2021 Speaker Bios

Dr. David D. Perlmutter is a professor in and dean of the College of Media & Communication (CoMC) at Texas Tech University. As an administrator, Perlmutter is nationally known for his expertise on fundraising through his writings and raising support for and launching the nation’s first undergraduate certificate program to train development officers. Perlmutter is the author or editor of ten books on political communication, new media technologies, and higher education. Perlmutter has been described as a “household name among American professors” because of the widespread readership of some sixteen years of his writings on academic careers and the future of higher education for the Chronicle of Higher Education. Perlmutter has been interviewed by most major news networks and newspapers, from the New York Times to CNN, ABC, and “The Daily Show.” He regularly speaks at industry, academic, and government meetings and runs workshops on personal and institutional branding via social media, visual persuasion, and higher education issues including fundraising. (Excerpted from https://www.depts.ttu.edu/comc/faculty/faculty/dperlmutter.php and https://www.davidperlmutter-research.com/about/.)

Dr. Stephanie G. Adams is the 5th Dean of the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Texas, Dallas and Past President of the American Society of Engineering Education. Previously Dr. Adams served as the Dean of the Frank Batten College of Engineering and Technology at Old Dominion University (2016–2019), Department Head and Professor of Engineering Education at Virginia Tech (2011–2016) and held faculty and administrative positions at Virginia Commonwealth University (2008–2011) and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (1998–2008). Her research interests include: Broadening Participation, Faculty and Graduate Student Development, International/Global Education, Teamwork and Team Effectiveness, and Quality Control and Management. In 2003, she received the CAREER award from the Engineering Education and Centers Division of the National Science Foundation. Dr. Adams is a leader in the advancement and inclusion of all in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. She has worked with a number of colleges and universities, government agencies and non-profit organizations on topics related to graduate education, mentoring, faculty development and diversifying STEM.

Jon M. Garon, J.D., is Director of Intellectual Property, Cybersecurity and Technology Law Program and Professor of Law Nova Southeastern University Shepard Broad College of Law. Professor Garon is a nationally recognized authority on technology law and intellectual property, particularly copyright law, entertainment and information privacy. Garon has served as Dean of the Shepard Broad College of Law at Nova Southeastern University, the inaugural director of the Law + Informatics Institute at the Northern Kentucky University Salmon P. Chase College of Law, and dean and professor of law at Hamline University School of Law in St. Paul, Minnesota. Among his numerous accomplishments, Garon has held key leadership positions as past chair of both the American Bar Association’s Law School Administration Committee, the Association of American Law Schools Section on Part-Time Legal Education, and the Online Education Committee of the Southeastern Association of Law Schools. He has published over 50 books, book chapters, and academic articles. (Excerpted from https://www.law.nova.edu/faculty/administration/garon-jon.html.)

Dr. Amy Hawkins is the Assistant Provost for Teaching and Academic Leadership at the University of Central Arkansas, leading faculty development initiatives to strengthen teaching and leadership at UCA. She is also an Associate Professor of Public Relations in UCA’s School of Communication. Dr. Hawkins is Accredited in Public Relations (APR) through the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA).

Dr. Lachanda (Nickie) Landry currently serves as an Assistant Professor, Director of Online Curriculum and Associate Dean of Graduate Programs in the School of Education and Human Services at the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas. As the Associate Dean she works on the alignment and coordination of Graduate Programs with support of Chairs/Directors. Dr. Landry is a trained practitioner in curriculum design and development, International Baccalaureate Middle Years and Diploma Programme, instructional strategies, and educational leadership. She has served as an educator, national and local consultant, Leadership Coach, and administrator in K-12 to higher education for over 20 years. Through her work with the non-profit organization Houston A+ Challenge, Dr. Landry has coached and developed present and aspiring school leaders to become principals and superintendents. She is the founder of K-16 Educational Consulting Services as well as a Region 4 Program Field Supervisor for Principal Certification.

Leigh Lassiter-Counts serves as the Director of Career Services for Hendrix College. Her work includes individual student meetings, group workshops, and presentations on many topics and involving many audiences both on and off-campus. She is the campus champion for career planning and achievement topics including the Be Hendrix Beyond Hendrix career competencies initiative. She and her team created “Career Term” -a novel approach to career development for all sophomores featured in The Washington Post, Inside Higher Ed, and The Chronicle. In 2016, she spent time in Germany as a Fulbright International Education Administrator (IEA). Her time as a Fulbright IEA influenced her professional work with students to help them grow their mindset for intercultural and international work. Since her IEA Fulbright, she has had several students apply and be accepted to Ph.D./Graduate programs in Germany, as well as summer study programs and post-graduate fellowships. (Excerpted from https://cies.org/alumni-ambassadors/leigh-lassiter-counts.)

Dr. Eunice Luyegu is a Curriculum Design Specialist and an Assistant Professor in the Dr. Pallavi Patel College of Health Care Sciences. She serves on various committees, conducts workshops, teaches faculty development courses, and consults with faculty on pedagogy and technology. She is also the College Editor for the Distance Learning journal. Dr. Luyegu has spent many years teaching and designing courses in higher education. She is a relentless advocate for designing effective and engaging learning environments. She earned her Ph.D. in Instructional Design and Technology from the University of South Alabama.

Karen Musa was born and raised in Coventry, England, and emigrated to the US in the 1980’s where she attended Johnson & Wales University majoring in Hospitality Management. She worked in the Hospitality field for 15 years while earning MBA from Dallas Baptist University. She started in higher education at Collin College where she taught mostly hospitality courses for 17 years before moving into administration. Currently, she serves at the Executive Dean over Continuing Education, Corporate College, Small Business Development, and Grants.

Dr. Steven J. Peters is Dean of the College of Fine Arts at University of Montevallo. His leadership at Montevallo has entailed positioning the arts as a driver of campus-wide innovation through new certificates, programs in interdisciplinary digital media, cross-college partnerships, the construction of two multi-million-dollar facilities, and a new “collaboratory” for the arts. An advocate for the arts, Peters is the founder of the annual Forte Festival of Creativity, a creative placemaking and revitalization project linking artists and communities in Alabama. He was President of the Association for Theatre in Higher Education, served on the boards of the International Council of Fine Arts Deans, Council of Colleges of Arts and Sciences, and the Kansas Association for the Arts in Education. Peters led the Wichita Arts Council’s Cultural Funding Committee that awarded grants to the city’s legacy and emerging arts organizations. Originally trained as a director, playwright and designer, Peters is a practicing artist who pursues an active research agenda by focusing on the construct of performance as a frame for examining artistic collaborations and patient – caregiver interactions in healthcare and medical environments. He is co-author of a book on creative practice in the 21st century, Leonardo’s Children: Stories on Creativity by Fine Arts Leaders that will Blow your Mind.

Dr. Julie Taylor is Director of Academic Relations for the Fulbright Program at the Institute for International Education (IIE). She is responsible for strengthening ties between higher education institutions and Fulbright, the U.S. State Department’s flagship international exchange program. She also reports on trends within the academy to inform strategic planning and supervises the Fulbright Outreach and Recruitment Team. Dr. Taylor previously served as Senior Director of Research at American University’s School of International Service and at George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs. Before her career in university administration, she was a political and security analyst at the RAND Corporation and a professor in the Near Eastern Studies Department at Princeton University. Taylor served as a trustee for the American Institute for Iranian Studies and was a Strategic Studies Fellow at Harvard University’s John M. Olin Center.

Dr. Angela Webster completed her Ph.D. in Educational Psychology and Research at the University of Memphis. She is a PreK-12 licensed school administrator and received several years of professional coaching development from Results Coaching Global. Dr. Angela was also an American Council on Education Fellow in the class of 2017/2018. Webster has served higher education at two predominantly white institutions, an HBCU, an art college, and a women’s college in Saudi Arabia. Currently, she serves as Associate Vice President for Institutional Diversity and Inclusion at the University of Central Arkansas where she maintains her academic rank as Associate Professor of Leadership Studies and helps to prepare the next generation of inclusive PK-12 school leaders. Her primary scholarly interest involves inclusive leadership in PK-12 and in higher education. She has authored newsletters, journal articles, book chapters, and books. As a child, Webster was present for the final speech of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in her beloved city of birth, Memphis, Tennessee, and has since penned a book, “In the Presence of a King” about that experience.