The Weber State University Student Association will present Project LEAD 2013: Leaders of Tomorrow, the second annual leadership conference aimed at helping WSU students become better leaders. The event will span Oct. 17 and 18, beginning Thursday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. Registration is still available in the Student Involvement and Leadership office for $40.

The conference will feature keynote speaker Brad Barton, who will present a speech specifically designed for WSU leaders after a discussion about issues facing leaders at the university with student senate president Brady Harris.

“I am excited for what his presentation will bring to students at the conference,” Harris said. “Brad won’t just be presenting a keynote that’s been given over and over; he will be presenting a keynote that is specifically targeted towards students here at Weber State . . . I believe we will all walk away with a newfound confidence and inspiration after his presentation and workshops.”

LEAD team director Sam Howe said he believes this conference will reach out to all students who come, whether they hold leadership positions at the university or not.

“I think a lot of people are afraid of the word ‘leader,’ just because they’re not comfortable with leading . . . but anybody can be a leader. That’s why we’re trying to reach out to a lot of different people, to help them realize . . . they can be a positive influence in a group or in other aspects of their lives.”

Tessa Diamond, leadership vice president in the WSUSA, said she believes the event will be both educational and entertaining.

“I think our biggest goal is that we help students lead with confidence, and that we help them to come and have fun, and that’s what leadership is — it’s just not nerdy,” Diamond said. “It’s cool to be a leader. I guess if everything was to go perfectly, I’d want people to walk out the doors cheering and saying like, ‘Wooo, this is so cool!’”

Emerging Leader director David Robles agreed, saying he thinks the conference will touch the lives of all who attend.

“As a leadership team, we believe that learning and developing should be implemented in a great atmosphere, with a whole load of inspirational people, which is why we invite everyone to come. We are all leaders and we have all inspired someone or something in different ways. Project LEAD is about finding those talents to implement them throughout a person’s whole life. Everyone is a leader of tomorrow!”