University Human Resources

Staff Development Day

Breadcrumb

Staff Development Day

Brown’s beloved Staff Development Day (SDD) tradition is offering professional and personal growth and other engagement opportunities on campus along with some virtual offerings to accommodate our remote and hybrid staff.

2025 Staff Development Day

We hope you had a truly enriching and inspiring Staff Development Day 2025! This year's theme, Learn | Synergize | Empathize, beautifully captured the essence of our collective growth and connection. It was wonderful to see so many of you engaging, learning, and connecting with colleagues across the university, embodying this theme throughout the day. Your participation truly made the day a resounding success.

For those who wish to revisit the insightful moments, or for anyone who might have missed a session, we're excited to invite you to relive the entire SDD 2025 experience!

The Staff Development Day website is now updated with a wealth of content from the day:

Event Photos: Browse through a vibrant gallery capturing the energy and camaraderie of SDD 2025.
Keynote Address: Experience the inspiring and insightful keynote from EVP Sarah Latham once again.

We would like to share our appreciation with all of our university partners for working with us to ensure that this year’s event is as cost-effective as possible while not compromising the SDD experience that staff have come to know and love. Thank you to the Office of the President, the Department of Public Safety, Event Strategies and Management, Brown Catering, Media Services, Facilities Management, Workday Programs, the SDD session presenters, and our colleagues here at University Human Resources for your help in making this event possible.

And thank you once again to all our university staff for your dedication and enthusiasm. We look forward to seeing you at SDD 2026! Please take a moment to provide us with your feedback on the SDD 2025 survey.

Note that registration is closed. We hope to see you at Staff Development Day 2026!

Breakfast on the Main Green	7:30 a.m. to 8:45 a.m
Keynote Kickoff at Salomon Auditorium	9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
Volunteer Session I (various locations)	10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Session I (various locations)	10:15 to 11:30 a.m.
Grab and Go Lunch in Sharpe Refectory	11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Leslie’s Farmers Market on the Main Green	11:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Volunteer Session II	1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Session II (various locations)	1:15 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
End of Day Celebration on the Main Green	2:45 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

EVP Sarah Latham

Influence in the Midst of Change: Finding Certainty in Uncertain Times

recording Access

In a world that seems to be shifting faster than ever, it’s easy to feel like we’re at the mercy of forces beyond our control. But even in times of uncertainty, we each have the power to shape our days, advance the Brown mission, and influence the world around us. In this practical keynote, EVP Latham draws from personal stories of resilience and transformation, as well as evidence-based strategies from the latest research, to explore how we can reclaim agency in both our personal and professional lives. Attendees will leave with actionable tools, renewed clarity, and a sense of purpose to help them navigate change and influence the direction of their own story one action and decision at a time.

Sarah Latham, Ph.D. Executive Vice President of Finance and Administration for Brown University

Sarah is currently the Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration at Brown University, where she has served since 2022. Her portfolio includes, among others, finance and treasury functions, human resources, facilities management, investments, real estate, risk management, business operations, dining services, information technology, internal audit, auxiliary services including the Brown Bookstore, and public safety.

Prior to her tenure at Brown, Sarah spent a decade as the Vice Chancellor for Business and Administrative Services at UC Santa Cruz. Before she joined UC Santa Cruz, Sarah served for ten years at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama where she was Vice President of Operations and Planning. She also served as an instructor in the Political Science department for eight years. Sarah started her career working for the Florida Legislature and Florida Board of Regents.

A California native, Sarah received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Alabama Birmingham, her master’s degree in Higher Education and her Ph.D. in Public Administration from Florida State University.

The following vendors are participating in Leslie's Farmer's Market on the Main Green, a tribute to the late Leslie Uhnak, a cherished organizer of the Staff Development Day Farmers Market: