The Sterling College Future Business Leaders of America - Phi Beta Lambda chapter hosted this year’s State Leadership Conference in Sterling, Kansas on March 3-4. The conference saw more than 60 competitors from 11 different colleges across the state and Sterling’s Elizabeth Herrington of Wichita, Kansas, qualified for the National Leadership Conference in Anaheim, California.

Sterling students involved in the College’s PBL chapter provided the logistics support for hosting the conference.

“I would like to give a special thank you to Kari Farmer and Elizabeth Herrington for helping make this event a reality. They were instrumental in the organization and planning of this conference. Without them, it would not have been possible to host this conference on the campus of Sterling College,” said Tim Thorpe, assistant professor of business administration and faculty adviser for PBL.

In total, 11 workshops were held over the two-day conference on various topics relating to leadership development and training. Additionally, the conference generated $300 in donations for the charity Stand Up For Orphans.

“We were happy to host the PBL state conference on our campus again this year. It took many hours of preparation to finalize all of the schedules, events, and judges, and we were very happy when everything went smoothly. We had a lot of participants this year, which heightened the competition. I was very pleased with how I finished in my event and I can't wait to compete again in Anaheim this summer,” said Elizabeth Herrington.

The conference’s keynote speaker was Dave Short, a comedian and entrepreneur from Tulsa, Oklahoma. Short owns several small businesses with his main project being Dreamclinic Creative, a full-service agency specializing in design, branding and market strategies.

Sterling College is a Christ-centered, four-year college located in Sterling, Kan., with a mission to develop creative and thoughtful leaders who understand a maturing Christian faith. For more information, visit www.sterling.edu.