Eileen Strempel is a higher education public policy expert focused on student access and success and was honored as a Presidential Scholar in the Arts by President Reagan at the White House. With co-author Stephen J. Handel, her latest book is Beyond Free College: Making Higher Education Work for 21st Century Students. Previously, Strempel served as the inaugural dean of The Herb Alpert School of Music and was a Professor at UCLA’s School of Education & Information Studies. Before that, she served as the Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs at the University of Cincinnati, served in a variety of roles at Syracuse University, where she was awarded a Kauffman Foundation eProfessorship and an ACE Fellowship, which she served at Colgate University.
Gwen Cash-James serves as Associate Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs at Eastern Washington University. She oversees professional and leadership development for faculty, weaving evidence-based practice with tools chairs and other faculty can use tomorrow. Her through-line is simple: clear structures, humane leadership, and practical habits that help faculty thrive in the workplace. Outside of her work at EWU, Gwen has served for more than 10 years as a peer evaluator for the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. Prior to her arrival at EWU, she served as Dean of Arts and Sciences at Spokane Community Colleges and as a tenured English faculty member within Washington’s community colleges. She is a very proud EWU alum.
Dr. Judi Wilson was appointed Dean of the College of Education and Human Development at Augusta University (AU) in July 2019. She has served Augusta University in multiple leadership roles, including Interim Dean, Associate Dean for Initial Certification, Accreditation, and Partnerships, Department Chair of Teacher Education, and Assistant Chair. A dedicated faculty member at AU since 2003, Dr. Wilson brings 35 years of experience as an educator. She is certified to teach grades P–8 and began her career as an elementary school teacher in Athens, Perry, and Cochran, Georgia. She went on to serve as a primary, middle school, and district-level administrator, building a strong foundation in both teaching and leadership. Dr. Wilson is deeply committed to partnerships and collaboration with higher education institutions, public school districts, private schools, government agencies, nonprofits, and local businesses. She earned her Ed.D. in Educational Administration from Georgia Southern University, her Ed.S. in Educational Leadership and M.Ed. in Early Childhood Education from the University of Georgia, and her B.A. in Education from Furman University. Under her leadership as Dean, the College has experienced remarkable growth, with enrollment increasing from 830 students to more than 2,300 students, and research funding expanding to over $7.5 million […]
Ryan Freytag serves as the Director of Alumni and Constituent Engagement at Carnegie Mellon University, where he leads alumni engagement initiatives across central University Advancement and the university’s schools and colleges. He also oversees the development and execution of both virtual and in-person academic programming for alumni. As a neurodivergent individual with profound unilateral hearing loss, Ryan is deeply committed to accessibility and ensures that inclusivity and disability awareness are integral to the programs he designs and delivers.
Elyssa Faison is in her second term as academic chair of the OU Department of History. Her research and teaching focuses on modern Japanese history. Prior to serving as History Department chair, she served as interim chair of Women’s and Gender Studies at OU for a year and a half and oversaw a search for an external WGS Department Chair. She also serves currently as Provost’s Faculty Fellow for Faculty Leadership Development, working closely with the OU Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs. She previously served as Faculty Fellow for Faculty Affairs for the University of Oklahoma Dodge Family College of Arts and Sciences. In that role, she oversaw the college tenure and promotion process and launched a new monthly Lunch and Learn program for DFCAS chairs and directors. That continuing series features guest speakers from within the college and around campus who share their expertise about policies, procedures, faculty and student recruitment, leadership, and more. She believes that leadership comes from deep engagement with all levels of administration, and with faculty and students.
As Vice Provost, Sarah Ellis oversees key areas of Academic Affairs that support faculty success, including annual evaluation, tenure and promotion, and post-tenure review processes. She leads chair and director and faculty leadership development initiatives and contributes to the development and implementation of faculty-related policies and procedures. She also serves as the Provost’s Office Liaison to Chairs, Directors, and Associate Deans. Her portfolio includes the Center for Faculty Excellence, the Writing Center, and the Provost’s Office Faculty Affairs and Finance team. As a researcher, her interests have centered on the creation of meaning within musical works. Much of her work has focused on understanding the hermeneutics of Dmitri Shostakovich’s repertoire through his manipulation of post-Beethovenian semiotic space.
Elizabeth joined Gray DI in June 2018 after spending two years teaching high school math at a New Orleans charter school. Elizabeth is the Product Owner of Gray DI’s Program Economics and Outcomes platform. She has worked with over two dozen clients on projects including Program Portfolio Strategy Workshops, Program Economics, Curricular Efficiency, pricing and location modeling, and custom competitor and program analyses. Internally, she contributes to RFP submissions, leads analyst recruiting, hiring, and onboarding, and designs and develops data dashboards. She graduated with Honors from Georgetown University with bachelor’s degrees in French and Economics.
Helping current and aspiring leaders clarify their goals, navigate complex challenges, and experience increased fulfillment in their professional and personal lives. Tracey’s coaching philosophy centers on empowering clients to take the driver’s seat in their own leadership journey. She structures each session as a “road trip” on which she helps clients identify their desired destination or goal. She uses a roadmap of tools and perspectives to help them see blind spots, navigate potential roadblocks, make informed decisions at critical crossroads, and celebrate experimentation and success along the way. Having personally experienced the transformative power of coaching, Tracey is passionate about sharing this powerful gift with individuals who actively seek growth and transformation. She takes pride in creating coaching spaces in which her clients feel seen, heard, valued, and inspired toward progress. As Associate Vice President for Strategic Initiatives in Human Resources at New York University, Tracey leads initiatives focused on leadership development and career advancement. She recently co-created and co-facilitated an innovative program designed to equip leaders with foundational coaching skills that help them become more confident, empathetic, and effective managers. In her prior role as Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, she gained a profound understanding of the […]
