Staff members will hone their skills Tuesday through a full day of activities, workshops and a speech from a former Fortune 500 executive at the 2002 Professional Development Day.

This year’s development day will offer programs between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. at the Gateway Center.

“The Professional Development Day has a history of being a day when Extension and campus-based [professional and scientific] staff have met to not only expand their professional knowledge but also to network with other Iowa State University professionals,” said Gary Bickmeier, co-chairman.

The event will include a keynote speaker and three workshop sessions. This year, the keynote speaker is James Autry, a former Fortune 500 executive. Autry is a well known author and business leader from Iowa.

“He has an interesting message and has experience as a senior executive of a large company,” said Darren Jarboe, co-chairman.

Peg Uthe, coordinator of the event, said she wanted to bring Autry in because of his management style.

She said people need morale building during a time of budget cuts, and Autry seemed like a good person to do it.

The workshops will focus on topics such as stress management, grant writing, presentations and preparing for retirement. These will help both professional and personal development, Uthe said.

Jarboe said the goal of this year’s event is to provide a professional development opportunity that is specifically tailored to the Extension and Professional and Scientific staff.

“Our hope, and this has proven to be the case in the past, is that this day will strengthen the efforts of everyone involved,” Bickmeier said.

ISU Extension and the Professional and Scientific Council sponsor the Profession Development Day, which is paid for through registration fees.

Registration for the program begins at 8:45 a.m. Tuesday. Walk-in registration is available for $75.