I support leadership journeys in the transitions – life never goes as planned, and I coach leaders to be nimble and pivot to achieve growth during challenging times. Using a strengths-based approach, and expertise as a human resource management practitioner and scholar, Karen uses her nearly 25 years of higher education experience to support you navigating the interruptions. As a coach, she brings her expertise as a senior certified human resource management professional and Gallup-trained coach to her work with clients. Her knowledge of staff and faculty affairs (having worked in organizations governed both with and without collective bargaining agreements), fiscal responsibility, strategic planning, public/private partnerships and accreditation informs her depth of understanding. That knowledge has shaped her recognition that higher education leaders must lead by example with integrity, transparency, and vision, all while having to make tough decisions executed under competing constraints. In her coaching conversations, she partners with clients to tackle their leadership challenges along with their own personal goals and career aspirations. Karen has been using her passion for employee success to help her colleagues be successful in their personal and professional lives. She supports her clients’ growth by helping them examine their leadership path and goals […]
Developing strong leaders who lead strong institutions. Former University President, Kina S. Mallard, Ph.D. has been leading leaders for over 30 years. She is a skilled coach and consultant, engaging workshop facilitator, and dynamic speaker. She has an extensive background in working with the strengths of leaders and moving them from good to great. Dr. Mallard has coached higher education leaders at all levels. She has developed and led national workshops on various leadership topics. launched faculty and women’s leadership programs, and consulted with and coached presidents and vice-presidents as they lead their institutions and leadership teams in supporting the mission of their universities. Kina’s enthusiasm for supporting and cultivating strong leaders in higher education drives her coaching practice. She believes the leaders she works with are creative, resourceful, and whole. They have the answers to their questions and the solutions to their problems inside them. Her approach is to walk alongside them with deep listening and provocative questions helping them expand their possibilities and move from point A to point B. Kina’s experience allows her to view leadership through different lenses, having served at every leadership level in higher education including Department Chair and Associate Provost at Union University, […]
With over two decades of experience in higher education philanthropy, Renee is a speaker and facilitator on advancement topics. She has extensive experience in building collaborative teams, managing complex projects and leading alumni and donor relations efforts. Renee most recently served as the Associate Vice President of Advancement and Foundation Administration at Western Michigan University. In this role, she directed the operations for University Advancement, including finances, HR and training, along with the operations of the WMU Foundation. Additionally, Renee oversaw the implementation of the $550 million Empowering Futures Gift, a historic philanthropic contribution dedicated to creating pathways to graduation and student success, increasing retention and improving student resilience. Prior to joining WMU in 2009, Renee worked as a development officer at both Washington University in St. Louis and the University of California, Davis. Within the community, Renee a past president and board member of the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra. Born and raised in California and a proud graduate of St. Mary’s College of California, Renee and her husband reside in Portage, Michigan.
With over a decade of experience in higher education and operations, Autumn brings a rich background in supporting first-generation students and navigating her own career path. Autumn’s expertise extends to community engagement and self-empowerment, where she equips individuals with self-advocacy and boundary setting skills. Autumn is dedicated to empowering individuals to confidently navigate their professional and personal lives, leveraging her experience in fostering growth and resilience. Autumn currently resides in Portland, Oregon.
Alex Juarez is currently serving as an HR Learning and Development Partner at Dallas College in Farmers Branch, Texas. She previously served in other human resources support roles at local school districts and city government. Outside of work, Alex volunteers with her local SHRM chapter, enjoys bird watching, card making, reading, and baking desserts.
Laura Mirochna moved to Texas in 2018 to assist TWU Dallas faculty with the transition from Blackboard to Canvas, followed by a transition from face-to-face to online learning. Since June of 2022 she has been a Learning Experience Designer at Dallas College, working with Administrators, Faculty, and Staff to address Professional and Leadership Development needs. Her Leaders at All Levels program launched in February and includes partnerships with Franklin Covey, Solution Spark, Situational Leadership, Academic Impressions, and Crucial Conversations. She is ABD at the University of Kentucky working towards a PhD in Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation, hoping to graduate by the end of this year. She holds Master’s degrees in Communication Studies and Curriculum & Instruction and has fifteen years of teaching experience from K-16. She has four children: one teaching elementary music in Round Rock, one graduating this summer from UTSA with a Bachelor’s degree in Education, one graduated this May with an Associate’s degree in Mechanical Engineering then will be transferring to the University of Kentucky, and one graduated this May from Townview TAG High School and will attend UH in the Fall. Her husband also graduated in May with a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from […]
In her role, Ruth Pionke works with the dean and the school’s leadership team to conduct college assessments, oversee the scholarship program, manage external communications, and lead various initiatives, such as student retention, enrollment, and process improvements. Before this position, Ruth was the senior information officer and director of continuing education for ten years in the UA College of Arts & Sciences, where she administered and evaluated all technology initiatives for the college, oversaw technology policies and procedures, and directed their online course development program. Prior to her academic life, Ruth was a biochemist and worked as a lab analyst and investigations manager in various chemical manufacturing companies, such as Meridian Biosciences and Sigma-Aldrich.
Dr. Jackson’s diverse career in academia has spanned from Title IV-E Coordinator/Instructor of an undergraduate social work program at an HBCU, to Director of Field Education for the first fully online university to receive CSWE accreditation for an MSW program, to her current role as a tenured Associate Professor and Associate Dean of Educational Programs and Student Services of a Research I university. As a first-generation college student, Dr. Jackson is passionate about education. This passion has guided her practice, research, and scholarship. Her two lines of education research include (1) post-secondary education access and success for youth transitioning from foster care, and (2) online social work education. Dr. Jackson’s research on transition-age foster youth is grounded in her extensive practice experience and expertise in this area. In 2008, she founded the National Social Work Enrichment Program (NSEP), a pre-college program which seeks to encourage foster youth to consider social work as a college major, while inspiring youth to graduate high school and enroll in college. Dr. Jackson continues to lead this organization with the vision to improve the educational outcomes of youth, while collecting significant pre-college program data, an unchartered area of post-secondary foster care research. Dr. Jackson was […]
A native of Selma, Alabama, Schnavia Smith Hatcher brings 25 years of experience in clinical social work practice, community-engaged research, and higher education to the University of Alabama School of Social Work, where she assumed the role as its eighth Dean in 2021. Hatcher is the first Black woman to serve as Dean since the school was established by the state Legislature in 1965 and is keen to advance its social justice and community well-being initiatives. Prior to UA, Hatcher was the inaugural director of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte’s School of Social Work from 2016 to 2021, where she also established and led the School’s Race and Social Equity Academy. Hatcher also founded the Center for African American Studies at the University of Texas at Arlington, the first one of its kind in north Texas, in 2012. Hatcher’s first tenured faculty position was at the University of Georgia, along with the administrative role of BSW Program Director. Hatcher’s scholarship has focused on issues of race, class, and social policy implications for the Black community specifically, and for the broader society generally. She has also continued to emphasize developing health promotion strategies for disenfranchised populations in social justice […]
Dr. Michelle Payne serves as Vice Provost for Academic Leadership and Faculty Affairs at Boise State University. As Vice Provost she is responsible for coordinating programs and services in Academic Affairs that support the career development of faculty and the growth of effective academic leaders. She works with partners across Boise State and Idaho to provide leadership development programs for Academic Affairs; support faculty shared governance processes and policies; facilitate healthy department cultures; manage faculty personnel processes; and contribute to Boise State’s strategic goal to foster thriving communities. Dr. Payne facilitates Boise State’s biweekly New Academic Leaders Program, manages programming for regular meetings of the Academic Leadership Council (department chairs, deans, and associate deans), and is a member of the planning team for the inaugural Idaho Academic Leadership Academy, which is funded by the Idaho State Board of Education. Dr. Payne is a Professor of Writing Studies and has a Ph.D. in English, Composition, and Literature from the University of New Hampshire, an M.A. in Composition and Rhetoric from Florida State University, and a B.A. in English Literature, with a minor in Creative Writing, from Miami University in Ohio. Prior to serving as Vice Provost, Dr. Payne served as chair […]
