Messy, Beautiful, Unresolved: Servant Leadership Through the Lives of Unadoptable Dogs
Location
Hemmingson 306
Start Date
28-3-2026 10:10 AM
End Date
28-3-2026 11:00 AM
Description
Description: This presentation explores servant leadership through my lived experience rehabilitating dogs labeled “unadoptable.” I own ten special needs dogs. These are dogs with trauma, medical complexity, or behavioral challenges, who do not respond to tidy plans or predictable timelines. Caring for them has required patience, consistency, and a willingness to stay present even when progress is slow or outcomes remain uncertain. Over time, I began to recognize how closely this mirrors servant leadership in practice. Leading in this way means listening without full clarity, choosing care over control, and committing to growth without guarantees. Drawing on my dogs' individual stories of perseverance, personal experience, and leadership theory, this presentation reflects on what dogs have taught me about service, stewardship, and community. It argues that servant leadership is rarely clean or resolved. Instead, it is often messy, deeply relational, and shaped through everyday choices to show up, stay engaged, and honor dignity, even when success cannot be easily measured. Speaker Bio: Adela Schoolderman is a Washington native, global HR leader, and doctoral student in the DPLS program at Gonzaga. A marathon runner, weightlifter, and special needs dog rescuer, there is never a dull moment at home.
Recommended Citation
Schoolderman, Adela, "Messy, Beautiful, Unresolved: Servant Leadership Through the Lives of Unadoptable Dogs" (2026). Payne Center for Leadership Development Student Leadership Conference. 4.
https://repository.gonzaga.edu/payne_slc/2026/general/4
Messy, Beautiful, Unresolved: Servant Leadership Through the Lives of Unadoptable Dogs
Hemmingson 306
Description: This presentation explores servant leadership through my lived experience rehabilitating dogs labeled “unadoptable.” I own ten special needs dogs. These are dogs with trauma, medical complexity, or behavioral challenges, who do not respond to tidy plans or predictable timelines. Caring for them has required patience, consistency, and a willingness to stay present even when progress is slow or outcomes remain uncertain. Over time, I began to recognize how closely this mirrors servant leadership in practice. Leading in this way means listening without full clarity, choosing care over control, and committing to growth without guarantees. Drawing on my dogs' individual stories of perseverance, personal experience, and leadership theory, this presentation reflects on what dogs have taught me about service, stewardship, and community. It argues that servant leadership is rarely clean or resolved. Instead, it is often messy, deeply relational, and shaped through everyday choices to show up, stay engaged, and honor dignity, even when success cannot be easily measured. Speaker Bio: Adela Schoolderman is a Washington native, global HR leader, and doctoral student in the DPLS program at Gonzaga. A marathon runner, weightlifter, and special needs dog rescuer, there is never a dull moment at home.