Tell us a little about your career here at VCU:

I am entering my 10th academic year at VCU. I am an Associate Professor in the Department of Management and Entrepreneurship at the School of Business, and I am also the Executive Director of the Institute for Transformative Leadership. My research is on leadership and mindfulness, and how leaders can create spaces and places of belonging for others and transform cultures to empower others to be their best.

What will be your role and/or your responsibilities as a faculty fellow?

As a Faculty Fellow, I will work predominantly with Deans and other senior level organizational leaders, creating spaces for deep connection and leadership growth, as well as a safe place for candid conversations.

What do you hope to accomplish as a faculty fellow?

I hope to help leaders across our campus feel supported, valued, and that they are able to grow and develop in their roles as they then help support VCU's transformation.

How will you use this experience to further your own career and/or support the development of other faculty?

My passion is supporting and helping develop others through transformative experiences. My hope is that via developing and supporting VCU senior leaders, all faculty, staff, and students experience more supportive transformative leadership at VCU which creates and reinforces a deep culture of care which can permeate all levels of our organization.

What is something most people don't know about you? (i.e., hidden talent)

Most people don't know that I was a high school and college hurdler. I used to be somewhat fast in my day, and I once auditioned for a commercial in which I had to hurdle over a fire hydrant. I didn't end up getting the role and instead it went to a British Olympian.

If you had to choose an “un” word to describe yourself, what would it be and why?

UNRELENTING. To me, focusing our time, resources, and attention on our goals and vision ensures that these come to fruition, and doing so day in and day out requires much courage, deep care for self and others, and unrelenting forward progress despite obstacles.

Tell us a little about your career here at VCU:

I've been a member of the Focused Inquiry faculty since 2007. Over the years, I've taught UNIV 111, 112, and 200, along with a few of our department's electives. My original discipline is philosophy, and I came to the program with a strong interest in teaching critical thinking and ethical reasoning and have helped to develop those parts of the FI curriculum. I've also enjoyed teaching philosophy courses during summer sessions. Well before the pandemic, I got involved in faculty development initiatives to improve online teaching and learning and have taught innovative asynchronous courses alongside my traditional ones.  Service has also been a significant part of my career at VCU; I've served on a number of assessment, curriculum, and policy committees at departmental and university levels.

What will be your role and/or your responsibilities as a faculty fellow?

Primarily, I'll be working to help develop the Advanced Recruitment Consultant Training Program (ARCTP).

What do you hope to accomplish as a faculty fellow?

One of my primary goals is to contribute to the development of the ARCTP training. The program is instrumental to the university's recruitment and hiring practices for faculty and administrators. I intend to apply my background in curriculum development and online learning to make it more streamlined and accessible.

What is something most people don't know about you? (i.e., hidden talent)

I'm not closely related to Karl or any of the Marx brothers.

If you had to choose an “un” word to describe yourself, what would it be?

UNFLAPPABLE

Tell us a little about your career here at VCU:

I am in my third year at VCU, having previously been faculty at other universities for the first decade of my career. I am a Professor of Research Methodologies in the School of Education, where I also coordinate the Research, Assessment, and Evaluation concentration of our Ph.D. in Education program. I primarily teach in the area of quantitative methodologies, and much of my research is on critical quantitative methodologies.

What will be your role and/or your responsibilities as a faculty fellow?

I am working in Faculty Affairs, focusing on faculty data. This will include work on the COACHE Faculty Job Satisfaction Survey process this year, in addition to other data related to faculty characteristics, trajectories, and success.

What do you hope to accomplish as a faculty fellow?

I hope to enhance the infrastructure and use of faculty data at VCU to support faculty success.

How will you use this experience to further your own career and/or support the development of other faculty?

I have worked in faculty governance and related roles at VCU and prior institutions, and find this area of work interesting. It also overlaps with my own research, which mostly focuses on higher education contexts, so I hope that my scholarship benefits from this experience, and that my work in this role benefits from my scholarly expertise.

What is your favorite thing to do in Richmond?

My favorite thing to do in Richmond is to take long walks around our neighborhood in Church Hill with my husband. We love walking to the different parks to take in the views of downtown Richmond, the river, and other vantage points. We also love walking to all of the bakeries, shops, and restaurants the neighborhood has to offer.