Leadership Development

Overview

Academic leaders are often promoted for their scholarly expertise rather than formal leadership experience. Without structured support, leaders faced challenges ranging from low team morale and conflict mismanagement to high turnover and gaps in strategic execution.

To address these issues, I designed an internationally informed, role-specific leadership development program portfolio. By listening to leaders across institutions globally, we identified distinct needs for chairs and deans, then crafted tailored curricula, experiential learning opportunities, and ongoing coaching to build confidence, effectiveness, and institutional impact.

Case Study 1: Department Chair Leadership Development

Challenge

Department chairs, appointed directly from faculty to serve fixed terms, faced steep learning curves with minimal structured support. They were tasked with managing core responsibilities like operations, budgets, personnel, and academic planning while also navigating difficult faculty, ensuring equity in talent pipelines, and leading in low-trust environments. Compounding these challenges, chairs lacked structured onboarding and offboarding support for their unique role with limited authority, contributing to burnout, low morale, and fractured departmental cultures.

My Role

Program architect and facilitator.

Process

  • Conducted international research and interviews with department chairs, faculty, and supervisors to identify critical leadership pain points.

  • Designed a chair-focused leadership series centered on real-world challenges such as conflict resolution, faculty accountability, and psychological safety.

  • Incorporated 360-degree feedback, role-specific case studies, and experiential practice for authentic skill-building.

  • Partnered with DEI experts to integrate equity and inclusion into talent management and team leadership.

Deliverables

  • Leadership curriculum tailored specifically for department chairs.

  • Tools for onboarding and sunsetting chairs to smooth transitions.

  • Applied workshops on managing conflict, equity in hiring, and team trust.

Impact

  • Chairs reported stronger confidence in leading faculty and managing conflict.

  • Departments saw measurable improvements in team morale and psychological safety.

  • HR interventions decreased, as chairs were better equipped to address issues early.

  • Institutions embedded chair onboarding/offboarding into standard practice, building sustainable pipelines.

Case Study 2: Dean Leadership Development

Challenge

Deans faced unprecedented turnover and pressure to deliver results across fundraising, strategic planning, and stakeholder engagement—areas in which many lacked formal training. The absence of targeted support left institutions vulnerable to leadership gaps and slowed progress on institutional goals and responses to urgent challenges.

My Role

Program designer and lead facilitator.

Process

  • Conducted global needs assessment with deans, provosts, and advancement leaders to uncover priority skill gaps.

  • Developed a dean-specific series with modules such as:

    • Essential Leadership Skills for Deans

    • Fundraising for Deans and Academic Leaders

    • From Vision to Action: Strategic Planning for a Lasting Impact

    • From Tension to Teamwork: Cultivating Positive Team Dynamics

    • Managing Difficult Faculty and Staff

  • Brought in senior academic and external leaders to co-facilitate for credibility and peer learning.

  • Integrated scenario-based practice to build confidence in high-stakes situations.

Deliverables

  • Tailored leadership curriculum for deans addressing both internal and external pressures.

  • Experiential workshops on fundraising, strategy, and team management.

  • Ongoing coaching and peer networks to reinforce learning.

Impact

  • 90% of deans reported increased confidence in leadership skills, particularly in fundraising and strategic execution.

  • Institutions reduced turnover risk, with several deans reporting extended tenure post-program.

  • Deans applied new skills to secure fundraising wins and lead multi-year strategic plans.

  • The program became part of annual leadership pipelines for multiple institutions.