October 11-13, 2021 - Midway, Kentucky
HEI 2021 Presidents Conference
Disruption Through Entrepreneuring: Radical Transformation of Higher Education in a Just-in-Time World
REGISTER NOW:
.png){kind=icon}
BARNES & NOBLE COLLEGE Presents:
October 11-13, 2021 - Midway, Kentucky
HEI 2021 Presidents Conference
Disruption Through Entrepreneuring: Radical Transformation of Higher Education in a Just-in-Time World
SCHEDULED 2021 SPEAKERS:
Dr. Stephen Joel Trachtenberg
Stephen Joel Trachtenberg served as the 15th president of The George Washington University (GW) from 1988 to 2007. Prior to his service at GW, he was president of the University of Hartford for 11 years. Before assuming the presidency of Hartford, Dr. Trachtenberg served for eight years at Boston University as vice president for academic services and academic dean of the College of Liberal Arts.
Dr. Trachtenberg served on numerous local, national, and international boards including the board of the International Association of University Presidents and as president of the American Association of University Administrators. In 1988, he was elected to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Presidents Commission.
Dr. Trachtenberg has been recognized both nationally and internationally for his extensive public service. By Resolution of the Council of the District of Columbia, January 22, 1998 was declared “Stephen Joel Trachtenberg Day” in honor of his commitments to minority students, scholarship programs, public school partnerships, and community service. He has received many awards and honorary degrees, including the U.S. Department of State Secretary’s Open Forum Distinguished Public Service Award in 1997 and the U.S. Treasury Department’s Medal of Merit in 2002.
Dr. Trachtenberg has published a number of books on higher education, including Big Man on Campus: A University President Speaks Out on Higher Education; Write me a Letter!: The Wit and Wisdom of Stephen Joel Trachtenberg; and Thinking Out Loud: A Decade of Thoughts on Higher Education. He is co-editor of The Art of Hiring in America’s Colleges & Universities and, most recently, Leading Colleges and Universities: Lessons from Higher Education Leaders.
Dr. Trachtenberg earned a Juris Doctor from Yale University in 1962, a Doctor of Laws degree from Columbia University, a Master of Public Administration degree from Harvard University in 1966, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Columbia University in 1959.
PRESIDENT OF HEI
Dr. Mary Landon Darden
Dr. Darden is the author of the books Beyond 2020: Envisioning the Future of Universities in America, co-published with the American Council on Education and Rowman and Littlefield and Entrepreneuring the Future of Higher Education: Radical Transformation in Times of Profound Change. Darden has more than two decades of higher education administration and teaching experience. She received the 2001 National Exemplary Award in Community Education from The National Council of Continuing Education and Training and the 2018 Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Texas of the Permian Basin. Darden is a frequent keynote speaker on the future of higher education, including conferences with ACE, CEPA, CAP, STATMATS, and the University of Edinburgh, Scotland.
PRESIDENT OF THE NATIONAL LABORATORY FOR EDUCATION TRANSFORMATION
Gordon Freedman
Gordon Freedman helped evolve the fields of education technology and online learning and is now an advocate for broad-based change across the K-to-Career spectrum. Freedman is President of the National Laboratory for Education Transformation (www.NLET.org), a California-based research and development nonprofit committed to transformational change in K12 and workforce development. Freedman is also managing director of Knowledge Base, LLC, www.KB-LLC.com, a consulting firm established in 1998 to provide services to institutions, publishers and education technology start-ups.
Freedman formerly served as Vice President Global Education Strategy, Blackboard Inc, during its growth from 100 million dollar in annual revenue, to going public, to its exit at 1.4 billion dollars. During his tenure, Freedman traveled to 19 countries examining learning models and policy strategies, launched the Blackboard Institute and provided thought leadership for the company globally. He was part of the start-up of California State University Monterey Bay, the dot-com portal HungryMinds, the Prometheus Learning Management System at George Washington University, and recently the Precision Institute at National University. Freedman’s early career was in government, media and film.
PRESIDENT OF THE KENTUCKY COUNCIL ON POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION
Dr. AARON THOMPSON
Dr. Aaron Thompson is a passionate advocate for higher education. As a first-generation college student from rural Clay County, Kentucky, he experienced first-hand the transformative power of a college credential. As President of the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education, he works to ensure all Kentuckians have an equal opportunity to improve their lives through postsecondary education. Before taking the helm of CPE, Thompson served as interim president of Kentucky State University and as executive vice president, provost, and faculty member at Eastern Kentucky University. He has extensive leadership experience within the private and non-profit sectors and is a highly sought-after national speaker. Thompson has authored numerous books on diversity, cultural competence, first-year experience programs, retention and student success. Thompson received his doctoral degree in sociology from the University of Kentucky, with an emphasis on organizational leadership. He earned a master’s degree in sociology from the University of Kentucky, and a bachelor’s degree in political science from Eastern Kentucky University.
PRESIDENT EMERITUS OF ASBURY UNIVERSITY
Dr. Sandra Gray
Dr. Sandra C. Gray has 30 years of service in higher education, serving as President of Asbury University for twelve years, with prior service as Provost and Chair/Professor of the Department of Business and Economics. Her research in higher education - focused on international finance and economics - led to invitations as a visiting scholar to Austria, Poland, China, and Russia. Dr. Gray currently serves on several non-profit boards as well as having served as trustee on a public corporation board. She is an avid champion of educational leadership for current and future generations.
Gray obtained her PhD from the Martin School of Public Administration at the University of Kentucky. Prior to her involvement in academia, Gray worked in the banking and finance industry throughout the state of Kentucky and nation.
PRESIDENT OF SWEET BRIAR COLLEGE
Dr. Meredith Woo
Meredith Woo, former dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Virginia, left her job in London as director of the international higher education support program at the Open Society Foundations to lead Sweet Briar College. An expert on international political economy and East Asian politics, Woo has written and edited seven books, and was the executive producer of an award-winning documentary film, “Koryo Saram: The Unreliable People.”
A native of Seoul who was educated in Seoul and Tokyo through high school, Woo came to the United States to study at Bowdoin College in Maine. She completed her master’s and doctoral degrees in international affairs, Latin American studies and political science at Columbia University.
CHANCELLOR OF DALLAS COLLEGE
Dr. Joe D. May
Having served seven years as Chancellor of Dallas College, Dr. Joe May brings a strong commitment to improving the Dallas economy and growing regional jobs. Under his leadership, the College is taking responsibility for many of the community's most challenging issues, including regional workforce needs, growth of minority-owned businesses, the negative impacts of income disparity, and providing opportunity equality. To help meet the needs of Dallas County students, May led the consolidation of seven separate colleges into a single institution. Previously known as the Dallas County Community College District, Dallas College now serves over 150,000 North Texas students.
Because of his commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, May serves as the founding president of Rebuilding America's Middle Class (RAMC), a national consortium of community colleges. As the President of RAMC, he was involved in pushing Congress to reinstate year-round Pell Grants and second chance Pell Grants for the currently incarcerated.
PRESIDENT OF SOUTHWEST TENNESSEE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
DR. TRACY HALL
Dr. Tracy D. Hall assumed the presidency of Southwest Tennessee Community College on July 13, 2015. Prior to joining Southwest, she served as Vice-President of Academic Affairs at St. Louis Community College-Forest Park where she oversaw the planning, development, implementation and assessment of general transfer studies and more than 30 career and technical programs.
She currently serves on local and national boards and commissions including the Greater Memphis Chamber, The Memphis Medical District Collaborative, the American Association of Community College’s Commission on Economic and Workforce Development, The President’s Roundtable, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), and the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis’ Community Development Advisory Council.
Dr. Hall earned a doctoral degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis, a master’s degree in Communications from Wichita State (KS) University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Missouri-St. Louis in Speech and Mass Communications.
PRESIDENT AND CEO OF UNITY COLLEGE
Dr. Melik Khoury
Dr. Melik Peter Khoury is the President and CEO of Unity College. He holds a bachelor’s degree from University of Maine Fort Kent, an MBA from the University of Maine, and a doctorate in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix.
He is an energetic visionary, passionate about the environment, technology, education and sustainability science. Under his leadership Unity College has successfully launched The Enterprise Model, which harnesses the power of technology to offer traditional and adult students educational opportunities that are affordable, accessible and flexible through the program that best works for them - whether that is UC: Distance Education or UC: Hybrid Learning or UC: Sustainable Ventures. In the process, Dr. Khoury has begun to break down the traditional barriers associated with higher education - making it more affordable, accessible, flexible and relevant for students locally and around the world.
![shults headshot[1].jpg](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/1463b5_71ffa1a169724059a327bc6c7957b227~mv2.jpg/v1/crop/x_287,y_0,w_469,h_682/fill/w_178,h_259,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_3,enc_auto/shults%20headshot%5B1%5D.jpg)
DEAN OF INSTITUTIONAL EFFECTIVENESS AND STRATEGIC PLANNING, BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN COMMUNITY COLLEGE, NEW YORK
Dr. Christopher Shults
Christopher Shults, Ph.D, is the Dean of Institutional Effectiveness and Strategic Planning, Middle States Accreditation Liaison, and Chief Strategist at the Borough of Manhattan Community College, a 2021 Top 10 Aspen Community College Excellence Finalist. In this role, he chaired the strategic planning process that resulted in BMCC’s 2020-2025 strategic plan – Taking What Works to Scale, which was the culminating activity of the College’s intentional redesign work as an AACC Guided Pathways college. Dr. Shults holds both the Doctorate and Masters in Higher Education Administration with an Organizational and Behavioral Management concentration from the University of Michigan and a Bachelors of Science in Psychology from Morgan State University.
He was the lead associate author for Managing the Big Picture in Colleges and Universities: Moving from Tactics to Strategy, which won the 2006 Alice Beeman Award for Published Scholarship from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) and his most recent publication, Reinventing the Community College Business Model: Designing Colleges for Organizational Success challenges community college to intentionally redesign for student success.
PRESIDENT OF THE BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN COMMUNITY COLLEGE, NEW YORK
DR. ANTHONY MUNROE
Anthony E. Munroe was appointed as BMCC’s 11th President and began his leadership role on September 1, 2020. A first-generation U.S. citizen who grew up in the Bronx and attended New York City public schools, Dr. Munroe holds a doctorate in education from Columbia University Teachers College with a concentration in health education.
Dr. Munroe is an international expert on cultural competency and disparities in health care and was named one of the top 25 minority health care executives in the United States by Modern Healthcare Magazine. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) and on the Commission on Student Success with the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC). He was recently named a winner of the 2020 Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society’s Paragon Award for New Presidents, which recognizes college presidents who have shown strong support for student success at their schools.
PRESIDENT & CEO OF HAZARD COMMUNITY & TECHNICAL COLLEGE
DR. JENNIFER LINDON
Dr. Jennifer Lindon is a native Southeastern Kentuckian, raised in Hazard, Kentucky. In 2016, Dr. Lindon became the first female president of Hazard Community and Technical College (HCTC). She began her higher education journey as a student in 1988 at what was then Hazard Community College (HCC) and later earned an associate degree from HCC. She credits the community college with assisting her in determining her career pathway.
Dr. Lindon’s higher education professional experience began in 1992 when she joined the Kentucky Tech System working in the business office and later in financial aid and student services. At Hazard Community and Technical College, Dr. Lindon has served as a teaching faculty member, program coordinator, Workforce Solutions Liaison, Academic Dean, and as the Chief Campus Administrator on the HCTC Technical Campus. She also has private industry experience in healthcare, small business management, and distribution and logistics.
PRESIDENT AND CEO OF ELIZABETHTOWN COMMUNITY AND TECHNICAL COLLEGE
Dr. Juston Pate
Juston Pate is the President and CEO of Elizabethtown Community and Technical College. He has served as an entrepreneurial leader in three of Kentucky’s community and technical colleges. At ECTC he has brought innovative programs and services to the region, and has led the college’s transition to an eight-week schedule.
Most importantly, he has created a culture of partnerships and innovation throughout the college. Even through these changes, the college identified itself as one of Kentucky’s “Best Places to Work.” This cultural change has also led to a positive response to the COVID-19 environment leading to increased student success, even through the pandemic.
CHIEF LEADERSHIP INNOVATION OFFICER FOR HEI AND
RETIRED PRESIDENT OF THE KCTCS
Dr. Jay Box
Dr. Jay K. Box has 30 years of outstanding community college leadership, including as President of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) – one of the top 10 systems in the country. He served on the White House’s American Workforce Policy Advisory Board, the national board for Rebuilding America’s Middle Class, and the Kentucky Workforce Innovation Board. Dr. Box was also a member of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s National Advisory Group, the American Association of Community Colleges’ Sustainability Education and Economic Task Force, Southern Regional Education Board’s Commission on Career and Technical Education, and the Aspen Institute’s Innovation In Higher Education Working Group.
Dr. Box is the 2020 recipient of the Lifetime Leadership Award from Higher Education Innovation.
TRANSFORMATION AND INNOVATION COACH
Dr. Greg Leman
Dr. Gregory Leman is a Transformation and Innovation Coach, Consultant and Change Process Leader. He is a global innovator, an innovation leader and a transformation systems designer-implementer. Leman is a Black Belt in the Innovation Engineering™ System. He served in various operations and innovation leadership roles at Dow Chemical, Cabot Corporation, Cabot-Hüls (Rheinfelden, Germany) and at Great Lakes Chemical until 2005, when he joined Baylor’s faculty. As Clinical Professor in Entrepreneurship at Baylor University, Leman created and led the Technology Entrepreneurship Initiative, including the i5 Practicum in Technology Commercialization in China. He founded the LAUNCH Innovative Business Accelerator at the Baylor Research and Innovation Collaborative (BRIC). He also served as Executive Director of the Start Up Waco entrepreneurial ecosystem for the Waco region.
Leman currently serves as Practice Leader for Innovation and Entrepreneurship track, HEI Visionary Presidents Institute, delivering workshops for current and aspirational College and University Presidents to prepare them to lead transformation on their campuses, and serves in innovation project leader roles on these campuses as needed. He also serves as Chief Engineering Officer for Green Carbon Technologies, a rapidly growing startup turning industrial hemp into green chemistry industrial products.
WOODFORD COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE PRESIDENT/CEO
Emily Downey
Emily Downey is an experienced marketing and business development professional who has spent her career on global partnership, activation, marketing and business development strategies along with working in mergers and acquisitions for due diligence, cultural integration and strategic vision planning. Downey is currently the President and CEO of EKD Strategies, a marketing and business development firm, President and CEO of the Woodford County Chamber of Commerce and the Executive Director of Woodford County Tourism. Downey also is the co-host to morning show, What’s Up Woodford.
As a lifelong learner, Downey earned her executive MBA through the University of Louisville and University of Kentucky MBA program, graduated from the Alltech mini MBA in Dublin, Ireland and is past graduate of Leadership Woodford County, Leadership Lexington and the Leadership Central Kentucky class.
PRESIDENT AND CEO OF ELIZABETHTOWN COMMUNITY AND TECHNICAL COLLEGE
Dr. Greg Leman
Eric Gregory, President of the Kentucky Distillers’ Association, is a veteran communicator with more than 30 years of experience in governmental affairs, marketing, journalism and strategic public relations.
As KDA President, Gregory oversees all aspects of the 141-year-old association that promotes, protects and elevates the Commonwealth’s signature Bourbon and distilled spirits industry, including the famous Kentucky Bourbon Trail® experiences.
Kentucky’s historic distilleries produce 95 percent of the world’s Bourbon, a rich heritage that dates back more than 200 years. Today, Bourbon is America’s official native spirit, a leading export and a thriving symbol of Kentucky craftsmanship and tradition.
Gregory joined the KDA in 2008 after seven years as Governmental Affairs Manager at East Kentucky Power Cooperative. He previously served as Vice President of Public Affairs for Preston-Osborne, a prominent Lexington public relations, marketing and research firm.
A graduate of the University of Kentucky, Gregory began his career as an award-winning journalist for the Lexington Herald-Leader. He also served as a reporter and editor at the Honolulu Advertiser, and has been nominated twice for the Pulitzer Prize.
KEENELAND VICE PRESIDENT, CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER
Christa Marrillia
Christa Marrillia joined Keeneland in 2003 and serves as the company’s Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer. Marrillia oversees the Keeneland Marketing, Communications, and Sponsorship teams as well as the Keeneland Library. Christa is a native of Midway, Kentucky and a graduate of the University of Kentucky. Marrillia is actively engaged in the community serving on the VisitLEX Tourism Commission, board of directors for the LexArts, Downtown Lexington Partnership advisory board, and is a member and past president of the Bluegrass Hospitality Association.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF EQUINE STUDIES FOR BLUEGRASS COMMUNITY AND TECHNICAL COLLEGE (BCTC Equine).
Remi Bellocq
Since October 2011 Remi Bellocq has served as the Executive Director of Equine Programs at Bluegrass Community and Technical College, preparing students for the care, training and riding of racehorses.
Since it began in 2006, the newly re-branded BCTC Equine – previously known as the North American Racing Academy - has become a key equine industry workforce provider offering one year certificate and two-year associates degree programs for those seeking careers in the horse racing and breeding industries. To date, BCTC Equine students have found careers as jockeys, exercise riders, assistant trainers, farm manager and various other equine industry jobs with top U.S. trainers such as Todd Pletcher, Ken McPeek, Graham Motion and Joe Sharp and at top breeding farms and training centers such as Taylor Made and WinStar.
Prior to joining BCTC Equine, Remi spent nearly 25 years in executive management positions at top race tracks across the U.S. including Santa Anita and Belmont Park and served as CEO of the National Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association. Remi also serves as the General Secretary of the International Federation of Horse Racing Academies and as a Board member of the Racing Officials Accreditation Program.
A native New Yorker, Remi is a 1984 graduate from the University of Arizona Race Track Industry Program and currently lives in Lexington, KY.
VICE PRESIDENT FOR ADVANCEMENT AND ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR BLUEGRASS COMMUNITY AND TECHNICAL COLLEGE
Mark Manuel
Mark is the Vice President for Advancement and Organizational Development for Bluegrass Community and Technical College. Advancement and Organizational Development is made up of Strategic Communications; Resource Development/BCTC Foundation; and Human Resources and Professional Development. He also serves as the Executive Director of the Bluegrass Community and Technical College Foundation.
Mark’s experience includes process redesign, lean manufacturing implementation, organizational consulting, organizational redesign, strategic planning, and employee development in both the private and public sectors. He serves as a board member and executive committee member for Commerce Lexington, a member of the Central Kentucky Public Policy Council, and a board member for Leadership Central Kentucky and Scott County United. In addition, he is the chair of the Business and Education Network, a 501c3 non-profit focused on workforce issues. He also is a former board member of the Central Kentucky Region of the Sports Car Club of America (CKRSCCA) and enjoys all levels of sports car and formula car racing.
Mark's educational background includes a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from West Virginia University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Kentucky. He is a registered professional engineer in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
REGIONAL DIRECTOR - GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS
TOYOTA MOTOR NORTH AMERICA, INC
Kim menke
Kim Menke is the Regional Director of the Government Affairs stationed at Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Kentucky, Inc. (TMMK) in Georgetown, Kentucky. He joined Toyota in 1987, as an Environmental Engineer to support the construction and startup Toyota’s first wholly owned manufacturing operation in the United States. From Toyota’s largest and most complete manufacturing operation, he manages and supports the Company relationships with local, state and federal officials where we have manufacturing operations in Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee and West Virginia. Areas of specific focus include the workforce development programs, economic development efforts, public policy and legislative efforts.
Prior to joining Toyota, Mr. Menke held Plant Engineering and Manufacturing Engineering positions with General Motors in Kentucky & Indiana. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Engineering Technology from Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
In the community, he has also served as the Chair of Local and Regional Chambers of Commerce, Public Policy Organizations, Business and numerous non-profit boards across Kentucky. His current efforts focus on workforce/economic development initiatives including founding Chairman of KY FAME (Federation for Advanced Manufacturing Education), founding Chairman of the Kentucky Workforce Center Board and current Board Member, and current Vice-Chairman of Kentucky Workforce and Innovation Board (KWIB).
_JPG.jpg)
PRESIDENT EMERITUS, CENTRE COLLEGE, DANVILLE, KENTUCKY
DR. JOHN A. ROUSH
Dr. Roush was the 20th President of Centre College. Highlighting his 22-year work there would be increasing quality, diversity and number of faculty, staff, and students and growing the enrollment by 40+%; three successful campaigns that transformed the College’s physical plant and raised its endowment to $400M-plus; making both study abroad and internship experiences to occur at least once in a student’s undergraduate experience and a guaranteed graduation in four years, both part of the Centre Commitment.
Growing up in Ohio, Roush graduated summa cum laude with bachelor’s degree in English from Ohio University’s Honors College in 1972 and completed his master’s degree in 1973 and the PhD in spring, 1979 from Miami University. Roush was a student-athlete in football at Ohio University, earning Academic All-American honors during his three varsity seasons.
Dr. Roush’s career began in higher education at Miami University as an assistant football coach in 1972 – transitioning to administration in 1976 and completing his work there in December 1981 as Executive Assistant to the President. He joined the University of Richmond in January 1982, as Executive Assistant to the President and was made Vice President for Planning, Executive Assistant to the President, and Secretary to the Board of Trustees in 1990.
Roush served as a Captain in the U.S. Army, Military Intelligence, and is a regular speaker and contributor to professional journals on the topics of leadership, governance and finance in higher education, and intercollegiate sport.
The most important thing? Being married to Susie Miller Roush for 46 years and being a father to two sons and a grandfather to six.
PRESIDENT OF THE ASSOCIATION OF INDEPENDENT KENTUCKY COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES (AIKCU)
Dr. OJ OLEKA
Dr. OJ Oleka is the President of the Association of Independent Kentucky Colleges and Universities (AIKCU). AIKCU advocates for higher education policies at the state and federal level that will lead to increased affordability and access to Kentucky’s independent colleges. Dr. Oleka graduated from the University of Louisville with a bachelor’s degree in Marketing and a minor in Political Science. He also has an MBA, and PhD in Leadership in Higher Education from Bellarmine University. His research focus is on college affordability, social capital, and workforce development.
Dr. Oleka is passionate about ending generational poverty for all Kentuckians and lives in Frankfort, KY with his wife Jamie, their daughter Riley, and their dog Ashe.
