Twenty-five members of the faculty and staff at Arkansas Tech University have been selected as members of the first cohort of Leadership Tech, a program designed to cultivate leaders from within the Arkansas Tech faculty and staff on the Russellville and Ozark campuses.
The mission of Leadership Tech is “to develop and enhance the leadership knowledge, skills and abilities of all individuals as well as the collective leadership capacity of the university in order to achieve unparalleled excellence in serving our students, community supporters and institutional family.”
The cohort members are:
*Dr. Jeff Aulgur, department head, Department of Professional Studies
*Dr. Daniel Bullock, associate professor, Department of Electrical Engineering
*Pat Chronister, assistant to the vice president, Office of Academic Affairs
*Jana Crouch, director of academic services, Office of Academic Affairs
*Melanie Diffey, career counselor, Norman Career Services
*Dr. Fatima Ferguson, assistant professor, Department of Curriculum and Instruction
*Dr. Beth Giroir, associate dean, Office of Student Success
*Dr. Caroline Hackerott, assistant professor, Department of Emergency Management
*Aubrey Holt, director of campus life, Office of Campus Life
*Dr. Gina Kraft, assistant professor, Department of Health and Physical Education
*Lesley Krohn, workforce education instructor for registered nursing, Ozark Campus
*Joshua McMillian, chief, Department of Public Safety
*Mike Murders, chief academic officer, Ozark Campus
*Susie Nicholson, vice president, Office of Student Services and University Relations
*Dr. Hanna Norton, dean, College of eTech
*Carrie Phillips, director of new media, Office of University Relations
*Niki Schwartz, associate director of student aid, Office of Financial Aid
*Dr. Jeremy Schwehm, assistant professor, Department of Professional Studies
*Jessica Smith, assistant director, Office of Budget and Special Programs
*Dr. James Stobaugh, assistant professor, Department of Behavioral Sciences
*Alison Taylor, coordinator of young alumni/student philanthropy, Office of Alumni Relations
*Ken Wester, director, Office of Information Systems
*Dr. Rebecca Wiewel, assistant professor, Department of Behavioral Sciences
*Dr. Alaric Williams, associate professor, Department of College Student Personnel
*Brandon Wright, director of career services, Norman Career Services
The members of the Leadership Tech cohort will participate in a two-year program that will provide them with an opportunity to develop their leadership acumen and learn more about various elements of the university during year one and engage in a collaborative project to benefit Arkansas Tech during year two.
The cohort will include five members of the Leadership Tech program development team, who will also serve as program facilitators:
*Dr. Chris Giroir, interim associate dean, Graduate College
*Dr. Lucas Maxwell, assistant professor, Department of Agriculture
*Amy Pennington, dean of students, Office of Student Services
*Bruce Sikes, chancellor, Ozark Campus
*Brooke Southard, director of payroll/special services and interim director of human resources, Office of Finance and Administration
Dr. Mary Gunter, dean of the Graduate College and College of Education, and Dr. Jeff Mott, chief of staff in the Office of the President, are also part of the Leadership Tech program development team.
“It is exciting to be able to invest in the future of Arkansas Tech by providing dynamic development opportunities such as Leadership Tech to our university community,” said Dr. Robin E. Bowen, Arkansas Tech president. “Constant improvement is a characteristic of successful organizations, and every individual who is and will be a part of Leadership Tech is a contributor to continuously elevating Arkansas Tech. We look forward to the positive change that this program will bring to our university culture.”