Dr. Mike Casey is an Assistant Professor of Computer Information Systems and Analytics at the University of Central Arkansas. He earned his Ph.D. in Computer and Information Science in 2019. Dr. Casey is an active researcher with numerous publications focusing on artificial intelligence, business pedagogy, online learning, software and technology adoption, and environmental and social governance. He teaches online and traditional face-to-face courses in various areas, including systems analysis, programming, computing, and business statistics. Through his teaching, Dr. Casey prepares students for technology-driven workplaces by equipping them with the skills needed to effectively implement artificial intelligence solutions to solve complex problems.

Natalie Furlett is the Senior Director of Member and Student Engagement for Campus Compact, the nation’s largest national organization dedicated to higher education civic and community engagement. Campus Compact centers its work on higher education’s responsibility to create a just, equitable, and sustainable future through community-based learning, advocacy, transformational initiatives, research and publications, strategic partnerships, and professional development. In this role, Natalie leads the organization’s efforts to strengthen campus engagement with their local communities and the Campus Compact network.

Before joining the national Campus Compact office, Natalie was the Executive Director of Campus Compact for Illinois, where she spearheaded campus Census 2020 efforts, created the Campus Meets Community program to support healthy campus partnerships, and networked campuses throughout Illinois. Prior to Campus Compact, Natalie spent time building student-community ties at Northwestern in the office of Student Community Service before taking on the role of Associate Director of the Norris Center for Student Involvement. She holds an MBA in Nonprofit Management from the American Jewish University in Los Angeles, CA, and a BA from the School of Public Administration at American University in Washington DC.  Natalie currently serves as the chair of the Governor-appointed Serve Illinois Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service.

Lesley Graybeal is the Director of Living Learning Communities at the University of Central Arkansas. Lesley earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English and PhD in Social Foundations of Education from the University of Georgia. Prior to her time at UCA, Lesley taught first-year writing and American literature and coordinated the service-learning program at Wake Technical Community College in Raleigh, North Carolina. Lesley has led university-wide efforts around community-engaged teaching and learning, civic engagement, constructive dialogue, and high-impact practices.

Dr. Joel Johnson is the Interim Provost and the Sanford Peter Schotten Distinguished Professor of Government at Augustana University in Sioux Falls, SD. He received his Ph.D. in Government from Harvard University, where he also served as a lecturer in the Government Department. Since 2003 he has been a professor in Augustana’s Government and International Affairs Department, overseeing the department’s honors program and teaching courses in political philosophy, American political thought, politics and literature, and East Asian politics. In 2010-11, Johnson was a Senior Fulbright Scholar in American Studies at the University of Marburg in Germany. From 2013 to 2016, he was appointed Augustana’s Stanley L. Olsen Chair of Moral Values. The primary focus of his research is 18th and 19th-century American political thought. He is the author of Beyond Practical Virtue: A Defense of Liberal Democracy through Literature (University of Missouri Press), in addition to numerous articles and book chapters. Before serving as interim provost, Dr. Johnson was a department chair, the chair for the social sciences division, and the co-leader of the task force devoted to safely modifying academic operations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Anne Katherine Jones is Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education and Professor in the School of Molecular Sciences in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Arizona State University. As vice provost, she collaborates with units across the university to provide leadership for university-wide curriculum and student success projects. Ongoing projects include AI literacy and incorporation of AI into teaching and learning; implementation of new ASU general education requirements; creation of unique partnerships with external colleges and universities including the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, the US Navy Community College, and California College of ASU; expanding and improving the ASU curricular offerings to prepare the broadest possible collection of students for life and career success; and student success initiatives to realize ASU’s mission and goals.

 Adam Kissel is Visiting Fellow, Higher Education Reform at the Heritage Foundation and Senior Fellow with the Cardinal Institute for West Virginia Policy. He served as deputy assistant secretary for higher education programs at the U.S. Department of Education, where he overall a $2 billion budget and a nearly $2 billion loan portfolio. He is a national leader on higher education policy and long-time advocate for academic freedom and individual rights.

Dr. Jennifer Latino is a Senior Director for EAB’s Research Advisory Services and serves as an expert in Student Success and Institutional Strategy and Planning. Jennifer enjoys engaging with EAB partners around topics such as Mental Health, DEIJ, and Strategy and Planning. She is a facilitator for EAB’s Mental Health Collaborative.

Jennifer built her career through experiences at a diverse array of institution types including large-research, women’s college, community college, and faith-based institutions. After seventeen years as a college administrator, Jennifer entered the field of educational consulting.

Dr. Latino is also an adjunct faculty member in a doctorate for higher education leadership program and a published author and national presenter on a variety of topics including effective student engagement practices, faculty development, and effective institutional governance structures.

Dr. Marisol Morales is the executive director of the Carnegie Elective Classifications and Assistant Vice President  at the American Council on Education. In this role, she provides conceptual leadership and operational oversight to the elective classifications’ work in the United States, Australia, and Canada. This includes the collaborative development of and responsibility for all initiatives; oversight and facilitation of relevant national and international advisory committees; conceptualizing and implementing extensive data archives; and developing and enacting a shared vision regarding access to and use of the knowledge produced by the Carnegie Elective Classifications to beneficially guide research, policy, and practice.

Prior to this role, she was the vice president for network leadership at Campus Compact from 2018 to 2022. Morales was the founding director of the Office of Civic and Community Engagement at the University of La Verne from 2013 to 2018 and the associate director of the Steans Center for Community-Based Service Learning and Community Service Studies at DePaul University from 2005 to 2013.

Terri M. Petzold, Director of Counseling Services, joined Kentucky Wesleyan College in 2018 and established the first-ever office of counseling services for students on campus. Her primary goal has been to decrease the stigma behind mental health while increasing awareness of mental health wellness throughout the campus community. Through clinical services she helps students discover values and skills needed to relieve stressors, promote healthy relationships, and make good decisions. In addition to offering individual, couples, and group sessions, Terri promotes a campus of care culture by offering various mental health programs and training opportunities to students, faculty, coaches, and staff.

Terri is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker through the Kentucky Board of Social Work, a Licensed Clinical Alcohol and Drug Counselor with the Kentucky Board of Alcohol and Drug Counselors, a certified Mental Health First Aid Instructor, a certified QPR Gatekeeper Instructor, and is certified in Choice Theory/Reality Therapy. She is also a Clinical Social Worker-PRN at Owensboro Health Regional Hospital. Terri is married, has 2 children and 3 grandchildren, and enjoys spending time with her family, reading, horseback riding, and needlework.

Glenn Allen Phillips is a Senior Insights Consultant at Watermark, based in Austin, Texas. In his role, he works directly with client colleagues to discuss good practices in assessment and accreditation, and suggest the use of integrated technology as appropriate. Prior to Watermark, Phillips served as the Director of Assessment at Howard University and the Acting Director of Assessment at The University of Texas at Arlington. His research interests include assessment and accreditation across institutional types, equity and assessment, the use of AI in assessment and accreditation, and the experiences of veterans in higher education. Phillips earned his Ph.D. at Texas A&M University and splits his time between Texas and Washington, D.C.

Dr. Sarah Root is a licensed psychologist providing mental health counseling and evaluations for children and young adults. She served as a Visiting Assistant Professor in the department of Psychology and Counseling at UCA during her postdoctoral year and continues to teach courses as an adjunct faculty member. Most recently, she taught the BearsThrive pilot course offered to students at UCA to promote wellness practices on campus. Dr. Root recently accepted a faculty position at Hendrix College and will shift to teaching fulltime in the upcoming fall semester.

A native of Little Rock, Arkansas Charlotte Strickland earned a Business degree from the University of Central Arkansas (UCA) and a Master’s degree in Higher Education from the University of South Carolina. For forty-three years Charlotte has worked in Higher Education coordinating Orientation, Ethics and Leadership academic courses, Greek training and Leadership training seminars. In 1989 Charlotte was invited to join the company, Designs for Development, specializing in training student leaders across the United States. In 2002 Charlotte founded her own company, Strickly Speaking, providing educational and compliance training to businesses, higher education institutions, communities, state/federal agencies, and organizations. Charlotte also serves as a speaker for “Speakers of Significance” – a company based out of San Antonio Texas – which offers the speaking services of twelve dynamic speakers to companies, higher education institutions, and communities across the United States. 

Since 2004, Charlotte has served as UCA’s Director of Employee Engagement and Enrichment. She provides campus-wide seminars on subjects such as Inclusion, Service Excellence, Communication, Workplace Behavior, and Supervisory Skills. She has served as adjunct faculty teaching the graduate course, Cultural Differentiation and Outreach. Charlotte enjoys speaking immensely and approaches each audience with energy, enthusiasm, and sincerity. Her goal is for each person to leave a presentation with personal value and a refreshed vigor for professional and personal challenges.

Dr. Eric Wood currently serves as the Director of Counseling & Mental Health at Texas Christian University. He has over 16 years of experience in college mental health, including serving as president of the Texas University and College Counseling Directors Association (TUCCDA) and being elected as a current executive board member of the Association for University and College Counseling Center Directors (AUCCCD). Dr. Wood is a frequent presenter at national conferences and has trained over 100 universities on various aspects of college mental health. He’s the author of the award-winning eBook, A New Narrative for College Mental Health: Four key objectives that every campus counseling center should obtain. Throughout his career, he has been mentioned in publications such as the Texas Tribune, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, US News & World Report, The Chronical of Higher Education, Insider Higher Education, Harvard Business Review, and The New York Times.

Vicki Bautista is an Assistant Professor at Creighton University in the Department of Family and Community Medicine in the School of Medicine. She serves as the Assistant Program Director for the online master’s in Integrative Health and Wellness. Additionally, she is a Board-Certified Health & Wellness Coach. Prior to working at Creighton, she was employed in a variety of health promotion settings including, non-profit, medical, government, and research.

Rebecca Campbell, Ph.D., currently serves as Faculty in Residence for the William Conroy Honor’s College at New Mexico State University. Prior to that, she has been a Department Chair, Associate Provost for Academic Administration, Associate Dean and Faculty Senate Grievance Chair. She is also Emeritus Professor of Educational Psychology and President’s Distinguished Teaching Fellow at Northern Arizona University where she taught courses on the theory of teaching and learning in the College of Education for twenty-five years. Her current scholarship is focused on undergraduate course design and course policies.

Russell Carpenter, Ph.D., is Assistant Provost and Professor of English at Eastern Kentucky University. He serves as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Faculty Development.

Dr. Stephanie Delaney is the Vice President of Instruction at Renton Technical College. Dr. Delaney has a strong background in Guided Pathways and eLearning and she has spoken nationally on issues related to leadership, technology, and effective online teaching and learning. Dr. Delaney earned her PhD in educational leadership in higher education/distance education at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. She also holds a law degree from the University of San Diego School of Law and a master’s degree in Environmental Law from Vermont Law School. She earned her B.S. at Georgetown University. Stephanie is an avid knitter and rower. She lives in Seattle with her husband and son.

Dr. Gypsy Denzine currently serves as a Professor of Educational Leadership in the School of Education at Virginia Commonwealth University. Prior to her faculty role, she served as Senior Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs at VCU. She joined VCU in August 2018 after having served as Dean of the College of Education and Human Services at West Virginia University. During her time at WVU, she also served as Associate Provost for Community Engagement and Outreach and was a tenured professor in the Department of Learning Sciences and Human Development. Prior to joining WVU, she spent 17 years as a full Professor of Educational Psychology at Northern Arizona University where she served in a variety of administrative roles, including Associate Dean and Dean of the College of Education, and Assistant Vice Provost of the Professional Education Unit. She has conducted research in the area of college student learning and motivation, academic self-efficacy, engineering education, and faculty development in higher education. She completed her advanced coaching training through the College of Executive Coaching and holds a certificate in Conflict Resolution from Cornell University. She provides leadership coaching and conflict resolution services to academic leaders in higher education.

Dr. Uma Gupta is the Director of Business Analytics and leads and directs the graduate program, the Master of Science in Business Analytics, and is the Co-Chair of the Analytics Advisory Board at the College of Business. She was awarded the Change Champion Certificate in 2022 “for leadership in transforming the master’s in business analytics from a small face-to-face evening program into a robust online and hybrid program rooted in experiential learning opportunities” and the State University of New York’s Online Ambassador Teaching Award (2017) “as an exemplary online educator, who is both enthusiastic and effective in online teaching, and who can be a positive and strong advocate for online teaching.” A Fulbright Scholar, Dr. Gupta was selected as the Top Ten Influential Women in Technology in Houston, Texas, was awarded the Women of Distinction Award from the Girl Scouts of Western New York and served on the National Liaison Task Force for STEM for the American Association of University Women. She has won numerous other awards for community engagement and leadership contributions. She is also a seasoned keynote speaker and conducts and leadership workshops for middle and senior executives.

Nathan F. Harris is Assistant Professor of Higher Education at the Warner Graduate School of Education & Human Development at the University of Rochester. His research explores ethical misconduct in higher education, the leadership of academic deans, and senior leadership teams in higher education. His research has been featured in numerous outlets, including New Directions for Higher Education, Planning for Higher Education, and The Chronicle of Higher Education. Prior to earning his doctorate at the Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education at the University of Michigan, Dr. Harris worked at The Corporate Executive Board and the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Stephanie Hinshaw is the Executive Director of the Butler Beyond Transformation Lab at Butler University. In this role, Stephanie is accountable for leading innovation efforts and collaborating with Butler’s faculty and staff for transformational change. Before joining Butler University, Stephanie served as the Provost at American College of Education for seven years and spent 13 years in multiple roles at other higher education institutions. Dr. Hinshaw was recognized for her leadership skills, earning the United States Distance Learning Association’s 2020 Outstanding Leader Award. Stephanie holds a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Indiana University, a Master’s in Business Administration from Butler University, and a Doctor of Education in Interdisciplinary Leadership from Creighton University. Her research centers on how leaders influence their teams, especially toxic leaders.

Dr. Bruce C. Kusch became the 13th president of Ensign College in Salt Lake City, Utah, on April 17, 2017. He previously served as the Chief Academic Officer from March 2016 until assuming his current role. Historically a two-year college, during his tenure Dr. Kusch has led significant institutional change and transition, including a new mission statement, the creation of a student-centric learning and teaching framework, an institutional name change, the creation of Bachelor of Applied Science degrees, and the development of a strategic partnership resulting in major enrollment increases. Dr. Kusch began his academic career in August 2002, joining the Business Management Faculty at Brigham Young University-Idaho. While there, he also served as the Associate Academic Vice President for Curriculum, and as Associate Dean for Online Programs. Prior to joining the BYU-Idaho faculty, Dr. Kusch worked in the high technology industry in Silicon Valley, CA. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Phoenix, an MBA from the Keller Graduate School of Management, and a PhD in instructional design from Idaho State University.

Dr. Wendy Miller began her career in academia as the Director of the Clinical Laboratory Technology Program at Elgin Community College in Elgin, Illinois. In 2011, she was promoted to Dean of Health Professions, and in 2018 her division was expanded to include the math, science, and engineering departments. Under her leadership, the college now has sixteen health professions degrees and certificates with a seventeenth program in development. Dr. Miller is the author of Strategies for Clinical Teaching in the Health Professions: A Guide for Instructors (Routledge, 2021). She believes in leading by example and focuses much of her time on mentoring her staff and coaching her faculty. Dr. Miller is proud to have served in a leadership capacity at Elgin Community College for the past 30 years, as the college was recently named one of the Aspen top 25 community colleges in the nation.

Gretchen Oltman, J.D., Ph.D., is an associate professor of organizational leadership at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska. She is also an attorney and author with over 25 years working in the field of education. Her work focuses on the practical application of leadership principles to real-world settings.

Dr. Joan Poulsen is the Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs at Indiana University-Purdue University Columbus, leading University College, advising, student affairs, and student-success campus-wide since July 2020. She has served as Division Head of Science, and Program Director of Psychology, during which she successfully led these units through transformative curricula and faculty promotion criteria changes. As a social psychologist, her broad interest is in belonging and inclusion in groups, and her scholarly work focuses on inclusivity of marginalized people and groups. As a leader, she strives to apply theories of inclusion and belonging in her daily work and strategy.

Dr. Shannon Scott is an Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in the College of Arts and Sciences at Texas Woman’s University who has leveraged her training in cognitive psychology, positive psychology, and conflict resolution to help audiences employ psychological principles to maximize their success. Through her consulting work (Positive LeadHERship) as well as her funded research (Mothers Leading the Way), Shannon provides practical strategies grounded in research to assist leaders in academia, industry, and non-profits engage in self-reflection and make small changes that have big impacts.

Dr. Tricia Shalka is an associate professor of higher education at the University of Rochester’s Warner School of Education & Human Development. Dr. Shalka’s research primarily investigates the impacts of traumatic experience(s) on college students, particularly in terms of identity development, relationships, and navigating campus environments. Her scholarship also explores how trauma-informed practices can inform the work of both administrators and faculty in higher education. Dr. Shalka’s research has appeared in some of the top journals in higher education and she has won several awards for her research and teaching. Prior to becoming a faculty member, Dr. Shalka spent several years working in higher education administration in areas such as residential life, fraternity and sorority life, institutional assessment, and development and alumni relations. Dr. Shalka holds a PhD from the Ohio State University, a MA from the University of Maryland, and a BA from Dartmouth College.

Sara Zeigler, Ph.D., serves as Provost and Professor of Political Science at Eastern Kentucky University. Her work has appeared in the Journal of Political Science, Feminist Formations, and the Journal of Political Science Education, among others.

Scott Zimmerman is the Instructor of Leadership and Military Studies serving in the School of Business and Technology at William Woods University in Fulton, Missouri since 2018. Prior to joining William Woods University, Scott served 28 years in the U.S. Army as a Military Policeman and military strategist, retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel. He is a full-time faculty member and oversees the Missouri National Guard Show-Me GOLD program at William Woods, and is the coordinator for the Triumph Program, a dual-credit partnership with the Missouri Military Academy. Scott is currently a PhD candidate in Higher Education Leadership and Management at Regent University and is the founder of Zimmerman Strategies, a strategic planning consulting firm.

Professor David Katz taught Political Science for 32 years; was a head college basketball coach for 10 years; taught Social/Ballroom dancing professionally; and was a life guard/swimming instructor. Most recently David was Executive Director of Organizational Development at Mohawk Valley Community College, NY (SUNY). He now mentors faculty, staff, and leaders on pedagogical, motivational, and leadership issues at college campuses; at national conferences; and to public and corporate audiences throughout the United States (davidkatzpresents.com). David’s goal when he presents is “to be useful, helpful, and affirming, to touch people in a manner that is meaningful, memorable, and relevant to them.”

Susan Robison, Ph.D. is a psychologist, author, and faculty development consultant. Her book, The Peak Performing Professor: A Practical Guide to Productivity and Happiness, published by Jossey-Bass, has been selected for faculty book clubs all over North America. A former academic department chair and professor of psychology at Notre Dame of Maryland University, Susan has provided leadership workshops and consultation work with non-profits and colleges. She authored a leadership series (Discovering Our Gifts and Sharing Our Gifts) for non-profits and a recent leadership book for academic leaders, Coaching Skills for Academic Leaders: Bringing Out the Best in Yourself, Your Faculty, and Your Staff, soon to be published by Stylus Publishing. In 2017, she served as a co-editor of a special issue on Coaching and Leadership of the Journal of Excellence in College Teaching. Susan is a frequent workshop presenter at higher education conferences and colleges/universities on “The Peak Performing Professor,” “The Academic Leader as Coach,” and “Resilience and Emotional Labor.”

Dr. Patricia Gonzalez serves as Assistant Dean for Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion at the University of Colorado Boulder, College of Arts & Sciences. As a member of the Dean’s leadership team, Dr. Gonzalez’s primary responsibilities are to purposefully design and implement inclusive practices centered on student, faculty, and staff recruitment, development, retention, practices, and programming that result in an effective, welcoming, and equitable environment for students, staff and faculty success. Dr. Gonzalez holds a doctorate of education in Organizational Change and Leadership from the Rossier School of Education, University of Southern California, an M.A. in Higher & Postsecondary Education and Administration from Teachers College, Columbia University, and a B.A. in Government and Philosophy from Franklin & Marshall College. As a first-generation graduate, Dr. Gonzalez is committed to using social justice as a platform to increase equity, diversity, and inclusion on college campuses, uplifting and empowering students beyond their circumstances, maximizing individual student performance; efforts to increase retention and persistence, and instilling self-worth and a sense of belonging among all students.

Anne Reed is the founding Director of the Office Micro-credentials at the University at Buffalo (UB). She developed a process to propose, review, develop, and implement new micro-credentials at the university. She currently serves on multiple advisory boards, including the leadership team for UPCEA, Council for Credential Innovation, and the national advisory council for Credential as You Go. Anne has authored, co-authored, and contributed to numerous articles, book chapters, and reports, including the recently co-authored chapter “Using Digital Badges to Design a Comprehensive Model for High-Impact Experiential Learning” published in Credential Innovations for Inclusive Pathways to Professions (2022). She has also served as principal or co-investigator on state and federal grants, including as Co-PI on the National Science Foundation (NSF) Convergence Accelerator project: A Universal Framework of Micro-Credentials for Nation-Wide Employment.

Dr. Mark Taylor is an award winning speaker recognized internationally as an authority and educator on the forefront of transformations in educational practice and workplace management. The President of Taylor Programs since 2006, he works with colleges and professional educators on better understanding the generational cohorts of learners and in moving to best practices in research based instruction, and with businesses and organizations around issues of multigenerational and positive developmental leadership. Building on experience as a psychotherapist, professor, and in medical, academic and student services administration, Dr. Taylor has offered over 1000 events for organizations, businesses and schools. He holds graduate degrees from the University of Arkansas and academic appointments at Arkansas State University and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Graduate School.

As Dean of Rutgers School of Business-Camden, Rutgers University, Dr. Monica Adya steers the direction of the school through strategic growth of undergraduate and graduate programs, an executive education unit, as well as Centers of Excellence. Her current priorities include developing and implementing strategies for bridging academic scholarship with industry, and developing the school as a model for access to high-quality business education. She previously served as Chair of Management at Marquette University. As a scholar in information systems, currently her research interests include the design and use of decision aids, as well as the participation and experiences of girls and women in information technology careers.

As Dean of the College of Liberal Arts, Dr. Marcela Kostihova establishes the College’s academic priorities, oversees resource allocation, and coordinates strategic and long-range planning, as well as the day to day work with recruitment and development of faculty and staff. She’s co-directed Hamline’s Collaborative Research Program, and served as Associate Dean prior to her appointment as Dean. As Dean, she’s led administrative restructuring of new College units, collaborated with faculty on two holistic program reviews and subsequent implementation, facilitated future-oriented strategic planning, and led general curriculum reinvigoration.

Dr. Lupita Murillo Tinnen began her career at Collin College as a Professor of Photography over seventeen years ago. She was a past department chair and associate dean before serving as Dean of Academic Affairs and Workforce at Collin College. She provides leadership and serves as an advocate for the Fine Arts with departments in Art, Dance, Music, and Theatre as well as Education. Additionally, she oversees four workforce programs in Commercial Music, Commercial Photography, Communication Design, and Early Childhood Education. Dr. Murillo Tinnen earned a doctorate in Humanities with a major in Aesthetic Studies from the University of Texas at Dallas, a Master of Fine Arts degree in Photography from the University of North Texas, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Photography from Texas A&M-Commerce. As a practicing artist, her work deals with her experiences as a first-generation Mexican American and has been exhibited in hundreds of exhibitions nationwide.

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.

Dr. Richard Castallo is the author of a recent book entitled Dealing with Dysfunction: A Book for University Leaders. Rick’s background includes time spent as a public school teacher, central office administrator, high school principal, and university professor. Rick has over 25 years experience as a department chair and administrator in higher education. Rick was a partner in the consulting firm of Castallo & Silky and in that role has been involved in providing retreats and workshops for hundreds of leadership groups who were interested in improving their effectiveness. He will be talking about a topic we don’t often discuss – how to build strong cultures while dealing with resistant and challenging staff members.

Prior to her new role, Dr. Rachel Bates served as a Department Chair and mathematics faculty member teaching undergraduate mathematics. Her research interests are in the fields of student centered mathematics pedagogy in higher education, alternative higher education mathematics curricula and teaching mathematics for social justice. Dr. Bates is an active member of the Mathematical Association of America, the Research Council on Mathematics Learning, Oklahoma Council of Teachers of Mathematics and is currently the Chair of the Placement and Assessment Committee for the American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges. Dr. Bates now serves as the Associate Vice Chancellor for Educational Partnerships at Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education.

Peggy Bradford, J.D.,Ed.D. has worked in higher education for twenty-five years in roles ranging from Board and Legislative Liaison, President and Chief Executive Officer of a comprehensive two-year campus with multiple fully accredited sites, interim provost for a community college in the State University of New York system, General Counsel, Academic Vice President, Dean and tenure-track faculty member. She was elected to the faculty senate of Aurora University, was an adjunct instructor at Benedictine University, and Governor State University, and has served as a guest lecturer at several other academic institutions. She was selected for the Governor-Elect of Illinois’s Panel on Career and Technical Education, is a Fulbright Scholar and the first educator to be appointed to the Illinois Press Foundation Board.

Bob Cipriano served as a department chair for 28 years and has conducted research and written extensively on such topics as civility and collegiality in higher education, managing conflict, and  the changing roles and responsibilities of academic leaders. He is the author of Facilitating a Collegial Department in Higher Education: Strategies for Success and co-author with Jeff Buller of A Toolkit For Department Chairs and A Toolkit for College Professors. Bob is a Senior Partner in ATLAS – Academic Training, Leadership & Assessment Services, an internationally acclaimed consulting firm specializing in academic leadership training, and has been invited to deliver more than 260 presentations in the US, Asia, and the Middle East.

Dr. Penny Garcia is currently Dean of the College of Education and Technology at Eastern New Mexico University. Previously, she was professor and associate dean at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh in the College of Education and Human Services. She has over forty-five years of leadership in education as a teacher, principal, teacher educator, full professor and higher education administrator. Throughout her career, she has contributed to a broad range of education enterprises and organizational models each of which continues to ensure a rich context for her work with school districts, departments of public education and institutes of higher education. She is a member of Deans for Impact, a national organization of deans of colleges of education who collaboratively work to ensure that every child is taught by a well-prepared teacher.

Jon M. Garon is dean of Nova Southeastern University Shepard Broad College of Law. Dean Garon serves as chief academic officer for the law school, providing strategic leadership on programming, curriculum, enrollment management, marketing, and finance. He is a nationally recognized authority on technology law and intellectual property, particularly copyright law, entertainment and information privacy. A tenured member of the law faculty, Dean Garon teaches Information Privacy Law, Cyberspace Law, Copyright Law, Entertainment Law, and related courses. He is the author of four books and numerous book chapters and article and has presented at more than 150 forums across the U.S.

Michael Gray has a PhD in Microbiology from Clemson University. During a 40-year career (mainly at Bob Jones University) he has taught over 10,000 university students at levels ranging from freshman non-majors through graduate students. He has created numerous innovative courses including, most recently, an issues-focused blended course for non-majors called Essential Science. He consults with universities to assist their faculty in focusing and interconnecting curriculum to create transformative learning environments. He equips faculty who aspire to effectively engage students in deep and durable learning.

Neil Hattlestad, Ed.D, was Dean of the College of Health and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Central Arkansas for 30 years. Following his retirement, the UCA Board of Trustees recognized him as Distinguished Dean Emeritus. Prior to his tenure at UCA, he was department chair at three different universities for 14 years. Dr. Hattlestad served as accreditation site visitor for the Higher Learning Commission for 20 years. During that time, he was a member of the HLC’s Accreditation Review Council and assigned to chair numerous HLC site-visit teams. He was also site visitor for the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education, was subsequently appointed to serve as a member of the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education, and was elected chair of the Commission in 1996. In 2000 Dr. Hattlestad led the effort to bring the National Conference of Academic Deans to UCA, and served as campus host of NCAD for 14 years.

Dr. Amy Hawkins is the Director of the Center for Teaching Excellence at the University of Central Arkansas, leading faculty development initiatives to strengthen teaching and learning 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). She has a 6’2″ 15-year-old son named Paxson and an eight-pound maltipoo named Luby.

Jacob M. Held, PhD. is Professor of Philosophy and Director of the UCA Core at the University of Central Arkansas. The UCA Core is an outcomes based general education program serving the more than 11,000 undergraduate students at the University of Central Arkansas. The program is scaffolded throughout the student’s entire education from introductory level course work and a first year seminar to upper division course work culminating in a capstone experience. As Director of the program, Dr. Held is charged with managing all facets of the general education curriculum at UCA, from design and implementation, to assessment, improvement, and faculty development.

Jimmy H. Ishee currently serves as Dean of the College of Health and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Central Arkansas as a tenured, full professor. Previously he served as Dean at Texas Woman’s University and Georgia College and State University. Ishee began his higher education career in 1982 as an assistant professor at the University of Central Arkansas in the Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education. Ishee holds a B.S.E and an M. E. from Delta State University and a Ph.D. from Florida State University.

Kim L. Jackson currently serves as the Department Chair for the Visual and Performing Arts and an Associate Professor of Humanities and Dance at Tarrant County College Northwest Campus in Fort Worth, TX. She received both her B.A. in dance and her M.A. in drama from Texas Woman’s University in Denton, TX. She has worked as an equity and inclusion practitioner for over 20 years as a curriculum designer and facilitator. Ms. Jackson focuses primarily on cultural responsive leadership and teaching methods. She is a 2013 recipient of a Golden Apple Teaching Award, a 2014 and 2015 recipient of a John and Suanne Roueche Teaching Excellence Award and the 2015 recipient for the Chancellor’s Exemplary Teaching Award at Tarrant County College.

During his postsecondary career, Scott Newman has held faculty, mid- and senior-level leadership positions. From 2001 to 2013 he served as founding Dean of the School of Information Technologies at the Oklahoma State University (OSU) Institute of Technology. He currently serves as the University’s Vice President of Academic Affairs. Newman is a Peer Reviewer for The Higher Learning Commission, and a former Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education Fellow and American Council on Education Fellow. Newman has been honored for his contributions to and through higher education—including identification as one of the nation’s top technology leaders by Computerworld, and selection to receive the American Association of University Administrators’ McInnis/Ryan Award for Mid-Career Higher Education Leadership. Newman’s diverse scholarly interests include postsecondary innovation and leadership. Recent publications include articles in Inside Higher Ed and The Chronicle of Higher Education, and a higher education leadership textbook.

Terri Nierengarten architects partner-oriented learning solutions at Collegis Education. With 20 years of product management and over 10 years of higher education industry experience, she leverages research, strategy and customer insights to craft innovative solutions that help colleges and universities grow. The past 5 years, Terri has focused on helping Collegis Education partners identify learning solutions to specifically address the evolving and demanding needs of their local markets while confronting the ever-increasing pressures from national competitors. Terri received a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois – Urbana and a MBA in Strategy and Finance from The University of Chicago – Booth School of Business.

Steven J. Peters, Ph.D. 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 that opens in 2019. 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 forthcoming book on creative practice in the 21st century, Leonardo’s Children: Stories on Creativity by Fine Arts Leaders that will Blow your Mind.

Timothy Renick is Senior Vice President for Student Success and Professor of Religious Studies at Georgia State University. At Georgia State, he has served as Chair of the Department of Religious Studies and Director of the Honors Program. Since 2008, he has directed the student success and enrollment efforts of the university, overseeing among the fastest improving graduation rates in the nation and the elimination of all achievement gaps based on students’ race, ethnicity or income level. Dr. Renick has testified on strategies for helping university students succeed before the United States Senate and has twice been invited to speak at the White House. His work has been covered by the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Time, and CNN and cited by former President Obama. He was named one of 2016’s Most Innovative People in Higher Education by Washington Monthly, was the recipient of the 2015-16 Award for National Leadership in Student Success Innovation, and was awarded the 2018 McGraw Prize in Higher Education. He currently is principal investigator for a $9 million U.S. Department of Education grant to study the impact of predictive-analytics-based advisement on ten-thousand low-income and first-generation students nationally. A summa cum laude graduate of Dartmouth College, Dr. Renick holds his M.A. and Ph.D. in Religion from Princeton University.

Dr. Jeff W. Robertson is Professor of Astrophysics and Dean of the College of Natural and Health Sciences and Interim Dean of the Graduate College at Arkansas Tech University. In college, his life was saved from engineering courses that sapped his soul when it was revealed that you could actually major in things like space sciences. While obtaining a B.S. in physics and astronomy at the University of Kansas, he played basketball, ran around as the Jayhawk Big Jay mascot and got married. An M.S. from San Diego State University and a Ph.D. in Astrophysics at Indiana University completed his transformation into professional scientist as well as dad to a daughter and twin sons. Even though he has never physically made it into space, he loves being a landlubber astronaut as he gets to go out and explore the cosmos each and every day. He helps train amateur astronomers to participate in relevant research with their equipment as part of the Center for Backyard Astrophysics at Columbia University and with the American Association of Variable Star Observers. He studies interacting binary stars, builds hardware and programs software for the automation of robotic telescopes & observatories, and hunts supernovae. But most importantly, performs astrometry of potentially hazardous asteroids saving humanity from the fate of the dinosaurs. He is a member of the American Astronomical Society, the American Meteorological Society and has twice been the President of the Arkansas Academy of Science. When he is not doing any of that, he tackles his 1 ½ acre garden and plays enormous amounts of basketball.

Dr. Abdelilah Salim Sehlaoui is a professor of TESOL and Applied Linguistics with more than 33 years combined leadership experience as an educator, teacher educator, and administrator (in North Africa and the USA) and currently serves as the College of Education Director of Grant Research at Sam Houston State University. His current research interests include, among others, the development of critical cross-cultural communicative competence (C⁵) in educators and academic leaders, critical pedagogy in teacher education, and computer-assisted language learning (CALL). Dr. Sehlaoui has designed and managed large-scale federal grants, he has presented at various international and national conferences, he has provided professional consulting to schools and universities around the world, and he has published numerous peer-refereed journal articles, book chapters, and books, including his latest titled Teaching ESL and STEM through CALL. He has also been an engaged member and leader of many regional, national, and international professional organizations, and the recipient of several professional awards.

Dr. Hal Strough currently serves as associate dean in the Dr. Pallavi Patel College of Health Care Sciences at Nova Southeastern University Florida in Fort Lauderdale, FL. He is also department chair and an associate professor in the Health and Human Performance. He was previously the founding department chair of the Athletic Training Department at The College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, MN. Prior to that he was the founding program director of athletic training at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh in Oshkosh, WI.

Mark Wallenmeyer, MBA, CNMT, RT(N), FSNMMITS is the Dean of Health Professions at NorthWest Arkansas Community College. Mr. Wallenmeyer is a certified nuclear medicine technologist. He worked in the clinical setting for 11 years, and then spent 15 years as an instructor, assistant professor and then program director at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences before taking the role of Dean of Health Professions. Mr. Wallenmeyer has held leadership positions with the Society of Nuclear Medicine at the local, regional and culminating in being elected president of the national organization. Mr. Wallenmeyer is an accomplished speaker who has been invited to and spoken at international conferences across the globe in nuclear medicine, management and leadership.

Nicole McZeal Walters is a skilled educator with 20 years of professional educational experience holding teaching, administrative, consulting, and instructional design positions in school and non-profit organizations. Her public school career spanned 10 years as an early childhood, elementary teacher and principal in the Aldine Independent School District. Dr. Walters presently serves as the Dean of Aquinas College at the University of St. Thomas, and an Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership. Her research agenda includes developing culturally relevant leaders to embrace servant leadership, female leadership in higher education, social philanthropy, and integrating culture and language to support academic achievement in underserved, marginalized students.

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.

Terry Wright is Dean of the College of Fine Arts and Communication and Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Central Arkansas. He is the author of seven books/chapbooks of poetry. He is also a visual artist. His written and artistic work has widely appeared in print and digital media in publications ranging from “Rolling Stone” to “USA Today.”

John Gardner is an educator, university professor and administrator, non-profit organization chief executive officer, author, editor, public speaker, consultant, change agent, student retention specialist, first-year, sophomore, transfer, and senior year students’ advocate, and initiator and scholar of the American first-year and senior-year reform movements. He serves as Chair and Chief Executive Officer of the John N. Gardner Institute for Excellence in Undergraduate Education, and is the Founding Director and Senior Fellow of the National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition. John is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Library and Information Science at the University of South Carolina, and the recipient of twelve honorary doctoral degrees, as well as numerous local and national professional awards. John has authored and co-authored numerous articles and books, including: Step by Step to College and Career Success, Your College Experience: Strategies for Success, and The Senior Year Experience: Facilitating Integration, Reflection, Closure, and Transition.

Amy Baldwin, Ed.D., Director of the Department of Student Transitions at the University of Central Arkansas, has worked with first-year community college and university students for over 20 years. She wrote the first community college student success and first-generation student success textbooks for Pearson Education. She most recently co-authored A High School Parent’s Guide to Student Success: 12 Essentials with Brian Tietje, Ph.D.

Jeff Buller has served in administrative positions ranging from department chair to vice president for academic affairs. He is currently Florida Atlantic University’s Director of Leadership and Professional Development, as well as the author of fifteen books on higher education administration, including The Essential Academic Dean or Provost, Change Leadership in Higher Education, and Positive Academic Leadership. Along with Robert E. Cipriano, Jeff is a senior partner of ATLAS: Academic Training, Leadership, & Assessment Services, through which he has presented numerous workshops on academic leadership, implementing change processes and promoting a positive approach to college administration.

Bob Cipriano served as a department chair for 28 years and has conducted research and written extensively on such topics as civility and collegiality in higher education, managing conflict, and  the changing roles and responsibilities of academic leaders. He is the author of Facilitating a Collegial Department in Higher Education: Strategies for Success and co-author with Jeff Buller of A Toolkit For Department Chairs and A Toolkit for College Professors. Bob is a Senior Partner in ATLAS – Academic Training, Leadership & Assessment Services, an internationally acclaimed consulting firm specializing in academic leadership training, and has been invited to deliver more than 260 presentations in the US, Asia, and the Middle East.

Greg Cook is the Vice Provost and Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater where his primary responsibilities include the development of new academic programs, professional development for faculty and staff, and student success initiatives as well as strategic planning, budget management, and assisting with personnel policies and reviews in Academic Affairs. Greg enjoys working with the LEAP (Liberal Education & America’s Promise) initiative with faculty, staff, administrators, and students to improve student learning and success, all toward delivering on America’s Promise to provide high-quality educational programs for all students.

Bryan Dewsbury is an Assistant Professor of Biology at the University of Rhode Island. He is the Principal Investigator for the SEAS (Science Education and Society) program. Their research focuses on questions relating to identity constructs, bias, relationships, and the effects of those variables on learning in students (from K-PhD). Dr. Dewsbury is ultimately interested in helping to re-frame the education discussion to better address questions of equity and community-building. His work addresses pressing issues such as the under-representation and retention of minority groups in STEM fields, and the role of effect (instructor and student) in promoting student learning gains. He uses the results of those efforts to help faculty develop inclusive curricula and sense of community in the classroom.

Michael Gray has a PhD in Microbiology from Clemson University. During a 40-year career (mainly at Bob Jones University) he has taught over 10,000 university students at levels ranging from freshman non-majors through graduate students. He has created numerous innovative courses including, most recently, an issues-focused blended course for non-majors called Essential Science. He consults with universities to assist their faculty in focusing and interconnecting curriculum to create transformative learning environments. He equips faculty who aspire to effectively engage students in deep and durable learning.

Tony Holland is Special Assistant to the Chief of Staff of the Alabama Community College System where he is responsible for developing and implementing a state-wide faculty development program. Prior to assuming this position, he served six years as Dean of Instructional Affairs at Wallace Community College (WCCD) in Dothan, AL, and 22 years as a chemistry instructor there, while concurrently serving over ten of those years as Division Director for Natural Sciences. Through Mr. Holland’s conception and implementation of the I-CAN (Improvement, Constant And Never-ending) instructional initiative, WCCD was recognized in 2017 by the American Association of Community Colleges as the top community college in the nation with the Student Success Award of Excellence. Mr. Holland has given over 80 presentations on leading, teaching, and learning at multiple state and national conferences, as well as over 40 colleges and universities around the country. He has also had several articles published in Community College Weekly magazine on these same topics.

Jillian Kinzie, Ph.D. is Associate Director, Center for Postsecondary Research and the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) Institute, Indiana University School of Education. She conducts research and leads project activities on effective use of student engagement data to improve educational quality and issues of teaching and learning, and serves as senior scholar with the National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment (NILOA) project. She is co-author of Assessment in Student Affairs (2016), Using Evidence of Student Learning to Improve Higher Education (2015), Student Success in College (2005/2010). She is co-editor of New Directions in Higher Education and serves on the boards of the Washington Internship Institute, and the Gardner Institute for Excellence in Undergraduate Education. Kinzie earned her PhD from Indiana University in higher education with a minor in women’s studies. Prior to this, she served on the faculty of Indiana University and coordinated the master’s program in higher education and student affairs. She also worked in academic and student affairs at Miami University and Case Western Reserve University.

Donald Pearl is the Director of the Center for Academic Success at the Georgia Institute of Technology where he oversees extensive programs in tutoring, supplemental instruction, and academic coaching that serve more than 4,000 students each semester. Dr. Pearl has been an academic administrator for 18 years during which time he has held the positions of science chair, academic dean, and vice-president of academic affairs at several two year colleges. Prior to coming to Georgia Tech, he served as the Assistant Vice-President for Academic Affairs at Georgia Perimeter College in Atlanta Georgia, where he was responsible for Complete College Georgia initiatives, tutoring, supplemental instruction, advising, Dekalb Early College Academy, and dual enrollment. He has presented at a number of conferences about student retention, progression, and graduation.

Ann Marie VanDerZanden is a Louis Thompson Distinguished Undergraduate Teacher, and Associate Provost for Academic Programs at Iowa State University. At ISU, she provides leadership in undergraduate education including in the area of diversity and inclusion in the classroom. Dr. VanDerZanden regularly presents at regional and national conferences on a number of topics in higher education.

Greg Walton is an Associate Professor of Psychology at Stanford University. Much of his research investigates psychological processes that contribute to major social problems and how “wise” interventions that target these processes can help people flourish, even over long periods of time. Dr. Walton and his collaborators have shown that one of the most powerful sources of influence on students’ motivation is their sense of belonging. This insight led Dr. Walton to develop the social-belonging intervention and co-found the College Success Collaborative to implement and assess the effectiveness of the intervention at colleges and universities across the United States and Canada. Dr. Walton’s research has been covered in major media outlets including the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, NPR, and The Chronicle of Higher Education. He has presented to numerous educators and policymakers including at the White House.

Ken Warden is the Dean of the College of Applied Science and Technology at the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith. He holds a doctorate in workforce development education and, prior to his position as dean, severed as the Associate Vice Chancellor for Workforce Development at UAFS. He also serves on the Executive Committee of the National Council for Workforce Education as the Vice President of Communications. Under Dr. Warden’s leadership, UAFS secured and implemented an Arkansas Regional Workforce Grant that funded an Automation Academy for robotics in manufacturing and a Data Analytics Academy. Dr. Warden’s research interests focus on non-traditional students, credit and non-credit workforce aligned programs, student retention, and sustainability initiatives on college campuses.

Jeff Buller has served in administrative positions ranging from department chair to vice president for academic affairs. He is currently Florida Atlantic University’s Director of Leadership and Professional Development, as well as the author of fifteen books on higher education administration, including The Essential Academic Dean or Provost, Change Leadership in Higher Education, and Positive Academic Leadership. Along with Robert E. Cipriano, Jeff is a senior partner of ATLAS: Academic Training, Leadership, & Assessment Services, through which he has presented numerous workshops on academic leadership, implementing change processes and promoting a positive approach to college administration.

Laura Burke, ScD, MPH, is the founding dean of the School of Health Sciences at Regis College.  Since joining Regis, she has served in many roles including associate professor, director of the Public Health Program and associate dean. She launched Regis’ public health program and has collaborated on the development of multiple other programs at both the undergraduate and graduate level. In her role as Dean, Dr. Burke has been instrumental in the growth of the School of Health Sciences at Regis.  She has also focused on expanding the research capabilities of the School of Health Sciences. Dr. Burke is the co-creator of the Regis Center for Interprofessional Education and has presented at national conferences on the implementation of interprofessional curricula in the health sciences.

Committed to transformative place-making, Andrew Broderick is a Senior Planner at Perkins+Will focusing on helping higher education, healthcare, and other institutional clients make important decisions that impact their future built environment. As a certified urban planner (AICP, LEED AP), he thinks comprehensively about issues such as demographics, capital investment, land/space use, sustainability, public open space, transportation, and infrastructure. His work includes long-range, large-scale campus master plan and urban district projects as well as individual building projects. He values his role as a “tip-of-the-spear” thinker when it comes to strategically advising clients on future space programs and place-making strategies. He embraces complex and multidisciplinary projects, an iterative and engaging process, and actionable project outcomes.

J. Warren Casey, a professor of music, has just completed four decades of full-time collegiate teaching and administrative experiences. Casey currently serves as the dean of the College of Arts and Humanities at Harding University and chairs the undergraduate Liberal Arts curriculum committee.

Bob Cipriano served as a department chair for 28 years and has conducted research and written extensively on such topics as civility and collegiality in higher education, managing conflict, and  the changing roles and responsibilities of academic leaders. He is the author of Facilitating a Collegial Department in Higher Education: Strategies for Success and co-author with Jeff Buller of A Toolkit For Department Chairs and A Toolkit for College Professors. Bob is a Senior Partner in ATLAS – Academic Training, Leadership & Assessment Services, an internationally acclaimed consulting firm specializing in academic leadership training, and has been invited to deliver more than 260 presentations in the US, Asia, and the Middle East.

Stephen Coulston, Principal at Perkins+Will, is an architect and planner (AIA) in the Austin office who has spent 25 years working with higher education, healthcare and institutional clients on projects ranging from complex, multi-million dollar building projects to long-range strategic master plans. His focus on strategic systems and approaches influences clients’ management processes, capital investments, and long term operations. With a personal mantra of “process matters,” Stephen cross leverages skill sets of institutional organizations, communities and businesses in a way that fosters creativity, dialogue and newfound opportunity for success through transformation and a focus on actionable outcomes.

Lisa (Elizabeth) Crandall has taught Life Sciences for 30 years at both 2-yr and 4-yr colleges in Florida and Arkansas. She has most recently served as Dean of Business, Math, & Sciences at New Mexico Jr. College since Fall of 2016.

Joe Golding is Chairman and CEO of Advancement Resources, the world leader in research-based professional education and breakthrough thinking in philanthropy. He led the team that conducted the initial research that forms the basis of Advancement Resources’ work in major-gift fundraising. Joe has personally delivered workshops for medical organizations and academic institutions throughout the United States, in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, and has been honored to serve as a keynote and plenary speaker for many philanthropic conferences. He also provides individualized outcome-based coaching for academic and healthcare leadership. Joe is passionate about helping organizations build comprehensive programs that engage all associates in driving meaningful, transformational philanthropy.

Bruce King has lead campus diversity and multicultural efforts at several institutions and currently serves as Assistant to the President and Chief Diversity Officer at St. Olaf College. He attended Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education Institute on Educational Management (IEM) and Management Development Program (MDP) and served as a public policy fellow with the University of Minnesota’s Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs. Bruce chaired the Associated Colleges of the Midwest (ACM) Committee on Minority Concerns and earned a national reputation as a founding member and second vice president of the National Association for Diversity Officers in Higher Education (NADOHE). He is a current member of the advisory group for the ACM/Mellon funded Undergraduate and Faculty Fellows Program for a Diverse Professoriate.

During his postsecondary career, Scott Newman has held faculty, mid- and senior-level leadership positions. From 2001 to 2013 he served as founding Dean of the School of Information Technologies at the Oklahoma State University (OSU) Institute of Technology. He currently serves as the University’s Vice President of Academic Affairs. Newman is a Peer Reviewer for The Higher Learning Commission, and a former Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education Fellow and American Council on Education Fellow. Newman has been honored for his contributions to and through higher education—including identification as one of the nation’s top technology leaders by Computerworld, and selection to receive the American Association of University Administrators’ McInnis/Ryan Award for Mid-Career Higher Education Leadership. Newman’s diverse scholarly interests include postsecondary innovation and leadership. Recent publications include articles in Inside Higher Ed and The Chronicle of Higher Education, and a higher education leadership textbook.

Malcolm North grew up on the east coast of Australia and studied communication, cultural studies, philosophy and psychology. In Australia, he worked in news-media for 15 years. For ten years in Europe, he studied the judgment patterns of leaders as an organizational and development coach and consultant and worked alongside human rights advocates. His PhD in psychology tests associations among identity, personality, judgment and decision-making. Malcolm founded the Research Center of Applied Value Sciences in Munich and XQ Research, a research platform to further knowledge and applications in value judgment and how it predicts behavior.

Jeff Stebar (AIA, LEED AP), Principal at Perkins+Will, is a nationally recognized leader and specialist in the design and planning of campus center and student union facilities. For over 25 years, he has successfully led master planning, programming, and design efforts for university clients worldwide. His Student Union and Campus Center projects total over five million square feet and include projects at University of Arizona, Texas A&M University, Virginia Tech, University of Washington, University of Kentucky, University of Oxford and dozens more in North America and around the world. His “Form­ing a More Perfect Union Process” is widely recognized for its effectiveness in engaging students and building consensus with diverse and complex groups of stakeholders.

Marla Strecker is the Senior Associate Director for Academic Affairs as well as Research and Analytics at the Arkansas Department of Higher Education. She is responsible for academic policy development for the agency and also hold the role of chief data officer. Dr. Strecker serves as the Action Team Leader for Data and Predictive Analytics for the SREB Educational Technology Cooperative’s “Top 10 Educational Technology Issues”. She is recognized as an award winning researcher in college readiness and innovative college remediation design. In 2013, the Arkansas Senate issued a formal citation in recognition of Strecker’s work and contributions to improving education. Strecker serves on local and state K-16 academic improvement and strategic planning initiatives. She is a resilient advocate for streamlined and effective K-16 policy to promote success in post-secondary attainment for Arkansas.

Paula Vene Smith, a professor at Grinnell College, directs the Purposeful Risk Engagement Project (PREP) to help college and university leaders identify, evaluate, and address the primary risks on their campus. She previously served as Grinnell’s vice president for academic affairs and chief academic officer for five years. In addition to teaching on the Grinnell faculty, Paula writes and consults on risk in higher education. Her book, Engaging Risk: A Guide for College Leaders, received positive reviews and was listed among “Selected New Books” in The Chronicle of Higher Education.

Nicole McZeal Walters is a skilled educator with 20 years of professional educational experience holding teaching, administrative, consulting, and instructional design positions in school and non-profit organizations. Her public school career spanned 10 years as an early childhood, elementary teacher and principal in the Aldine Independent School District. Dr. Walters presently serves as the Associate Dean of Graduate Programs at the University of St. Thomas in the School of Education, and an Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership. Her research agenda includes developing culturally relevant leaders to embrace servant leadership, female leadership in higher education, social philanthropy, and integrating culture and language to support academic achievement in underserved, marginalized students.

Jenifer K. Ward is the Ed and Caroline Crawford Eminent Scholars Chair of Liberal Arts and serves, since 2014, as Provost and Dean of the College at Centenary College of Louisiana. She completed her Ph.D. in German at Vanderbilt University and taught language, literature, cinema, and cultural studies for many years at liberal arts colleges, before joining Cornish College of the Arts as Dean of the College. She is the former president of the Association of Departments of Foreign Languages, and a two-time Fulbright Scholar. In addition to numerous articles, essays, and book chapters, she published the co-edited volume Reworking the German Past: Adaptations in Film, the Arts, and Popular Culture (Rochester, NY: Camden House, 2010). She serves on the Executive Committee of the Council of Deans of the Associated Colleges of the South.

Diane Welsh is the Dean for the Regis College School of Nursing, and oversees eight (8) programs and 50 faculty members. She has been employed by Regis for ten years and has held roles as a Program Director and Associate Dean. She is the co-creator of the Regis Center for Interprofessional Education and has served as faculty in the Doctoral Program working with students on their Capstone Projects. She is the Co-Chair for the Massachusetts Nursing Core Competency Committee. Dr. Welsh has experience in new program development and established two new second degree bachelor of science in nursing programs for Regis College. She currently oversees the development of new on-line nursing programs.