Event Calendar

Join the PMI Alaska Chapter for a virtual speaker event focused on strengthening decision quality, encouraging constructive challenge, and improving how teams think together in complex project environments.

This online session features two engaging presentations designed to help project, program, and portfolio leaders enhance collaboration, surface hidden risks, and strengthen decision-making across projects and organizations. Participants will gain practical insights and frameworks they can immediately apply to improve alignment, reduce costly blind spots, and support stronger implementation outcomes.

Thinking Better Together by Nan Gesche

In high-pressure project environments, fast decisions can feel efficient—but they often lead to rework, missed assumptions, and stakeholder misalignment. This session introduces a practical approach to shared, structured thinking that helps teams slow down just enough to widen perspective, surface critical assumptions, and strengthen the quality of their decisions.

Participants will learn how small shifts in how teams think together can reduce project risk, improve stakeholder alignment, and support more durable, well-informed implementation across complex initiatives.

The Deliberate Disruptor: Why Elite Organizations Institutionalize Skepticism by Jim Benvie

In today’s high-stakes business environment, conventional thinking may be an organization’s greatest vulnerability. While alignment and consensus are valued, they can also create blind spots, missed opportunities, and costly mistakes.

In this thought-provoking presentation, Jim Benvie—known as “The History PM”—explores why elite organizations deliberately institutionalize skepticism as a strategic advantage. Drawing from historical case studies and contemporary business examples, Jim demonstrates how structured challenge improves decision quality, strengthens leadership thinking, and reveals hidden risks before they become costly missteps.

Speaker Bios

Nan Gesche, MA, CSP

Nan Gesche is an energetic speaker who blends experience, research, insight, and humor to help audiences see themselves—and the world—differently. Her passion is helping people play well together by improving how teams communicate, think, and collaborate.

With more than 20 years of corporate and independent experience, Nan has worked with organizations nationwide to improve leadership effectiveness, change management, conflict resolution, and team decision-making. Her corporate background includes roles such as Change Enablement Manager, Director of Training & Development, Organizational Effectiveness Facilitator, and National Bank Examiner.

Nan’s engaging and interactive style encourages audiences to experiment with new approaches to thinking, communication, and leadership—helping organizations produce stronger outcomes in complex environments.

Jim Benvie, PMP

Known as “The History PM,” Jim Benvie transforms historical wisdom and critical thinking techniques into powerful leadership tools for today’s business professionals.

With more than 40 years of experience managing multi-million-dollar projects across multiple continents, Jim brings a unique perspective that blends history, leadership, and project management. His expertise earned him an L1 visa designation reserved for professionals with specialized skills, and throughout his career he was repeatedly recruited for leadership roles based on his outstanding reputation.

Jim served on the PMI Houston Board for six years, has maintained his PMP certification for over two decades, and earned the Distinguished Toastmaster Award. His presentations—connecting historical insight with modern leadership challenges—have been praised by audiences nationwide.