Understanding Executive Retirement: Unveiling Groundbreaking Research with a Gender Lens

What happens when a leader steps away from a long-held role? For women executives, the transition out of formal authority is rarely a straight line. Dr. Kelly Ottman‘s new research is beginning to capture why.

This program examines the developmental shifts that accompany executive retirement: how leaders renegotiate identity, purpose, and meaning beyond the title. We’ll explore the psychological adjustments, patterns of loss and renewal, and the redefined markers of success that shape this stage of leadership with a specific lens on how gender influences the journey.

Following the presentation, Carole Nicksin, publisher and editor-in-chief of Milwaukee Magazine, joins Dr. Ottman for a fireside chat exploring how identity, purpose, and leadership evolve beyond the executive title.

The research is clear: retirement is a leadership transformation not an endpoint. Understanding it that way changes how we support women at every stage of their careers.

AGENDA:

11:30 a.m. Arrival
Noon Lunch and program (including fireside chat)
1:30 p.m. Program concludes

ABOUT C. KELLY OTTMAN, PH.D.

Dr. Kelly Ottman is a professor in MSOE’s Rader School of Business. For the past 25 years her focus has been on developing leaders and executive teams. Her key areas
of expertise and impact include leadership and team development, mission and value, strategic planning, organizational culture, diversity and inclusion, employee engagement, global mindsets and business with China.

ABOUT CAROLE NICKSIN

Carole Nicksin is the publisher and editor-in-chief of Milwaukee Magazine. With more than 20 years in publishing, she brings a sharp lens on storytelling and identity. Prior to joining Milwaukee Magazine, Carole was the style director at All You, a Time Inc. publication. She also served as decorating editor at Home magazine, and has written for the New York Times, Martha Stewart Living, InStyle and numerous other publications.