The Academic Leadership Program is produced by a group of dedicated
educators, coaches, mentors, and facilitators committed to supporting
faculty development and success in their administrative journey.
An asterisk (*) denotes ALP Fellows.
A Community of Academic Experts
Dennis MorrisFounder & CEO Academic Executive Coach
Institute of Respect
Developing exceptional, innovative leaders and teams is Dennis Morris’ passion, and it’s what drives the work of his company, Institute Of Respect. Drawing on 25 years as a senior leader, executive coach, psychotherapist, mediator and educator, Dennis is the creator of respect-based learning programs that are tailored to help academic and business executives and managers understand the power of respect, and how it can be used to develop highly effective leaders and teams, resulting in more meaningful–and more prosperous–relationships with clients and colleagues. He was the first executive coach and consultant in the U.S. to offer respect-based leadership programs such as Leading With Respect, Respect-Driven Communication and Coaching With Respect. Since 2010, respect has been the cornerstone and operating principle of his executive coaching and consulting practice.
As a coach and facilitator, Dennis helps executives and managers move beyond their own perceived limitations – to lead with their principles, increase their self-awareness and become exceptional leaders who achieve higher-level results over the long-term. Dennis also works with teams that are struggling with interpersonal tensions and conflicts, enabling them to resolve issues, recharge and ultimately upgrade their performance and productivity.
Prior to consulting, Dennis spent more than a decade as the vice president of clinical programs in a behavioral health organization. He led a clinical team of psychotherapists, psychiatrists, caseworkers and nurses serving clients in five counties, and provided services such as psychotherapy, substance abuse counseling and family and marital therapy. Dennis also provided crisis intervention services to schools, businesses and health care institutions, and coordinated and managed consultation and behavioral health services to employees of corporate and government clients including Merck, Heinz and the U.S. Postal Service. This unique background allows Dennis to help his clients think more creatively and strategically to achieve remarkable results.
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Dennis Morris, MSW
Founder & CEO, Academic Executive Coach
George Watson, PhDProfessor & Dean Emeritus
University of Delaware
A member of the University of Delaware community for over three decades, George Watson is an accomplished scholar, educator and leader. He joined the faculty at UD as an assistant professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy in 1987. George is also founding director of the Institute for Transforming Undergraduate Education, and a national and international leader in the development of problem-based learning, as well as a strong advocate for improved high school and college science education. He has a passion for academic leadership, and joins our network to expand the benefits of ALP to fellow deans seeking to develop the next generation of academic leaders that will advance their institutions.
George took his first leadership role in UD’s College of Arts and Sciences in 2001 as associate dean and served as interim dean for a year before being named in 2010 to the permanent role, in which he served for eight years. His tenure as dean of UD’s largest college affords him a unique perspective of the leadership needs of department chairs, and he has seen firsthand how ALP facilitates a powerful transformation of newly appointed administrators into confident, effective and collaborative leaders.
Highlights of his leadership include: establishing a $1 million annual commitment to develop robust new initiatives to improve diversity and build an environment of inclusive excellence; founding the CAS Dean’s Advisory and Student Councils to engage alumni, friends, academic leaders and students in shaping the strategic direction of the college; supporting the creation of innovative, interdisciplinary educational facilities and initiatives, most recently the Biden Institute, the Center for Biomedical and Brain Imaging and the Mathematical Sciences Learning Laboratory; and expanding and developing strong professional teams in academic services, communications, IT and finance to support the academic and administrative growth of the college. He also worked with many long-serving deputy and associate deans to create the Delaware Teachers Institute, designed to strengthen teaching in public schools through a professional development approach based on the Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute. He is currently board president of the Delaware Arts Alliance, serving the greater arts community in the state.
Education
- PhD, University of Delaware
- BS, Lafayette College
Research/Practice Areas
- Problem-based learning
- Instructional technology
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George Watson, PhD
Professor & Dean Emeritus
Ismat Sayed Shah, PhD*Professor and Senior Policy Fellow
University of Delaware
Ismat is professor in the Departments of Physics and of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Delaware. He is also a senior policy fellow in UD’s Center for Energy and Environmental Policy, and was a founding fellow of the Center for Science, Ethics, and Public Policy. Ismat currently serves as co-chair of the UD Diversity and Equity Commission, and brings a critical perspective to the ALP team regarding ethics, diversity and policy. He has a passion in partnering with ALP and drawing on his own experience as a participant. Prior to joining UD in 1999, he held a number of positions in business and as a research scientist in the private sector, including at the DuPont Company and the Fraunhofer Center for Manufacturing and Advanced Materials.
Education
- PhD, Materials Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- BE Metallurgical Engineering, NED Engineering College
Certification
- ALP Fellow
Research/Practice Areas
- Science and ethics
- Diversity and policy
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Ismat Sayed Shah, PhD*
Professor & Senior Policy Fellow
Chrystalla Mouza, EdD*Distinguished Professor
University of Delaware
Chrystalla is Distinguished Professor of Teacher Education, specializing in educational technology, and director of the School of Education at the University of Delaware. She has expertise in teacher learning, applications of technology in K-12 classrooms, teaching and learning outcomes in mobile computing environments, and computer science education. Chrystalla is the recipient of the 2010 Distinguished Research in Teacher Education Award from the Association of Teacher Educators and former Chair of the AERA Special Interest Groups, Advanced Technologies for Learning and Technology as Agent of Change in Teaching and Learning. She serves as Editor-in-Chief of Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education (CITE) and provides editorial assistance to numerous journals, conferences, and book publications. She is passionate about serving as adviser to ALP to support higher education leaders in their efforts to lead with respect and principles. Having participated in ALP herself, Chrystalla understands first-hand the importance of having a supportive network of like-minded leaders and mentors, especially during the transition from faculty to administration, while striving to create a culture of continuous improvement, collaboration and respect.
Education
- Ed.D., Instructional Technology and Media, Teachers College, Columbia University
- M.Ed,. and M.A., Instructional Technology and Media, Teachers College, Columbia University
Certification
- ALP Fellow
- Research/Practice Areas
- Learning sciences
- Computational thinking
- Teacher professional development
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Chrystalla Mouza, EdD*
Director & Distinguished Professor
Lou Rossi, PhD*
Department Chair and Professor
University of Delaware
Lou is a mathematician, educator and professor and chair of the Department of Mathematical Sciences at the University of Delaware – “a great department with an outstanding faculty and staff.” He enjoys helping students learn about and discover mathematics, and has taught a wide range of courses across all levels, and advised many undergraduate and graduate students on a variety of research projects. Lou’s research interests focus on numerical methods and analysis of a variety of problems. He seeks new and exciting mathematical problems that arise in the world around us. Much of this work involves moving particles of one kind or another, partial differential equations or computational methods. His research has been applied to fluid flows, insect swarms, wired and wireless networks, and robotics. Lou has held several leadership positions, most recently: chair of the Chair’s Caucus Steering Committee at UD; section editor for SIAM Review (one of the top journals in applied mathematics); UD Advance Internal Advisory Board member; and a Mathematical Problems in Industry Organizing Committee member. Passionate about building teams that are capable of following new and innovative paths, Lou draws on his own workshop experience in delivering training. As an ALP Fellow, he discovered a multitude of constructive ways to address challenging situations, traverse barriers and advance his department, and looks forward to mentoring fellow chairs and faculty to do the same.
Education
- PhD, University of Arizona
- MA, University of California Berkeley
- BS, Harvey Mudd College
Certification
- ALP Fellow
Research/Practice Areas
- Analysis of complex systems
- Numerical methods
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Lou Rossi, PhD*
Department Chair & Professor
Kathryn Meier, PhD, MBA
Assistant Dean
Drexel University
Kathryn is a strategic management and business communication practitioner, scholar and educator with a passion for storytelling and empowering others to discover their authentic voice. She is currently Assistant Dean for Strategic Initiatives and Innovation at Drexel University’s College of Engineering, where she serves as senior advisor to the dean and works closely with faculty and staff leadership to broaden the college’s visibility and implement strategic growth opportunities. She also directs the college’s external focused staff in expanding marketing, recruitment, and corporate and alumni relations. Previously, she spent 13 years in administrative and communications roles with the University of Delaware, most recently serving as inaugural chief of staff in the College of Arts and Sciences. Kathryn’s research interests focus on how organizations, as collectives of individuals, tell authentic and compelling stories to create and maintain identity and reputation. She brings to ALP firsthand experience guiding deans and department chairs in discovering and honing their institutional voice, and enhancing their communications practices to engage internal and external stakeholders.
Education
- Ph.D., English (Business Communication), University of Delaware
- MBA, Management/Organizational Effectiveness, Development and Change, University of Delaware
- BA, English/Business and Technical Writing, University of Delaware
Certification
- HERS Leadership Institute, Bryn Mawr College
Research/Practice Areas
- Management and organizational behavior
- Organizational storytelling
- Narrative impact in creating identity, brand, and reputation
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Kathryn Meier, PhD, MBA
Assistant Dean
David Wilson, PhD
Senior Associate Dean
University of Delaware
David is currently the senior associate dean for the social sciences in the College of Arts & Sciences at UD, and a professor in the department of Political Science and Internal Relations and the department of Psychological and Brain Sciences. He is a political psychologist who studies social behavior, public opinion, and group relations through survey research methods and experiments. David’s scholarship focuses on how individuals use racial, gendered, and other social group information in their judgements and decision-making. In translating this research to ALP, he hopes to help leaders understand how to assess organizational climate, employee engagement, and the value of data-driven strategy for more productive and caring social environments. As a participant/sponsor for ALP previously, he learned the value of managing emotions when negotiating and discussing conflict. Prior to his position at UD, he served as a Senior Statistical Consultant with The Gallup Organization in Washington, DC, and a Consultant with SPSS, a statistical software company.
Education
- PhD in Political Science, Michigan State University
- MPA, MA in Political Science, Michigan State University
- BA in Government from Western Kentucky University
Certification
- ALP Fellow
Research/Practice Areas
- Diversity and inclusion in decision making
- Assessment tools: measurement and analysis
- Building and sustaining pipeline efforts for racial-ethnic minority faculty success
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David Wilson, PhD
Senior Associate Dean & Professor
Sue McNeil, PhDDepartment Chair & Professor
University of Delaware
Sue McNeil has served as chair of the University of Delaware’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering since 2017, and is former director of the Disaster Science and Management program and Disaster Research Center at UD. Prior to UD, she held director positions with the Urban Transportation Center at University of Illinois at Chicago, and as co-director of The Brownfields Center at Carnegie Mellon University. With a wealth of academic and professional leadership experience, Sue brings to ALP a keen interest in the literature on gender bias and creating safe environments for problem solving. She is also passionate about faculty mentoring and developing training for effective negotiations and structuring meetings. Her scholarship centers on transportation asset management, life-cycle costing, application of advanced technologies, economic analysis, condition assessment and deterioration modeling, and decision support. She is a distinguished member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and has served as the Editor-in-Chief of ASCE’s Journal of Infrastructure Systems since 2010.
Education
- PhD, Carnegie Mellon University
- MS, Carnegie Mellon University
- BSc, Mathematics, University of Newcastle, Australia
- BES, Civil Engineering, University of Newcastle, Australia
Certification
- ALP Fellow
- Learning Community Advisor, ELATE @ Drexel
- Women and Minorities Engineering and Education Workshop
- Women in Engineering Leadership Institute
Research/Practice Areas
- Decision support
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Sue McNeil, PhD, PE*
Department Chair & Professor
Patricia Sloane-White, PhD
Department Chair & Professor
University of Delaware
Patricia Sloane-White is a cultural anthropologist who earned her DPhil at University of Oxford. Chair of Women and Gender Studies, she is also a professor of anthropology and a member of the Asian Studies and Islamic Studies Programs, all at the University of Delaware. Patricia has researched Islam, capitalism, entrepreneurship, corporate business, and gender in Malaysia for over two decades and was a recipient of a Fulbright Research Fellowship to Malaysia in 2008-2009 and a Fulbright Specialist Scholar to Malaysia in 2014. She has held leadership appointments including Director of Islamic Studies (2011-2014) and was a Faculty Fellow in the College of Arts and Sciences, directing the Plastino Scholars, Dean’s Scholars, and the Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies programs. After nearly a decade of senior-level business experience on Wall Street, Patricia trained as an anthropologist to study the relationship between Islam and modern capitalism in Malaysia.
Education
- DPhil University of Oxford
Certifications
- ALP Fellow
Research/Areas of Practice
- Social anthropology
- Relationship between business and work culture
- Reconfiguring workplace identities and relations
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Patricia Sloane White, PhD*
Department Chair & Professor
Abe Feuerstein, PhD
Department Chair and Professor
Bucknell University
Abe Feuerstein is chair of the Education Department at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, where he has taught since 1996. At Bucknell, he has held a variety of administrative positions including: being named the first associate dean for the division of social sciences; serving as Director of the Writing Program; and chairing the university’s Institutional Review Board. During his five-year term as associate dean, Abe worked to define the division’s learning goals within the broader university curriculum and to establish the Bucknell Institute for Public Policy (BIPP). During this time Abe worked closely with the Dean on issues ranging from chairs’ compensation to Middle States Accreditation. He has also worked with several departments experiencing difficult personnel conflicts and provided one-on-one coaching for department leaders. Abe is dedicated to solving problems and coaching others, and as chair, has helped his department to clarify goals and align resources. In transferring this experience to ALP, Abe hopes to help academic departments better understand their priorities and how to achieve them. His work has been published in a variety of journals including Educational Administration Quarterly and the Journal of School Leadership, and his career highlights prior to Bucknell include high school chemistry teacher and middle school administrator.
Education
- PhD, MEd, University of Virginia
- BA, Dartmouth
Research/Practice Areas
- School reform
- Educational politics
- Systems theory
- Democratic forms of accountability
- Teacher preparation
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Abe Feuerstein, PhD
Department Chair and Professor
Louise Korver, PhD, BCC, PCCInternational Coach
UNC Charlotte
Louise is an international coach specializing in global leadership, talent strategies, cross-cultural issues, and succession to support growth and transformation. She works with senior executives and their teams to improve leadership alignment through executive assessment, coaching, and organizational consulting. Louise focuses on C-suite succession, general manager selection and development, building an enterprise mindset in functional leaders with global responsibilities, and coaching women new to senior leadership positions. She is an expert on onboarding mid-career executives during the transition.
She brings 30 years in progressive leadership roles at large, global companies, including AT&T, Bank of America, and EMC. Her most recent book is about onboarding, which focuses on mid-career job changes. She is an adjunct instructor in the MSOD program at Queens University and the Academic Programs Division, University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
Education
- PhD, Human Development, School of Leadership Studies at Fielding Graduate University
- MA, Human & Organizational Development, Fielding Graduate University
- BS, Management & Industrial Relations, University of Bridgeport
Certification
- PCC, Professional Certified Coach, International Coach Federation (coach licensing)
- BCC, Board Certified Coach, Center for Credentialing & Education (coach licensing)
- Evidence Based Coaching Certificate, Fielding Graduate University
Research/Areas of Practice
- Executive identity
- Onboarding mid-career executives
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Louise Korver, PhD, BCC, PCC
International Coach