you interpret key metrics, assess risks and make data-driven decisions.
What you will learn:
- Analyzing financial statements to support decision-making
- Understanding capital budgeting and time value of money
- Identifying opportunities for profitability and process improvement
Benefits:
- Increase your financial literacy to communicate effectively with finance teams
- Make informed decisions that drive business performance
- Identify and leverage opportunities to improve profitability
- Bridge the gap between finance and operations for better collaboration
Who should attend: Leaders with budget responsibilities, marketing and operations managers, entrepreneurs and professionals seeking to improve their financial literacy.
Meet your teachers: Professors Berk Sensoy and Richard H. Willis co-lead the Financial Fundamentals for Non-Financial Leaders program. Berk Sensoy, Hans Stoll Chair of Finance, specializes in entrepreneurial finance, venture capital, and corporate finance, bringing deep research expertise and practical insights. Richard H. Willis, Anne Marie and Thomas B. Walker Jr. Professor of Accounting and Senior Associate Dean for Faculty, is renowned for his teaching excellence and research in accounting, earnings forecasts, and financial reporting. Together, they equip participants with the critical financial skills needed to make informed, strategic decisions.
Program fee: $4,500 | CEUs: 2.1 | Learning hours: 21
Register here for Financial Fundamentals for Non-Financial Leaders
Strategic Communication for Leaders
Oct. 27–29 | Live online | 8:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. daily
Elevate your executive presence and inspire action through compelling communication. This interactive program teaches you to deliver presentations, manage crisis communications, craft a personal brand and lead meetings that motivate.
What you will learn:
- Making effective presentations and communicating in stressful situations
- Developing executive presence and a personal brand strategy
- Leading with strategic vision and persuasive communication
Benefits:
- Strengthen your ability to influence and inspire through communication
- Manage high-pressure conversations and crises with confidence
- Build a personal brand that enhances your leadership impact
- Lead meetings that engage and motivate your teams
Who should attend: C-suite executives, rising leaders, managers seeking to differentiate themselves, entrepreneurs in leadership roles and board members.
Meet the teacher: Professor Kimberly Pace, Professor for the Practice of Management Communication and Director of the Owen Communication Program, has a background in performing arts and broadcast media. Pace brings a dynamic and engaging approach to executive communication. She partners with CEOs and senior leaders to enhance strategic thinking, influence, and personal branding. Her expertise in persuasive presentations, crisis communication, and leadership development equips participants to communicate with confidence and impact at the highest levels.
Program fee: $3,000 | CEUs: 1.4 | Learning hours: 14
Register for Strategic Communication for Leaders
About Vanderbilt Executive Education
Vanderbilt Executive Education offers programs that combine the latest research and leadership practices with hands-on learning designed for immediate impact across industries.
For more information, contact our Executive Education team.
