Leader N U provides opportunities for individuals and organizations to grow and develop Power Skills through engaging experiences for the creation of a better tomorrow.
Core Values
Bridget Markwood is currently the CEO of Leader N U, LLC, a consulting agency specializing in leadership and communication development for youth, young adults and professionals as well as training for educators in active learning, brain-based instruction, and teaching Power Skills (aka soft skills).
Bridget has developed and led workshops and conferences for over 22 years for private industry, as well as non-profit organizations, to help employees develop power skills in the workplace. She has been the director of the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (Camp RYLA) in Oklahoma D5750 for the same amount of years and has worked on the program committee to help develop the curriculum for the RYLA program in South Texas, D5930. In response to the pandemic, in 2020 she led the RYLA alumni (from both districts) in the creation of eRYLA. eRYLA is a transformative, multidimensional, fully synchronous leadership retreat for high school students. With the success of eRYLA in D5750 (2020), the team was able to partner with other districts across the United States to host five successful eRYLAs in 2021.
Before moving to Wisconsin in 2006, Bridget was the Assistant Director (and Interim Director) of Campus Life at the University of Central Oklahoma (UCO), where she created a four-semester leadership program, oversaw campus activities, Greek life, volunteerism and service learning and the Multicultural Student Center. Prior to her work at UCO, she was the Student Union Program Coordinator at Oklahoma State University (OSU), working with students to program the largest student union in the world. Her work at OSU includes both teaching communication and her work in student affairs. At both schools, she oversaw an average of 200 events per year. During her time in Wisconsin, she continued to develop a number of leadership activities, facilitated workshops and directed other local leadership camps.
Bridget earned her BA in Communication from the University of Central Oklahoma. Her MA in Communication Consultancy from Oklahoma State University and has doctoral work at Capella University in Industrial and Organizational Psychology. She has taught courses in Communication at Oklahoma State University and Texas A&M University Corpus Christi as well as Leadership courses at the University of Central Oklahoma.
In 2015, the Markwoods moved to Columbus, Georgia, where Bridget developed a model for teaching power skills (the skills most sought by employers). She further developed the curriculum to teach educators how to teach these skills to students, using brain-based, active-learning methods. She has co-chaired the training of over 700 educators in her current community of Columbus and helped build a pre-college retreat to help students use power skills to be successful in college. This program has had a large and positive affect on student retention.
While in Wisconsin, she served as the President of the Superior Sunrise Centennial Rotary Club, was on the Minnesota State Leadership Council for the American Cancer Society and served as the Chair for the Pink Ribbon Gala in the Twin Ports region for two years. While in Corpus Christi, TX, she served as the Lt. Governor for Youth Services for the South Texas Rotary District of 5930, the District Rotaract/Interact Chair, as well as assisting with the district’s RYLA and Chairing a number of youth programs in her own club, Rotary Club of Southside Corpus Christi.
She is the author of Rock Ur World: A Life and Leadership Handbook for College-Bound Students and the creator of numerous leadership games and activities.
In addition to her professional ventures, Bridget is currently the First Lady of Columbus State University, a member of the Board of Directors for the State Theatre of Georgia Springer Opera House and the Muscogee Educational Excellence Foundation, a St. Luke School Board Member, on the Advisory Committee for the Communication Department at Columbus State University and a member of the Rotary Club of Columbus.
As a family, the Markwoods love to serve, cook and travel.
Ashley Borgerding has a passion for educational empowerment and a love of all things “technology for the betterment of living”. She currently serves as the CTO for Leader N U, LLC.
She earned her BS from the University of OK in Computer Engineering and minor in Computer Science. Her past experience includes some work in large scale robotics and several years in the non-profit sector working with the KISS Institute for Practical Robotics. There she got to work with students and educators through small scale automatous robotics. She loves helping students and educators realize that tech and engineering don’t have to be exclusive.
She came alongside and partnered with Bridget Markwood in 2020 amidst the pandemic to create eRYLA, the virtual experience that helped ensure these students wouldn’t have to miss out on another opportunity!
She is based out of Norman, OK where she “unplugs” on a small homestead with her husband, 2 kids, and 2 large dogs. Despite being a tech enthusiast she loves the outdoors and a good mountain camping trip with her family.
Jordan Garrett is a seasoned professional with a passion for developing and empowering individuals to reach their full leadership potential. As the Division Head of the Employee Leadership Program at Leader N U, LLC, Jordan plays a pivotal role in shaping the future leaders of our organization and those she consults with.
With 14 years of experience in leadership development and organizational dynamics, she has had the privilege of working for iconic companies like The Walt Disney Company and Starbucks. These experiences have given her a unique perspective on creating environments where individuals thrive and teams excel. She has a proven track record of designing and implementing impactful leadership programs that drive employee growth, engagement, and organizational success.
Jordan holds a Bachelor of Arts in Organizational Leadership from the University of Oklahoma and is a firm believer in the power of continuous learning and staying ahead of the curve. She volunteers her time for The Food Bank of Oklahoma, The Oklahoma Humane Society, and Rotary Youth Leadership Award (RYLA).
When Jordan isn’t immersed in leadership development, she enjoys reading, participating in all manner of “nerdy” activities- from video games to Dungeons and Dragons with friends, and spending time with her family and dog, Tucker.
Contact Jordan at jordan@leadernu.com to learn more about our Employee Leadership Program and how it can benefit your organization.
Chris Markwood is an experienced and innovative higher education leader, most recently completing seven years as Columbus State University’s fifth president. During his time at CSU, he worked tirelessly to build programs to help students be successful, both in the classroom and in life. He now serves as Higher Education Division Head for Leader N U, LLC.
Prior to his time at Columbus State University, Chris served as the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi (2011-2015) where he helped plan and implement efforts to become an emerging research university in Texas.
From 2006-2011, Chris served the University of Wisconsin-Superior, first as Provost, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and then as Interim Chancellor where he helped bring to life the recent Public Liberal Arts designation.
Publicly recognized, he was named one of Georgia’s 100 most influential people by Georgia Trend Magazine each of the last six years (2017-2022) and received the Meritorious Public Service Medal from the Department of the Army in 2021. He is a Rotarian, has served on the Columbus Chamber’s “Columbus 2025” Implementation Team and was Chair-Elect of the Peach Belt Athletic Conference (NCAA Division II).
“If you communicate you can get by, if you communicate skillfully, you can change the world.” Sydney serves as a Learning Designer and the Marketing Coordinator for Leader N U, as well as being a Graduate Lecturer at Wichita State University, teaching Public Speaking and
Business Communication, while pursuing her Master of Arts. She believes creativity is an integral part of
our society. “It is messy, unruly and vulnerable, but this is what brings our ideas and stories to life.”
Sydney received her Bachelor of Arts in Integrated Marketing Communications from WSU. She has done
advertising and campaign work for Wichita State Athletics. As well as opening a locally owned business,
Social Tap. She has attended and volunteered for Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) for the past 8
years. She firmly believes that RYLA and LeaderNU have given her the connections, learning, and
opportunities to become the person she is today.
Outside of her professional life, Sydney loves to read, watch TV (particularly anything Game of Thrones
related,) and spends time with her fur babies Maddix, a golden doodle, and Ubba, her rescue cat.
Chelsea Guerra serves as the Special Operations Coordinator for Leader N U, as well as being a Pre-Kindergarten Teacher in Corpus Christi, Texas. She has a passion for educating the future of our world and equipping them with the skills to build a better tomorrow.
Chelsea received her Bachelor’s degree in Communication Arts and Theology from St. John’s University in Queens, NY. She has spent most of her early career working with young students as an after school mentor and elementary school teacher. Chelsea first attended RYLA as a camper in 2012 and has attended RYLA every year since. Through her experiences from each and every RYLA, she has seen the impact of learning and growing in personal and professional leadership.
In her free time, Chelsea enjoys participating in local community theatre productions as well as reading, watching her favorite shows, and hanging out with her family (including her 5 dogs).