Published August 10, 2026
Credits
Stephen Schramm Working@Duke Senior Writer
Tags HR Staff Training & Professional Development
After a year of challenging coursework, shared projects and time with accomplished leaders, participants in the Duke Leadership Academy often leave with strong professional bonds.
But once the program ends and daily work takes over, connections can quickly fade.
Keisha Williams, Assistant Vice President for Duke Learning & Organization Development, who oversees the academy, said staying connected across a professional network is a common challenge.
“We’re all navigating full schedules, it’s part of life,” Williams said. “But meaningful connections require intention. The more time that passes, the harder it is to reconnect, so we must make space for it.”
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To help academy graduates stay connected, Williams’ team began organizing annual reunions each May at the Duke Lemur Center.
The gatherings bring together past participants and the current cohort, creating space to reconnect and build new relationships.
For those looking to keep connections from fading between moments like these, Duke experts share a few simple ways to stay in touch.
Members and alumni of the Duke Leadership Academy catch up each year at the Duke Lemur Center. Photo courtesy of Duke Learning & Organization Development.
Make It Personal
Mary Grey Jacobson, Fuqua School of Business Director of Programming for Executive MBA Career Services, said networking is often misunderstood, with people viewing it as purely transactional.
“The best networkers don’t think of it as networking. They see it as maintaining relationships,” Jacobson said. “It’s all about getting to know people.”
The networks that stay active over time are built on more than work. When meeting new contacts, Jacobson recommends being open about yourself and showing genuine curiosity about others. Take note of details they share and look for common interests.
That foundation makes it easier and more natural to stay in touch.
“Think about networking like meeting a new friend,” Jacobson said. “Make it relational and not transactional.”
Edward De La Garza of Duke Campus Mail Services
Check In
Since coming to Duke in 2015, Campus Mail Services Director and Postmaster of Duke Postal Operations Edward De La Garza has maintained a vast network of contacts across Duke and the campus mail profession, in large part, by just checking in.
Whether it’s a phone call, an email, or message on LinkedIn, De La Garza regularly reaches out to colleagues across Duke, campus mail professionals at other universities and peers in the postal industry to ask how they are doing or discuss new practices and potential improvements they’ve seen.
He said it’s a valuable way to hear about kinks in mail flow or new products, procedures or issues at other schools.
“I just try to keep the lines of communication with people open and stay in touch whether I see them regularly or not,” De La Garza said.
The Graduate Liberal Studies at Duke porch gatherings have become a popular tradition. Photo courtesy of Graduate Liberal Studies at Duke.
Go to the Event
Graduate Liberal Studies at Duke holds a “Porch Sitting,” an informal, afternoon gathering of past, current and prospective students on the porch of the program’s house. There’s lemonade, iced tea and, on cold days, hot chocolate.
“It’s just a nice opportunity for people to connect,” said Anne Mitchell Whisnant, Director of Graduate Liberal Studies at Duke.
Whisnant, who has led the program since 2019, said she has seen firsthand the value of showing up, crediting events like these with opportunities in her own career.
“If I’m invited to something, I try to go,” Whisnant said.
A self-described “extroverted introvert,” Whisnant said she’s maintained relationships with pivotal figures in her career at book clubs, Mardi Gras parties and after-work gatherings like the one on her office’s front porch.
“You may be tired, or you think it’s going to be awkward or weird, but then you go and end up seeing someone,” Whisnant said. “You never know the serendipitous conversations that can happen when you put yourself in these places.”
Mary Grey Jacobson of the Fuqua School of Business
Think of LinkedIn as a Gym
With 1.3 billion users worldwide, LinkedIn has become the most popular platform for online networking.
The platform offers users the ability to share career updates, relevant articles and messages while also displaying their skills and career path.
Jacobson said having a LinkedIn profile is a start but being active by reacting to other people’s updates and sharing news of your own, is a way to stay on your network’s radar.
“Being on LinkedIn is kind of like having a gym membership, the more you use it, the more you get out of it,” Jacobson said.
Break the Ice
Jared Smith of the Duke Career Center
No matter how intentional you are about staying in touch, there will be times when you need to connect with someone you haven’t contacted in years.
If you’re worried about reaching out after a long silence, Duke Career Center Associate Director for Early Engagement Jared Smith recommends starting with a simple email. Say hello, mention something that made you think of them – such as a birthday, a positive memory or a piece of news – or ask what they’ve been up to.
If you can restart the connection with low stakes, even after a long pause, when you do have a specific ask of them, they will likely be more receptive.
“You don’t have to feel guilty because we’re all human and we have relationships,” Smith said. “It’s very normal to say, ‘Hey, it’s been a while. I thought about you because …’ or ‘I would just like to hear how things are going with you.’
“If you do reach out to that person, you have a chance to connect with no strings attached. And then you can assess if they are in a place where they would be interested in helping you.”
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