Movie passes, scooters, bookstore gift certificates, Cold Stone ice cream and motivational words from state Assemblymember Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) will be offered to students in Corwin Pavilion at tonight’s fifth annual Leadership Conference.

The conference, sponsored by organizations such as the Office of Student Life, Associated Students and Questia, begins at 6 p.m. and will provide 14 workshops geared toward teaching both new and experienced leaders how to be more effective at running meetings or raising funds. Workshops will also focus on helping staff and faculty members guide their organizations on campus.

Unlike past years, faculty will be able to participate in roundtable discussions during the workshops, Orientation Programs Associate Director Britt Andreatta said.

"The purpose of this conference is to help students by giving them the opportunity to learn important skills and develop leadership abilities. The workshops provide students with new ideas and perspectives about what leadership means and how to be an effective leader," Andreatta said. "It’s important to learn leaderships skills because whether you’re a parent or a manager you will always need to be able to cope with conflict."

Jackson, who is chair of both the Assembly’s Committee on Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials and Select Committee on Coastal Protection, will be the keynote speaker.

"Hannah-Beth is an incredible motivational speaker who inspires and empowers others with her vision. As a woman, she has had many experiences with leadership that have led her to accomplish many of her goals within the past five years," leadership intern Courtney Ross-Tait said. "She has the confidence and energy to empower others to do something positive."

Beginning at 7 p.m., a series of workshops in the UCen will focus on inspiring and motivating peers, recruiting new members to organizations and learning about different leadership styles. Participants can choose to attend a workshop on generating funding and using campus resources or a workshop on how to gain the attention of other leaders, featuring a question-and-answer session with Dean of Students Yonie Harris and A.S. President Mahader Tesfai.

A second session of workshops will follow at 8 p.m. These workshops will address conflict and transition with members, and how to run meetings and market events successfully.

The conference will offer team-building activities from 9 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Participants will break into small groups and deal with issues like trust, problem solving, communication and leadership.

"Everyone should be a leader. Everyone should fine tune their skills of how to handle meetings, motivate people, lead student groups and life in general where you need responsibility in any job" Ross-Tait said. "With the team-building workshops people can gain a better understanding of how to work together, help each other, and in general, socialize and network to gain some tricks of the trade."