Dave "Gonzo" Kelly

For College

Inviting Dave Kelly to speak on your campus will be one of the best investments you’ll ever make in your students. Here’s why:

·      Your students will be infused with confidence that they CAN learn to lead and it’s OK to make mistakes while the stakes aren’t too high.

·      Dave offers practical leadership ideas that can be implemented immediately with little or no cost to the student.

·      Dave has over 20+ years of working with college students and knows the issues they face in leading.

·      Dave has been a student leader himself — he has served on the club, regional, and statewide levels and even served as international president of a 14,000-member organization. 

What this means to you:

·      You will receive an amazing, comprehensive and effective leadership training program.

·      You will see increased student involvement on your campus.

·      Your students will be more satisfied with their collegiate experience and be more involved as alumni.

Still need more reasons to hire Dave?

·      Dave’s prices are affordable and he’s so easy to work with!

·      He has a large range of leadership topics to choose from.

·      Dave is happy to work with you to determine what your students might need.

Dave has spoken/trained at the following colleges and universities:

• Alvin Community College (TX)
• Art Institute of Portland (OR)
• Cerro Coso Community College (CA)
• Colorado Mountain College—Steamboat Springs
• Contra Costa College (CA)
• Cuyahoga Community College (OH)
• Bergen Community College (NJ)
• Bucks County Community College (PA)
• Daniel Webster College (NH)
• East Georgia College
• Franklin Pierce College (NH)
• Georgia Perimeter College—Rockdale Campus
• Georgia State University
• Grandview College (IA)
• Howard College—Big Springs (TX)
• Howard College—San Angelo (TX)
• IP—Ft. Wayne (IN)
• Kutztown University of Pennsylvania
• Lander University (SC)
• Lemoyne College (NY)
• Lewis-Clark State College (ID)
• Meredith College (NC)
• Newberry College (SC)
• Ogeechee Tech (GA)
• Oxford College of Emory University (GA)
• Piedmont College (GA)
• Post University (CT)
• Reinhart College (GA)
• Ripon College (WI)
• Salem International University (WV)
• San Juan College (NM)
• Southern Methodist University (TX)
• St. Joseph’s College—Brooklyn Campus
• St. Joseph’s College—Suffolk County Campus
• St. Xavier University (IL)
• State University of New York—Cobleskill
• Tarrant County Community College (TX)
• Tennessee Technological University
• Tompkins Cortland Community College (NY)
• Treasure Valley Community College (OR)
• University of Evansville (IN)
• University of Indianapolis, IUPU—Indianapolis
• University of Hartford (CT)
• University of Houston—Downtown
• University of Maine—Augusta
• University of Maryland
• University of New Haven (CT)
• University of Southern Indiana
• University of Texas—Brownsville/Texas Southmost College
• University of West Georgia
• University of Wisconsin—Green Bay
• University of Wisconsin—Oshkosh
• University of Wisconsin—Whitewater
• U.S. Coast Guard Academy (CT)
• Western Kentucky University
• Yavapai College—Prescott Campus (AZ)
• Yavapai College—Valley Verde Campus (AZ)

Dave's Most Requested College Topics

Confidence In Leadership – This workshop will inspire and motivate leaders of organizations, those who seek to become leaders, and anyone interested in becoming more confident in their personal leadership skills. (1 hour)

Gonzo Recruitment Techniques for Student Organizations - America’s Student Leadership Trainer^sm Dave Kelly will show your students a tried and true method of recruiting that will cause student sign-ups to soar at your next activities fair/club day! Dave has participated in more than 100 activities fairs and has helped recruit on average 80 students to sign-up at tables he has worked at. He is ready, willing and able to demonstrates effective recruitment methods to your students!

Membership Retention: How to keep ‘em after you get ‘em - After a successful activities fair, what better way to follow-up than with a great retention program? America’s Student Leadership Trainer^sm Dave Kelly discusses ways to retain old and new members alike to increase retention rates on your campus. He identifies 12 issues that relate to membership retention and provides solutions to deal with each potential problem.

Fun and Exciting Meetings! - You can actually improve the quality of meetings on your campus! America’s Student Leadership Trainer ^sm Dave Kelly has been to literally thousands of meetings in his life and he wants to share what he’s learned with your students. Learn how to prepare an agenda, make everyone feel welcome, involve and recognize members, treat guests and VIPs, and much, much more. Contact Dave today to schedule his visit to your campus!

Secrets of Motivation – Having trouble motivating those around you? This workshop teaches the basics on how to encourage others for peak performance. Attendees will leave with some easy techniques they can apply immediately. (1 hour)

Playing Well With Others: Dealing With Conflict In Student Organizations – Conflict can arise amongst leaders and members of student organizations. Rather than letting the whole situation explode and the group implode, this workshop will show you how to spot conflict before it happens, deal with it when it does, and how to hold the organization together. (1 hour)

Play to Win: A Game Plan for Success - Turn dreams into realities! This workshop is perfect for everyone, from individuals to newly-formed teams to teams that have been together for a while. Includes step-by-step goal setting instruction that can be used over and over again. By the end of this session, a realistic game plan will have been developed and is ready for implementation.

Orientation Programs

Student Orientation Leaders  Training Workshop  – Prepare your Orientation Leaders to do the best job they can by bringing in America’s Student Leadership Trainer Dave Kelly to train them! Dave loves working with collegiate leaders and he is committed to making your orientation program a success! Your Orientation/First Year Experience Leaders need specialized training before they conduct their sessions for your new students.  Orientation/First Year Experience programs are no longer a "one and done" session conducted on the first day a new student enters your campus.  These programs have evolved into on-going and mentoring relationships between the new students and their leader. The Orientation Leaders Workshop will prepare your leaders by showing them how to interact and get to know new students, involve them in campus life, and make their educational experience a successful one.  Your Orientation/First Year Experience Leaders will learn how to deal with difficult people, grow their own leadership abilities, and pursue excellence in this vital role. (3-4 hours)

Student Orientation Programs - Getting off to a strong start is imperative for student achievement and America’s Student Leadership Trainer Dave Kelly wants your orientation programs to be a huge success! He has worked with college students for over 20 years and he knows how to inspire your new students toward academic and personal excellence.

College Keynotes by Dave

The Power of Boldness: How to Get What You Want – Personal achievement takes drive, desire and action. Overcoming your fears is the hardest part. Perfect for students looking to make career choices between pursuing what they love or going only for financial considerations. (30-90 minutes)

Glass? What Glass? Making the Most of Opportunities – Are you an optimist? Pessimist? Or a "must-a-missed"? Seeing possibilities and opportunities in everyday situations takes work. Learn how to develop personal passions and overcome personal obstacles. (20-35 minutes)

10 Steps to A Winning Mental Attitude – Get fired up with this powerful keynote that will guide you to a happier and more successful life, career, and future. (30-90 minutes)

Other College Topics

Super Study Skills for Super Busy College Students - College and university students have many demands on their time: jobs, activities, friends, the internet, and school! This session will show students how to effectively plan their time and get the most out of their study efforts. Success academically is the foundation of an enjoyable and productive collegiate experience. This program is presented in a fun and interesting way that will get your students excited about studying!

Making The Most of Your 24/7– A key to success in any area of life in knowing how to effectively manage your time and juggle all of your responsibilities, work, activities, etc. This session will teach concepts that can be implemented immediately for dramatic improvement in how you use your time. We will also discuss how to avoid the top distractions that eat away at your precious seconds, minutes, and hours. (1 hour)

Everyday Leadership – While not everyone is a natural-born leader, core leadership skills can be cultivated. Learn five secrets to personal leadership that attendees can use for a lifetime. (1 hour)

Attaining Success for College and University Students – Have you seen students come into school without an idea of where they were going with their education? Without an idea of what they expect to get out of their experience in higher learning? Studies show that only 20% of all students who start in higher education are ever granted a degree. This program will help your students be focused and results oriented. It will also increase your school's retention rate as more students enter their educational career prepared for success. This is a great program for new and transfer student orientation. (1 hour)

Planning and Executing Service Projects and Fund Raisers – Want to conduct a service project or fund raiser on your campus, but don't know how? Attend this workshop to learn the basics of successful planning for these types of events. Participants will receive a step-by-step worksheet developed by an experienced event planner to help you properly plan any service or fund raising project. (1 hour)

Financial Planning Success for College Students - Students have many things to be concerned about with their finances: credit cards, student loans, budgeting, credit scores, and more.  Where do they find out how to be smart about their finances?  From a practical, real world program like this! This program is presented in a fun and interesting way that will help your students get their finances on track! 

Gonzo's Super Stress Buster Blowout! - This is a highly interactive program of fun, improv, games, trivia, and laughter.  Dave Kelly is one of America’s most renowned speakers, trainers, and entertainers in the collegiate market.  His quick wit, clean material, and ability to involve students will make for a great event!  Dave has been called the funniest man ever to come out of Oshkosh, Wisconsin! Make “dead week,” finals week, or any occasion fun and exciting.

Targeted Seminars for College

Building Leaders Through Service - Bring Dave to your school to teach your students how they can serve others and develop their leadership skills at the same time.  This program kicks off with a one day leadership program to cover the basics, such as time management, communication, conflict resolution, etc.  Then the students are encouraged to both perform community service and also organize and conduct a service project of their own within the six months after the one day seminar.  Throughout the six month follow-up period, they receive bi-weekly newsletters and support from Dave.

Club Organization Leadership Training - Bring Dave to your school to teach your student leaders how to recruit and retain large numbers of members in their organizations, motivate members to take an active role, run fun and interesting meetings, and more.  Dave has trained leaders from SGAs, Campus Activities Boards, Resident Life Advisors, clubs as diverse as Anime’ to Rotoract to Mariachi to faith based organizations  His proven techniques have been taught on college campuses throughout the U.S. and have increased student participation dramatically at those schools.

Student Organization Leadership Workshop - This interactive session will show your campus organizations how to effectively recruit and retain members, conduct fun and interesting meetings, plan and execute service projects, and delegate authority. Students will also learn more about their roles in leadership positions through a shared training experience, how to deal with conflict and "drama" in their organization, and ways to motivate members to greater involvement. (3-4 hours)

Leadership Retreats – Customized for your group or organization as one-day, two-day, or weekend events. Perfect for corporations, church ministry teams, association boards, student government associations, campus programming boards, and other campus leaders. Team building games, goal attainment planning, and communication exercises will be incorporated to make this the best year ever for your group.

Building Blocks of Leadership ^sm – This is a two-day leadership retreat format that develops individual and group leadership skills. The program incorporates team building and bonding activities to help students, organizations, and corporations form more cohesive teams that strive for results as a single unit.

Improving Your Group’s Image on Campus – Does your group have an image problem at your school? Would you like to get your club/organization better known on campus? This session will show you proven ways to create a positive image on campus and get known throughout the community. From big and bold initiatives to simple steps designed to maximize exposure, you will get great ideas for your club or organization. (1 hour)

For Faculty, Advisors, Administration, Student Life, Student Activities and Campus Planning Boards

Certified Advisor Training – Do you have all the tools you need to succeed as an advisor? From budgeting, conflict resolution, leadership development, etc., advisors will be better equipped to fulfill the roles the members need from them in any group they advise. All participants will receive a certificate indicating completing of the program and their status as a "Certified Advisor" for your college or university. (3 hours)

Equipping Your Campus Clubs and Organizations for Success – Student activities encompasses many things, including having responsibility for campus clubs and organizations. In the most successful situations, student activities exist in a co-curricular environment with academics. This session will show you how to get more of your school’s organizations involved on campus and demonstrate ways to train the officers of those groups so that they will lead with maximum effectiveness. (1 hour)

Skyrocket Student Involvement on Your Campus – Do you ever look around campus and wonder where all of the students are. You may see human beings walking around campus, but where are the students who get involved in clubs and organizations, campus activities, and leadership roles at the school? The reality is that involvement provides the opportunity for students to gain practical, real-world experience in a co-curricular environment. This session will show how to accomplish greater involvement on campus while expanding leadership opportunities. (1 hour)

Certified Workshop Presenter ("CWP") – This session is designed to help people make better presentations, conduct more effective workshops, and create interesting speeches. All aspects of presenting are discussed including dealing with nervousness, writing presentations, and handling audio visuals. Graduation certificates will be presented to all of the attendees and can be customized with your group's logo.