Dr. Mistick serves as the 19th President of Wilson College. Recently, she made history pioneering the nation’s first loan buy-back program for college students, bringing the designation of “tuition hero” to the college. She is a seasoned entrepreneur and was named a Distinguished Professor at Carnegie Mellon University. Her public service advocacy on behalf of entrepreneurs has won numerous awards from the US Small Business Administration, Ernst and Young and The Girl Scouts of America. Dr. Mistick was the first woman to serve as president of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. Her book, Stretch: How to Future-Proof Yourself for Tomorrow’s Workplace, was designated as an Amazon Editor’s Pick and ranked #12 on the 800-CEO-READ’s Best Seller list. Dr. Mistick holds a Doctor of Management from Case Western Reserve University. Currently, she serves as president of the Association of Independent Colleges & Universities of Pennsylvania (AICUP) and on the executive committee of the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC).
Dr. Katrina Rodriguez leads the Division of Student Affairs at the University of Northern Colorado which includes overseeing efforts related to climate, inclusion, equity, and community building initiatives. In her role as vice president, Katrina partners with students, staff, and faculty to identify and implement strategic initiatives to build and support a healthy and inclusive university community. In the Division of Student Affairs, she has the privilege of providing leadership to the Office of Equity and Inclusion, Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance, Housing and Residential Education, Dining Services, and the Campus Recreation Center. As the first college graduate in her family, Katrina received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Northern Arizona University and her doctorate from the University of Northern Colorado. At institutions in Arizona, California, and Colorado, her professional roles include, associate professor for the program in Higher Education and Student Affairs Leadership, assistant vice president for student engagement and dean of students, Title IX coordinator, director of the Women’s Resource Center and Stryker Institute, and a range of roles in Residence Life. Her research activity includes 35 juried publications and presentations. As someone who enjoys doctoral graduate research, Katrina has also served on 43 dissertation committees. When […]
As associate dean, Robert is responsible for the overall strategic planning and execution of all international activities on behalf of the Purdue Polytechnic. He currently provides leadership for more than a dozen global collaborative partnerships across four continents which involve study abroad, student/faculty exchanges, and dual degree program offerings. He helped Purdue reach its current student enrollment success with over 3,500 students enrolled BS, MS, and Ph.D. programs in 14 degree options across six academic departments in nine statewide locations. Prior to this role, he served as the Department Head of Building Construction Management from 2006-2012. From 1993-2006 Robert was the Associate Director and Director of Undergraduate Programs for the Rinker School of Building Construction at the University of Florida. He completed his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering – Construction Engineering and Management at Virginia Tech in 1994. His research interests include the application of technology, trust models, performance measurement, continuous improvement strategies, and development of global strategic collaborative partnerships.
Don has over 40 years of experience as a thought leader and expert practitioner in leading and navigating change, crafting and executing strategy, and improving performance and productivity. Following an administrative career at the University of Michigan, University of Texas and University of Houston, he founded Strategic Initiatives, Inc. and has counseled over 100 institutions on strategy and organizational transformation. He co-authored a series of highly influential books for the Society for College and University Planning (SCUP) including Transforming Higher Education (1995), A Guide to Planning for Change (2009), and Transforming in an Age of Disruptive Change (2013). He also co-authored The Business Value Web (2009) for the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) and served as faculty for nearly 10 years on NACUBO’s Business Management Institute. Dr. Norris and Dr. Brodnick’s latest work is focusing on business model innovation in higher education is reflected in the ground breaking article, “New Models in the Making” in NACUBO’s The Business Officer (July/Aug 2017).
Rob has worked in the fields of planning, strategy, research, and organizational change and development for over twenty-five years. Rob is an expert facilitator of human process from dyads, to small groups, to large scale retreats and has notable experience with leadership groups, boards, planning bodies, and with strategic and creative solutions. Rob has served three universities over the past twenty-five years and his work has focused on building institutional capacity and effectiveness through strategy, planning, and innovation. He has direct experience with academic planning, institutional effectiveness, assessment and program review, institutional accreditation, enrollment management to include retention, admissions, financial aid and registrar functions, and sustainability. Now, as a strategy and innovation consultant, Rob works with clients across many industries but still maintains a core higher education practice. He holds a Ph.D. in Psychoeducational Processes from Temple University. Rob teaches courses in education, the social sciences, and business. He has special interest in design-thinking and innovation management and is a widely regarded speaker and practitioner on those topics.
Lisa holds a Ph.D. in Educational Policy and Administration – Higher Education from the University of Minnesota, and a Master of Business Administration and Bachelor’s in Mass Communications from St. Cloud State University. Her dissertation topic was Implementing Data Analytics as an Organizational Innovation in Colleges and Universities. She completed the Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Management and Leadership in Higher Education institute, and she was an American Council on Education Fellow for 2015-16. She presents frequently at the locally, nationally and internationally on change management and data analytics in higher education.
Dr. Linda Baer served over thirty years in numerous executive level positions at Civitas Learning, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Minnesota State College and University System, Bemidji State University, and Minnesota State University Mankato. Currently, she is a senior level consultant in higher education. Her focus is to inspire leaders to innovate, integrate and implement solutions to improve student success and transform institutions for the future. Baer publishes and presents nationally in academic innovations, educational transformation, next generation leadership, alliances and partnerships, the campus of the future, shared leadership, and building organizational capacity in analytics. She has co-presented workshops and presentations on analytics in higher education. Recent publications include Change Agent Leadership, Analytics as a Tool to Improve Student Success, and Connecting the Dots: Assessment, Accountability, Analytics and Accreditation. A book chapter on Unleashing the Power of Learning Analytics was published in the recent Handbook on Learning Analytics. She is currently working on a guidebook for analytics. Baer served on the Society for College and University Planning National Board. She has made numerous presentations including at the Society for College and University Planning, EDUCAUSE, AASCU, WCET, and AACC.
Dr. Baldasare is an experienced researcher, analyst, and consultant with a demonstrated history of success in data strategy and change management, helping organizations of all kinds effectively use data to inform strategy and achieve measurable outcomes. Angela’s work as a strategic consultant at Civitas Learning is informed most recently by her 8 years at the University of Arizona. From 2014-2018 Angela served as the assistant provost for institutional research, leading the university’s student data strategy, including the use of Civitas Learning products, achieving record high retention rates for the institution. From 2010-2014, Angela served as the director of assessment and research for Student Affairs & Enrollment Management at Arizona. Angela is a sociologist by training and was an assistant professor at the University of Dayton from 2000-2003. Angela also spent 10 years consulting on international public health and justice projects, as well as statewide community and tribal initiatives for multiple branches of the Arizona Governor’s Office, U.S. Health and Human Services, and the U.S. Department of Justice.
Sarah is a certified coach and an experienced leader in higher education and charitable-sector fundraising and engagement strategy, holding a master’s in public administration focused on Government-University relations. In addition to over 20 years of experience developing and implementing alumni relations strategies, Sarah has focused on senior-level volunteer engagement, Board engagement and management, fundraising policies and procedures, and best-practice in supporting volunteer-led philanthropic initiatives. Sarah’s areas of research and education include project management, risk assessment and planning for risk in volunteer engagement programming, framework planning and institutional readiness for volunteer engagement, volunteer professional development and volunteer pipeline progression, working with student volunteers, student-led philanthropy, Board partnership and setting strategic Board direction, and volunteer stewardship and recognition. As a Certified Volunteer Resource Manager, and internationally Certified in Volunteer Administration, Sarah has a long history of engaging volunteers to work collaboratively in support of institutional priorities.
Laura H. Denbow has over twenty-five years of higher education experience in the fields of career services and alumni relations. For the past eight years, she has served as senior director of the Office of Volunteer Programs, Alumni Affairs and Development, at Cornell University. In her role, Laura oversees the creation, development, and implementation of a university-wide strategy for providing meaningful volunteer engagement opportunities to alumni, parents, and friends over a lifetime. Prior to Cornell, Laura worked for twelve years at Bucknell University, moving from the role of director at the Career Development Center to the role of executive director of Alumni Relations and Career Services. She began her career in the field of career services at Georgetown University where she held a variety of roles over seven years. Laura received her master’s in counselor education from the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia and her bachelor’s in business administration from James Madison University.
