Dr. Robyn Parker

Vice President for Academic Affairs, Saybrook University

As a leadership coach and strategic change facilitator, Robyn helps clients to envision the next state and work toward a shared vision of how to get there. She encourages individual leaders and teams to recognize and embrace the natural tensions in change environments. She provides frameworks and leader support in addressing the strategic, tactical, and emotional aspects of change environments.

Robyn Parker, Ph.D. has extensive experience in higher education change environments. She earned the rank of full professor with tenure, served as Dean, Director of Instruction, Program Coordinator, and VP of Academic Affairs at large and regional publics as well as private religious and secular institutions with varied missions and contexts.

Throughout her career, within each institution, she has been a leader in change facilitation both incremental and transformative. A systems thinker, Robyn has facilitated the design and implementation of restructuring strategies that have reduced costs and streamlined processes while creating and implementing innovative new programs and learning environments.

As a fellow with Arizona State & Georgetown University’s Academy of Innovative Higher Education Leadership, she discovered the importance of leadership coaching. Today she works with leaders working in change environments to bring about the organizational and structural innovations needed by future focused institutions.

Dr. Parker’s Ph.D. is in Organizational Communication. Her master’s is in Human Resource Development. Her early research focused on building and maintaining relationships among remote workers and teams; later it examined building effective online teaching and learning environments. Her passion lies in supporting leaders through personal transitions and organizational change.