Innovators

Raquel Tamez, the CEO of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), joins Innovators to talk about the importance of the development of hispanic and latinx professionals in America, especially in STEM fields. Tamez talks about SHPE's role in the landscape and the reasons for her to be "cautiously optimistic" about the evolution and trends of representation in STEM fields. Tamez has bee...

Dr. Susan Fritz joins Innovators to talk about the University of Nebraska and other Land Grant institutions across the country, and their role in higher education, policy, and their place in the world. Dr. Fritz is the Executive Vice President and Provost and the Dean of the Graduate College at the University of Nebraska. She recently spent several months as the interim president of the University...

Dr. Eleftherios Iakovou joins Innovators to talk about the importance of the global supply chain in the world of food strength and security. Dr. Iakovou and Rick Skinner discuss the need for communication, organization, and transportation – all essential parts of the supply chain – to ensure food safety for the most amount of people worldwide. Dr. Iakovou has a Ph. D. in Operations Research and In...

Dr. Michael Lairmore joins Innovators to talk about the important role of veterinary medicine in overall human healthcare. Dr. Lairmore talks about the "One Health" approach, which helps doctors add to the understanding of biology, public health, and places where the lives of animals and humans intersect. Dr. Lairmore started at UC Davis in 2011, and has helped lead the school to the #1 ranking in...

Dr. Leo Kempel and Rick Skinner talk about immigration, diversity, and how schools like MSU are trying to attract international students to their graduate engineering programs. Dr. Kempel is the Dean of the College of Engineering at Michigan State University since 2013 and got his Ph. D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Michigan in 1994. He's also a professor of electrical engineer...

Dr. Brian Blake joins Innovators to talk about how Drexel University has evolved as a technology institution and become one of the most complete universities in the country. Dr. Blake talks about the university's ambitions to be the "most civically engaged university in the country" and what the school is doing to improve the lives of their undergraduate and graduate students, in-class and online....

Dr. Charles Taylor, Provost and EVP of Academic Affairs at the University of North Texas, joins Innovators to talk about partnerships in healthcare and academia. Dr. Taylor also talks to Innovators host Rick Skinner about the specific features and characteristics of the state of Texas and how that impacts his work. In addition to being the Provost and EVP of Academic Affairs at UNT, Dr. Taylor is...

Dave Appino and Joe Mazzenga of NuBrick Partners join Innovators to talk about the power of leadership and the role of careful alignment in building healthcare teams. Appino is Vice President at NuBrick and directs project management in serving client needs as well as project design and implementation. At NuBrick, Mazzenga focuses on leadership assessment and development, executive team performanc...

Dr. King Li, the inaugural dean and chief academic officer of the Carle Illinois College of Medicine, joins Innovators to talk about the role of technology in healthcare and how it can improve and change the humanistic nature of the doctor/patient experience. Before being appointed at Illinois, Dr. Li was the senior associate dean for clinical and translational research at Wake Forest University a...

Dr. Douglas Miller joins Innovators to talk about how artificial intelligence and precision medicine can be used to positively impact the healthcare system. Dr. Miller is the founder and CEO of Cognitive Diagnosis, a Canadian-based firm that uses artificial intelligence to improve healthcare and the patient experience. He served over a decade as the dean of three research-intensive medical schools...

Dr. Philip Payne joins Innovators to talk about the crucial role of biomedical informatics in healthcare and in training the next wave of medical professionals. Dr. Payne is the founding director of the Institute for Informatics at Washington University in St. Louis, where he also serves as the Robert J. Terry Professor and Professor of Computer Science and Engineering. Previously, Dr. Payne was P...

Paul Umbach - the Founder and Senior Principal at Tripp Umbach, a Pittsburgh, Pa. based consulting firm focused on healthcare, higher education, community health, economic development and real estate development - joins Innovators to talk about the impact of academic health centers in the wider healthcare landscape. He also touches on how medical schools and universities can be at the core of the...

Dr. Joseph Brennan, a public relations professional with a long career working inside colleges and universities, joins Innovators to talk about how institutions of higher education can more effectively communicate through times of crisis on their campuses. In his career, Dr. Brennan served as the Vice President of Communications at the University of Iowa, University at Buffalo, and University of A...

Dr. Ed Funai, the Chief Operating Officer at USF Health - whose academic career includes time at Yale, Ohio State University, and the University of South Florida, among others - joins Innovators to talk about the importance of well-coordinated teamwork in providing great healthcare to their patients. Innovators is a podcast production of Harris Search Associates. The show is produced by Grant Burk...

Dr. Terry Curry, Associate Provost and Associate Vice President for Academic Human Resources at Michigan State University, joins Innovators to talk about how recruiting talent in academia and higher education has changed over time due to globalization, the women's movement, and many other factors. Innovators is a podcast production of Harris Search Associates. The show is produced by Grant Burkhar...

Dr. Dennis Mitchell, Vice Provost for Faculty Diversity and Inclusion for Columbia University, joins Innovators to talk about the importance of diversity in institutions of higher education. Dr. Mitchell talks with Rick Skinner about how complex problems that universities (and societies) face require diversity of background, opinion, and thought. Innovators is a podcast production of Harris Search...

Dr. Sally Rockey, who in 2015 became the inaugural Executive Director Executive Director of the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR), talks to Innovators host Joann Fax about the importance of innovation and the food research enterprise. She also gives some advice to young people who want to break into and make a difference in the food and agriculture industry. Innovators is a podca...

Dr. Christopher T. Jones, the Corporate Vice President and President of Northrop Grumman Technology Services, joins Innovators to talk about the role that universities play (and should play) in training students to enter the workforce. Among other topics, Dr. Jones also talks about the selection of interns and how they ensure diversity in their selection process. Innovators is a podcast production...

Dr. Judy "JJ" Jackson, the Chief Diversity Officer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, joins Innovators to talk about the state of diversity and inclusion in higher education and the role of the Chief Diversity Officer in making change. Innovators is a podcast production of Harris Search Associates and is produced by Grant Burkhardt. *The views and opinions shared by guests or hosts on t...

Danielle Holley-Walker - the Dean of the Howard University School of Law - joins Joann Fax to talk about how universities can more effectively utilize search committees when looking for educators and executives. Innovators is a podcast production of Harris Search Associates and is produced by Grant Burkhardt. *The views and opinions shared by guests or hosts on the podcast do not necessarily refle...

Dr. Pelema Morrice, the Vice Provost for Enrollment Management at the University of Missouri, joins host Joann Fax to talk about how enrollment practices in higher education have evolved to become more holistic and to think about the whole campus and community. Innovators is a podcast production of Harris Search Associates and is produced by Grant Burkhardt. *The views and opinions shared by guest...

Dr. Emily Miller, the associate vice president of the Association of American Universities, joins Innovators to talk about the growth of STEM in schools and higher education's role in expanding and furthering STEM's mission.  Innovators is a podcast production of Harris Search Associates and is produced by Grant Burkhardt. *The views and opinions shared by guests or hosts on the podcast do not nec...

Dr. Stephen Lanier, the vice president for research at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, talks to Rick Skinner about the importance of making research institutions cross-disciplinary instead of siloed. Dr. Lanier talks about how universities like Wayne State can serve the urban areas they inhabit. Innovators is a podcast production of Harris Search Associates. *The views and opinions sh...

Patricia Woody Reeves, the founder and president of PWR Consulting, joins Joann Fax to talk about building resources and creating energy around the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

Host Joann Fax is joined by Dr. Lisa Freeman, the interim president of Northern Illinois University, to talk about leadership roles for women in higher education and plenty more.