OAR Leadership Institute™
“I AM GOING ANYWAY.” These words embody the spirit of the OAR Leadership Institute — a purpose-driven leadership experience designed to cultivate courageous, compassionate, and transformational leaders.
The Fathers and Families Coalition of America proudly presents this innovative program with an expanded faculty — leaders who have overseen national federal programs, directed Tribal and First Nations initiatives, and shaped leadership development globally in behavioral health, education, nonprofit, and community sectors.
“I AM GOING ANYWAY.” These words embody the spirit of the OAR Leadership Institute — a purpose-driven leadership experience designed to cultivate courageous, compassionate, and transformational leaders.
The Fathers and Families Coalition of America proudly presents this innovative program with an expanded faculty — leaders who have overseen national federal programs, directed Tribal and First Nations initiatives, and shaped leadership development globally in behavioral health, education, nonprofit, and community sectors.
OAR Leadership Institute™ - Empowering Leadership with Purpose
Why Leadership Matters More Than Ever
In an era of complexity, rapid change, and diverse community needs, leaders must embody resilience, emotional intelligence, adaptability, and vision. Leadership that balances authenticity with accountability is not just desirable — it is necessary.
- Deepen self-awareness and emotional intelligence
- Build a resilient, values-driven leadership style
- Lead teams with cultural humility and compassion
- Foster innovation, collaboration, and trust
- Align personal and organizational purpose
- Strengthen well-being for self and team
- Create a leadership legacy that transforms lives
OAR Leadership Institute™ - Elevating Leadership for a Changing World
Join the OAR Leadership Institute at the 27th International Families and Fathers Conference
We are excited to announce, for the first time ever, individual enrollment in the OAR Leadership Institute™ — available during the Pre-Conference Credential Day at the 27th International Families and Fathers Conference, April 13-16, 2026, hosted at the Hilton LAX Hotel, 5711 W. Century Blvd., Los Angeles, California.
The OAR Leadership Institute™ will be taught as a Full-Day Program on Monday, April 13, 2026 from 9:00 am – 4:30 pm. Conference attendees and speakers are eligible for an exclusive 60% discount — reducing the standard $500.00 fee to just $200.00.
Participants will receive:
- Live, in-person training with dynamic national leaders
- Leadership content led by experts with Head Start, Early Head Start, federal agency, and community leadership backgrounds
- Six additional hours of virtual training and executive coaching sessions following the conference
- Full access to the OAR Leadership Institute™ credential content and tools
If you are ready to jump into the boat with a wonderfully carved blade and a sturdy oar — to lose sight of the shore and chart a new leadership destiny — this is a must-attend opportunity at the Next Generation 2026 Conference.
Learn More About the 27th International Families and Fathers Conference
OAR Leadership Institute™ — Next Generation Leaders Begin Here
About the OAR Leadership Institute
Since 2021, the OAR Leadership Institute has trained over 500 leaders from the U.S., Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Pakistan, and the U.K. — earning an average program rating of 9.2/10.
Our signature program integrates:
- FFCA DiSC Model
- John R. Wooden Pyramid of Success
- Emotional Intelligence (EQ) and Kintsugi resilience
- Ikigai, GRIT, and Focus Mapping
- Certified Wooden Way Coaching (exclusive FFCA partnership)
Delivered in virtual, in-person, or hybrid formats, the Institute serves groups of 5 to 300 participants across a wide range of sectors.
OAR Leadership Institute™ - Advancing Leadership with Purpose
Run Into A New Destiny
The Four-Part Series
- Leadership Through Personality — The FFCA DiSC Model: Explore how personality, behavioral patterns, and communication styles shape leadership.
- The Building Blocks of Leadership — John R. Wooden’s Pyramid of Success: Learn timeless values that drive excellence.
- Emotions in Time of Leadership — Emotional Intelligence & Kintsugi: Master emotional resilience and authentic leadership.
- Creating Purpose — Leadership Plan & Executive Coaching: Develop an actionable leadership roadmap based on personal vision and values.
OAR Leadership Institute™ - A Journey of Transformational Leadership
Ethos in Leadership
The OAR Leadership Institute is built on an ethos of leadership grounded in love, service, and purpose:
- Integrity First
- Courage with Compassion
- Accountability with Humility
- Purpose with Passion
- Leading Beyond the Self
- Building Leaders Who Build Others
Participants will explore this ethos through activities such as the Let Me Think of Life Ice Breaker, Ethos in Adversity Workbook, and Leadership By Love reflections.
OAR Leadership Institute™ - Leading with Integrity, Purpose, and Love
A Balanced Journey of Self and Service
Like the oars of a boat — the OAR Leadership Institute provides:
- Balance between driving forward and sustaining reflection
- Power to propel others toward possibility
- Awareness of what matters most — purpose, people, and presence
Through the Four Pillars:
- Psychological — Self-awareness & mindset shaping
- Behavioral — Leading through intentional action & modeling
- Emotional — Fostering authentic connection, empathy, resilience
- Noological — Defining and leading from meaning and purpose (Logotherapy & Ikigai integration)
OAR Leadership Institute™ - Building Leaders with Balance and Purpose
Anchoring Leadership Impact — Essential OAR Leadership Activities
Participants engage with transformative tools throughout the Institute, including:
- Let Me Think of Life Ice Breaker
- Ethos in Adversity Workbook
- DiSC and Pyramid of Success Integration
- Unlocking Leadership Potential Through Healthy Comparisons
- Understanding Your Primary DiSC Dimension in Practice
- Impacts of Masking & Trauma Bonding through DiSC
- Self-Assessment of Your Eight DiSC Dimensions
- Translating Emotions In Time Ichigo Ichie Activity
- Understanding DiSC & Five Love Languages with Emotional Mapping
- Leadership Development Plan: Meet Me In Ten Years, Focus Mapping, GRIT & Emotional Mapping
OAR Leadership Institute™ - Transforming Leadership Through Proven Tools and Practices
Past Partner Agencies
In the past few years, the following organizations have contracted the OAR Leadership Institute™:
| Agency | Location |
|---|---|
| El Nido Family Centers | Los Angeles, CA |
| Northeast Valley Best Start | Panorama City, CA |
| Lassen County Child Support Services | Susanville, CA |
| Madera County Child Services | Madera, CA |
| Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico | Recinto de Ponce, PR |
| Kings County Child Support Services | Hanford, CA |
| Randolph County Caring Community Partnership | Moberly, MO |
| Madera County Behavioral Health Agency | Madera, CA |
| Region II Head Start Association (Module One) | San Juan, PR |
| Long Island Head Start, Inc. | Patchogue, NY |
OAR Leadership Institute™ - Trusted by Partners Across the Nation and Beyond
Leadership Impact — What Our Graduates Say
Graduates praise the OAR Leadership Institute™ for its real-world applicability, blending deep personal reflection with actionable tools that drive impact in behavioral health, community-based programming, and government leadership.
"Completely life-changing. I explored myself, saw myself, and accepted myself in ways I never had before. The OAR Leadership experience was transformational."
— Andrea Martinez, Madera, California
"This course was packed with meaningful information for anyone who works with families. It covered different topics such as culturally appropriate methods, healthy father involvement, and evidence-based goal setting. This course also allows you to explore more about yourself and understand your own personality in order to effectively work with different types of personalities."
— Nancy Ocasio, Hackettstown, New Jersey
"The OAR Leadership training was very engaging. Most of the discussion topics made me dig deep. Topics like what is my purpose and what are my strengths? I now apply these insights daily with my staff, helping to develop a more motivated and cohesive team."
— Quinn Schlotter, Madera, California
"This class is for anyone looking to grow. Understanding myself better and recognizing the differences in others has helped me communicate more effectively and lead with greater impact."
— Doreen Houx, Madera, California
OAR Leadership Institute™ - Elevating Leaders Who Inspire Others
Special Offer & Registration
The OAR Leadership Institute™ offers highly customizable training — delivered by Dr. James C. Rodríguez and our distinguished faculty team — tailored to meet your organization's needs:
- Discounts of up to 25% for nonprofits
- Available for groups of 5–300 participants
- Customized for government agencies, behavioral health teams, nonprofit organizations, community-based programs, educational institutions, and tribal leaders
- Virtual, in-person, or hybrid delivery options
Schedule Your Customized Leadership Training:
members@fathersandfamiliescoalition.org
+1-424-225-1323
We proudly provide global leadership training and can deliver this program to your team anywhere in the world.
OAR Leadership Institute™ - Schedule Your Leadership Journey Today
Closing Inspiration: The OAR Leadership Journey & The Purpose Within
Welcome to the OAR Leadership Institute
Dear colleague, friend, mentor, mentee, peer, those whom I’ve saluted — and those who have stood by my side —
You are not here by accident. No one arrives in these waters by chance.
If you are reading this, some part of your life has already whispered: “It is time.”
Time to go deeper. Time to lead differently. Time to embrace both the fire — and the oar.
I was not born into leadership. I was not given a map or an easy way forward.
I was a boy born into poverty — a life measured by scarcity, not legacy. At eleven years old, I answered a phone and heard that my father had died — four months before anyone had told me.
That single moment splintered something inside of me. Grief and longing became companions. And in that absence, I began to ask:
Who am I now? What will I become?
As a teenager, those questions carried me to Ft. Jackson, South Carolina — a young recruit with no father to guide him, uncertain if I belonged anywhere.
It was there that I found my first anchor — the Soldier’s Creed — which I engraved onto my spirit, not as a uniform, but as a way of living:
- Loyalty — To stand beside those who have no voice.
- Duty — To do the right thing when no one is watching.
- Respect — To honor the dignity in every soul.
- Selfless Service — To build not for myself, but for those yet to come.
- Honor — To lead with truth when others settle for comfort.
- Integrity — To be the same man in the dark that I am in the light.
- Personal Courage — To walk through grief, failure, and fire — and still rise.
I have witnessed life lost in my presence — in battle, in community, and in my own family.
I have held my own son, Elias, in death — a pain no words can fully capture. But pain does not extinguish purpose. Pain, if we allow it, forges it.
And so today — I row. Every day, I row.
With an oar carved not from privilege — but from the resilient hands of my ancestors: Oquendo, Arroyo, Rodríguez. Hands that rowed through centuries of adversity so I could sit here today and offer you this space.
Leadership is not about titles. It is not about applause. It is about building bridges that others may cross — even if you never walk them yourself.
At the heart of this Institute, I always ask:
- Would you rather be the target, or the arrow?
- How many generations will you impact?
The arrow may fly fast — but it requires a target worth aiming for. A true leader becomes that target — absorbing the fear, the doubt, and the chaos so others may rise.
The OAR Leadership Institute is not a class. It is not a transaction. It is a living experience.
A sacred space where we gather as leaders, warriors, healers, and builders — to craft a new way forward.
OAR is more than an acronym. It is a creed:
- Psychological Resilience — Healing what is unhealed so it does not become what you lead with.
- Emotional Intelligence — Leading with heart, not ego; with compassion, not control.
- Behavioral Integrity — Letting every action mirror your deepest values.
- Noological Vision — Seeing not just what is, but what could be — for yourself, your organization, your family, your legacy.
It is Ichigo Ichie — knowing that every moment is precious and unrepeatable.
It is Comeback — the courage to return to the present after trauma, failure, or regret — not because it is easy, but because it is necessary.
As I write my next book — The Purpose Within: Like the Phoenix Out of the Ashes — I know this to be true:
We are all rowing through unseen battles. We are all trying to become what the next generation needs.
And I will not settle for the past.
Yes — I am a father. Yes — I am a professor. Yes — I am a professional social worker, an advocate, a Soldier — even now, a 100% disabled veteran who rises each morning to teach, to serve, to lead.
But titles fade. What matters is this:
Will I leave a wake that others can follow?
And so I row — with an oar carved from resilience, a legacy handed to me by those who came before. An oar that will pass through my children’s hands, and theirs, and theirs.
The Institute asks you:
- Will you build your own ethos?
- Will you craft a leadership creed that shapes generations?
- Will you declare a passion that transcends your paycheck?
- Will you forge a vision 10 years beyond your own shadow?
- Will you define a legacy that outlives your body?
Leadership is presence. It is courage. It is rowing when your arms are tired and your heart is broken — because others are still in the boat.
As Nietzsche wrote:
"One must still have chaos in oneself to be able to give birth to a dancing star."
"And how could you rise anew if you had not first been burnt?"
We do not rise because we escape the fire. We rise because we are forged in it.
And when your fire burns low — remember this:
- You are Even More Beautiful than you see in the mirror.
- You are Even More Precious than this world will ever tell you.
- You are Even More Resilient than your darkest hour suggests.
- You are Even More Present than your doubts whisper.
So, colleague. So, peer. So, warrior. So, friend:
Welcome to the OAR Leadership Institute.
This is your boat now. This is your oar. These are your waters.
Row with me. Row for them. Row for generations.
And when the waves rise — row anyway.
I Am… I Am… I Am Going Anyway.
Let us rise — and row — together.
Empowering Families. Strengthening Communities. Building a Legacy of Leadership.
I remain at your service...
Me quedo a su servicio,
Dr. James C. Rodríguez, MSW, CADC
President & CEO
Fathers and Families Coalition of America
OAR Leadership Institute™ - Together We Rise, One Stroke at a Time
Jump Into Destiny
Ready to Jump In?
Leadership forged in fire creates vision that no one can stop — because it becomes enVision. And enVision leaders do not row alone. They build boats, they craft oars, and they invite others in.
Are you ready to take your seat? Are you ready to row into your destiny — with us?
Then do not wait. Jump in the boat today.
And if you want a taste — a glimpse — of the powerful methods we use to transform leaders and lives, start here:
Explore Our Leadership Development Activities
Warning: once you taste what is possible, you will want the full experience. And that is exactly the kind of leader we welcome in this boat.
Your seat is ready. Your oar is waiting.
Will you row with us?
© 2022 by FATHERS AND FAMILIES COALITION OF AMERICA AND DR. JAMES C. RODRÍGUEZ, MSW. All Rights Reserved.
Fathers and Families Coalition of America (FFCA) and Dr. James C. Rodríguez, MSW, are the authorized users or owners of I Am Going Anyway™, and OAR Leadership Institute ℠, Advanced Practitioner Credential Course ℠ , and associated trademarks on this site. All rights reserved. FFCA does not grant you any express or implied rights or licenses, nor may you not mirror any of the content from our materials without written consent.