Dr. Ludwig is passionate about using evidence-based practices to ensure that the humans responsible for our future are prepared for the challenge. Her doctoral training as a population ecologist at the University of Virginia primed her thinking about how important relationships are for learning. Today, her research focuses on understanding how students and instructors form and leverage learning partnerships in transdisciplinary courses. She has honed her curriculum design skills through years of professional development and practice redesigning the first-year biology curriculum at JMU. In JMU XLabs, she has co-developed and co-instructed multiple transdisciplinary classes that address problems so complex that they must be approached at the systems level from multiple perspectives. She finds great joy in co-designing and conducting collaborative research on these experiences to generate evidence of their outcomes from both the student and faculty perspectives.
Nick Swayne leads a team of partner institutions in meeting the mission to leverage their strengths to improve the efficiency and economic impact of higher education across the Commonwealth. He serves as faculty advisor for the University Innovation Fellows, the Executive Director of Virginia-DC robotics, he chairs the Veteran Scholar’s Task Force, is co-founder of the Regional Veterans Collaborative, is a doctoral candidate in Strategic Leadership (ABD), and is serving in his third term on the Harrisonburg City School Board. He’s a retired Army officer with 26 years of service.
Matt has been in higher education administration for the past 15 years. Prior to his current role, he was the Associate Dean of Students and Director of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Resource Center at Cornell and previously held positions at Princeton University and St. Francis University Upward Bound. Matt has a BA in political science from Allegheny College and an MA with a concentration in Women and Gender Studies from Rutgers University. He has presented locally and nationally on topics ranging from online dating behavior to LGBT inclusion in human resource policy to diversity practices in engagement and fundraising. Matt is based in Ithaca, NY with his husband Zach and their dog Duncan.
James is a member of the University Development (UD) leadership team at UC San Diego. In his role, he helps ensure significant levels of philanthropic support for the eight academic divisions that comprise general campus by managing and driving UD’s $1M+ gift pipeline and helping inform strategic direction in partnership with key Advancement partners. He is accountable for utilizing statistical analysis tools to analyze growth trends and forecast program future direction. In addition, a portion of his time is dedicated to front line fundraising. James is a creative, analytical and strategic thinker with the ability to mobilize information, build relationships as well as advise and execute program growth, assessment and refinement. James currently serves as the Southern California Regional Chair on the California Advancement Researchers Association (CARA) board of directors; previously serving as president, president-elect, and treasurer. He has also shared is expertise in prospect development as a speaker for CARA, the Association of Professional Researcher, the Association of Fundraising Professional San Diego Chapter, and the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy.
Gloria Goosby began her career in Annual Giving and Alumni Relations nearly 15 years ago as the Phonathon Coordinator at her alma mater, Georgia Southern University. Today, she serves as the key annual giving strategist for central office funding priorities. She and her team raise current-use funding for scholarships, programs, centers, and special projects across the University community. She’s also developed and executed on several alumni affinity group fundraising and engagement campaigns in close partnership with her colleagues in alumni relations over the years and is fully equipped to share tips and tricks for success. For her, the most exciting thing about higher education fundraising and development is the ability to make a daily, positive impact on the lives of students.
Benjamin Johnson is the director of media and public relations at The Ohio State University, where he co-manages media relations for the Office of the President, develops a communications strategy for key university issues and initiatives, and serves as a university spokesperson. Prior to joining Ohio State, he spent five years as director of communications for the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS), where he led a combined marketing and communications office for a $3.7 billion state agency responsible for most of Ohio’s human services programs, including food and cash assistance, child protective services, child support, and unemployment compensation.
Dr. King is dedicated to supporting, strengthening, and developing experiential education for post-secondary students. Her doctoral research explored the importance of experiential education for civic engagement. Her current research combines her passions for experiential education and social justice education for a more equitable community.
Dr. Gay’s current responsibilities include fostering strategic opportunities, and oversight for institutional effectiveness, diversity and inclusion, online learning, multimedia services, and community engagement. She held previous positions at the College as Chief Academic Officer and as Interim President. Before coming to Community College of Philadelphia, in addition to serving various administrative roles, she served as a faculty member, full- and part-time, achieving the rank of full professor. Dr. Gay also serves as co-chair for the city of Philadelphia’s Running Start Committee which helps provide oversight for the city’s plan to provide quality early learning for all children; chair of the board for Interim House, Inc., an innovative substance abuse treatment program for women; and executive committee member for Pennsylvania’s American Council on Education Women’s Network. She is co-author of the 2018 book, Up and Running: Starting and Growing a Leadership Program at a Community College, written to help other institutions create leadership development programs. She has an undergraduate degree in psychology from Findlay College and a Ph.D. in experimental psychology from Bowling Green State University in Ohio.
Jennifer has a long history with Dale Carnegie Training®. She began working in a consulting role in 1998, assisting companies to meet their corporate training goals. Shortly after, Jennifer became a certified instructor for Dale Carnegie Training® and has been training ever since. In the fall of 2004, she left her consulting role for the classroom and became a tenured faculty member at Anoka Ramsey Community College. Jennifer teaches in the Psychology Department, co-chairs a Student Success Committee, is a member of the Diversity Committee, and is involved in strategic planning for the college. In addition, she and her business partner own a small start-up consulting company, R.U.N., which is focused on helping small- to mid-sized businesses develop their people. She works with students, staff, and faculty across generations and knows first-hand the dynamics that go along with that job.
Melissa Casey specializes in developing visionary, inclusive leaders and is passionate about working with groups who are on the quest to becoming the kind of team that others aspire to be a part of. At her core, Melissa maintains a deep commitment to diversity and inclusion – with her clients and in all aspects of her life. Having worked internationally, mentored new immigrants to Canada, and volunteered extensively with LGBTQ2S+ youth, she understands first-hand the powerful potential inclusion and allyship have on engagement, innovation, shared respect, and fostering excellence. To her coaching practice, Melissa brings over 17 years of leadership within post-secondary administration, with a focus on senior leadership, international partnership development, and strategic planning. Heavily experienced working in cross-cultural settings, she has worked in Asia, Europe, South America, USA, and across Canada. She holds a Master of Education from the University of Alberta, is a Certified Executive Coach through Royal Roads University, and has achieved the Professional Certified Coach (PCC) designation with the International Coach Federation.
