An accomplished leader and emerging higher education scholar, Kyra Lobbins played a key role in the overall leadership, direction, and national reputation of Adler University – a graduate institution uniquely dedicated to advancing social justice. As Chief of Staff previously, Kyra provided support and counsel to the President and key leaders across Adler’s three-campus system – with a focus on operations and administration, institutional advancement, and development of the Board of Trustees. Kyra joined Adler in May of 2021, after an 8-year tenure at Clemson University – most recently serving as the deputy chief of staff in the Office of the President. During her time at Clemson, Kyra served as a member of the University’s Executive Leadership Team, working closely with their President and Chief of Staff along with other leaders across campus on strategic initiatives in student recruitment, academics, communication, alumni engagement, diversity and inclusion, fundraising, and university operations. Prior to that, Kyra served as Director of the President’s Leadership and Strategic Initiatives, which included developing and overseeing the President’s Leadership Institute (PLI). She has spoken nationally on PLI’s success and popularity with faculty and staff at Clemson and has consulted with other universities about creating a similar model. […]
I help leaders in higher education navigate change with clarity and confidence — offering a trusted space to quiet self-doubt, recalibrate and lead from solid ground. “I stopped second-guessing myself and started making decisions I could stand behind. Beth helped me build confidence in my role and prepare for what’s next.” My work focuses on helping leaders navigate transitions, manage the stressors of institutional change, and clarify their next steps. I create a reflective and supportive space where you can think clearly, reconnect to your strengths, and lead with a steadier sense of self. What we might work on: I’ve spent decades working at the intersection of leadership and psychology, balancing private psychotherapy practice with executive coaching and consulting. I became a coach after seeing how many talented leaders struggle silently during transitions — not because they lack ability, but because they lack the internal support needed to meet external demands with confidence. My work is grounded in training as a clinical psychologist and organizational development specialist, with degrees from Columbia, Cal State Hayward, and Temple University. I’ve taught at undergraduate and graduate levels and have published on what I call “leadership consciousness.” Outside of work, music keeps me grounded: […]
Niecie Washington, Senior Meeting Planner, ensures that all our in-person events go off without a hitch. She is our go-to for meeting planning and logistics. Niecie has more than 15 years’ experience in meeting and event planning with organizations ranging from Academic Impressions, Marriott Corporation, and the City and County of Denver. Niece has a degree from Grambling State University and recently emptied her nest with her daughter flown off to Colorado State University. During the week, Niecie keeps us all on our toes; on the weekends, she enjoys a quiet house and some long overdue downtime.
Meg has been with AI since 2013. She works with members and partners, making sure that we are integrating with and supporting the work already happening at higher ed institutions strategically and mindfully. Meg landed at Academic Impressions after spending four years teaching and traveling abroad and has a bachelor of arts in liberal studies from the University of Notre Dame.
As Assistant Director of Partner Success, Christine works alongside the Director to lead a team of partner success managers dedicated to helping member institutions achieve their professional development goals and get the most out of their memberships. Over her nearly 20-year tenure with Academic Impressions, she has held diverse leadership roles spanning operations, learning and development, online programming, and event planning, ensuring she can leverage her deep institutional knowledge to ensure high-quality experience for every AI partner. Prior to joining the organization, Christine worked in executive education at Harvard Business School and in public relations. She holds a B.A. from the University of Richmond. Christine resides in Denver, where she is the happiest close to the mountains, family, friends, and her dogs.
As the Director of Leadership and Partner Development, Sarah interfaces with higher ed leaders regularly to understand their needs. She then uses her organizational and leadership development expertise to design engagements that support their goals and drive progress. Sarah travels to campuses across the country regularly to facilitate leadership workshops for faculty, chairs, deans, and staff. She oversees Academic Impressions’ academic leadership development and strategic planning work and supports others across the organization with needs analysis, proposal development, and engagement design. Outside of the office, Sarah is a mother of two young daughters and resides in Vermont. She enjoys cooking and baking, spending time outdoors, journaling, reading, and spending time with friends and family.
Amit co-founded Academic Impressions in 2002 to build the capacity of leaders at all levels in higher education. Under his direction, AI has grown to be the largest provider of leadership development for the higher education community and has served over 200,000 people at 3,500 institutions ranging from community colleges to R1 institutions. In addition to his responsibilities leading the organization, Amit actively facilitates leadership workshops, coaches leaders, consults with boards and cabinets, and authors various thought pieces on strategic issues facing higher-ed leaders. He is a certified strengths coach and has been published in numerous outlets including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Huffington Post, International Educator and The Chronicle for Higher Education. He also co-hosts a new podcast focused on higher education leadership and strategy. Articles
I work with higher education leaders to be courageous, confident, successful leaders. Throughout her 40-year career in higher education, Dr. Karen Whitney has held a variety of executive and leadership positions with increasing levels of responsibility, beginning as a Director to Associate Vice President, Vice Chancellor, President, and Chancellor. Karen is a nationally recognized organizational and leadership development writer, speaker, consultant and advisor. She holds a doctorate from the University of Texas at Austin in Higher Education Administration and is a certified coach through the Center for Executive Coaching. Today, Karen’s work revolves around advising and consulting with higher education leaders with stints in serving as an interim executive leader herself. Karen has been a leadership coach to Presidents, Provosts, VPs and Deans since 2018. As a consultant, she specializes in the area of interim or transitional leadership. She works with boards, system heads and campus CEOS to select the very best interim leadership solutions often needed at the most crucial times. Karen’s approach to leadership coaching is to combine a proven track-record of higher education leadership with a variety of engagement approaches, including advising, coaching, facilitating, and training. Drawing on her vast experience at every level of leadership, she […]
Steve Riccio is a leadership coach, educator, and organizational development consultant who helps leaders and teams perform with greater clarity, effectiveness, and purpose. Drawing from more than 25 years of experience across higher education and organizational consulting, Steve partners with leaders at all levels—from emerging managers to senior executives—to navigate workplace challenges, strengthen relationships, and lead with confidence. Known for his thoughtful presence and practical approach, Steve creates coaching partnerships grounded in trust, accountability, and meaningful reflection. Clients describe him as both empathetic and appropriately challenging, helping them uncover blind spots, think strategically, and take intentional action. He believes one of the greatest gifts a leader can offer is attentive listening. Steve has accumulated more than 1,300 hours of leadership coaching experience working with individuals and teams on communication, organizational effectiveness, conflict management, leadership transition, and team development. While every leader’s journey is unique, Steve emphasizes three core principles that consistently drive leadership success: Engage in productive conflict through respect and candor Prioritize strategic thinking over constant operational urgency Develop employees through coaching rather than problem-solving for them Steve also works with clients to build self-awareness and self-care practices that support resilience, sound decision-making, and long-term effectiveness. He believes leaders […]
Mr. Dexter A. Bailey, Jr. is a fundraising executive with more than 30 years of experience in higher education. Prior to joining Caltech in July 2019, he served as senior vice president for advancement at Stony Brook University and executive director of the Stony Brook Foundation (501c3), where he led the most successful fundraising campaign in the history of the State University of New York (SUNY) system. Over the course of his career, Mr. Bailey has successfully built and managed development and alumni relations programs at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, the University of California, Berkeley Department of Intercollegiate Athletics, the University of Washington School of Law, and the Ohio University College of Education. His expertise includes reengineering comprehensive fundraising programs, securing complex principal gifts, advancing grateful patient initiatives, strengthening alumni relations, developing high-performing teams, optimizing organizational structures, and executing modern, comprehensive campaigns. Mr. Bailey serves on the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) 50 Steering Committee and as a Board member of the Turkana Basin Institute, International Advisory Board (IAB) and the One Arroyo Foundation. He earned a BS in journalism from the Ohio University E.W. Scripps School of Journalism and an MBA from the University of Toledo. He […]
