Office Hours with John Gardner

Laura I. Rendón is Professor Emerita and Co-Director of the Center for Research and Policy in Education at University of Texas-San Antonio. A native of Laredo, Texas, Rendón’s scholarly endeavors have focused on college access and success especially for low-income, first-generation students. Rendón is credited with developing the theory of validation that academic and student affairs practitioners...

Purdue University Global Chancellor Dr. Frank J. Dooley boasts an international reputation as an innovative educator and creative researcher. Prior to his appointment in May 2020, Dooley was senior vice provost for Purdue University.  Dooley has received numerous awards for teaching, research, and service, including the Charles B. Murphy Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award in 2009 and the Agr...

Dr. Susan Whealler Johnston is president and CEO of the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO), a position she has held since August 1, 2018. Prior to joining NACUBO, she was at the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges (AGB), and for 12 years she served as its executive vice president and chief operating officer, responsible for the day-to...

Kenneth C. Green, Ph. D.,   is the founding director of  The Campus Computing Project, the largest continuing study of the role of computing, eLearning, and information technology in American higher education. Launched in 1990, Campus Computing is widely cited by both campus officials and corporate executives as a definitive source for data, information, and insight about eLearning and information...

Dr. Koch is a child of immigrants who came to the United States in pursuit of a better life for their family. His first language was not English, and postsecondary education was valued by his family as a means for realizing the American Dream. He is a staunch advocate and leader of efforts that increase student access to and, ultimately, completion of postsecondary education. He has worked in and...

Leo M. Lambert is President Emeritus and Professor at Elon University.  Lambert served as president from 1999-2018, leading Elon’s rise to national prominence by promoting a student-centered culture that values strong relationships between students and their faculty and staff mentors. Focused on developing students as global citizens, ethical leaders and creative problem-solvers, Lambert led two s...

 Kurt Edward Ewen was born and raised in Orlando, Florida. He earned an Associate of Arts degree from Valencia Community College and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy from St. Meinrad College in St. Meinrad, Indiana. Graduate and post-graduate studies took him to the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, in Leuven, Belgium where he completed a Master’s degree in Religious Studies and a Licentiate...

Peter Felten is executive director of the Center for Engaged Learning, assistant provost for teaching and learning, and professor of history at Elon University. He works with colleagues on institution-wide teaching and learning initiatives, and on the scholarship of teaching and learning. Peter has published six books about undergraduate education including (with Leo Lambert), Relationship-Rich Ed...

Dr. Dan Friedman is the executive director of University 101 Programs at the University of South Carolina, where he provides leadership for six academic courses, including approximately 270 sections of the nationally renowned first-year seminar taught by over 240 instructors and 260 peer and graduate leaders. Friedman earned his Ph. D. in Higher Education from the University of Virginia and is an...

Dr. Tristan Denley currently serves as Deputy Commissioner for Academic Affairs and Innovation at the Louisiana Board of Regents. Before moving to Louisiana in January 2022, he served as Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Chief Academic Officer at the University System of Georgia, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at the Tennessee Board of Regents and Vice President for Academic...

Susan Winslow is President of Macmillan Learning. She has more than 30 years of educational publishing and technology experience. In her career at Macmillan Learning, Ms. Winslow was most recently General Manager, where she championed learning science and the transition to digital learning. Under her leadership, Macmillan Learning gained market share for four consecutive years and developed, teste...

Charlie Nelms, President-in-Residence, United Negro College Fund Dr. Charlie Nelms is a transformational servant-leader, a motivational speaker, and a consultant with expertise in higher education. He has more than 40 years of experience and leadership in student access, retention, and graduation; institutional effectiveness; and strategic planning. The former chancellor of universities in North C...

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. Befo...

Kimberly Koledoye is a professor and the program coordinator of the Academic Student Success/First Year Experience program at Houston Community College.  Kimberly’s extensive teaching background in literacy, English, education, and student success spans both the K-12 and post-secondary arenas. She specializes in course design and has led development teams in creating courses for college success, D...

Dr. Wheelan currently serves as President of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges and is the first African American and the first woman to serve in this capacity.  Her career spans over 40 years and includes the roles of faculty member, chief student services officer, campus provost, college president, and Secretary of Education.  In several of those roles, she w...

Freeman Alphonsa Hrabowski III is an American educator, advocate, and mathematician. In May 1992 he began his term as president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), one of the twelve public universities composing the University System of Maryland. Dr. Hrabowski has been credited with transforming UMBC into an institution noted for research and innovation. Under his leadership, U...

Dr. Kirsten Turner serves as the Vice President for Student Success, a role that positions her as the institution’s chief student affairs officer and a leading advocate for student development. A leader with a long tenure at the University of Kentucky, she transitioned to her current role after serving in multiple associate provost roles and as one of the institution’s leading architects of strate...

Maria Martha Chavez Brummell is the Chief Executive Officer for Catch the Next, Inc. She received a PhD and M. Phil from Yale University in Sociology. She also holds two degrees from Kansas State University: a Master’s Degree in Education and a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism, Psychology and Spanish Literature.  Maria Martha began her career in higher education as an Assistant Director of Admissio...

A native of Atlanta, Dr. Walter M. Kimbrough was his high school salutatorian and student body president in 1985, and went on to earn degrees from the University of Georgia, Miami University in Ohio, and a doctorate in higher education from Georgia State University. He has enjoyed a fulfilling career in student affairs, serving at Emory University, Georgia State University, Old Dominion University...

Kurt is currently the Vice Chancellor of Strategy, Planning & Institutional Effectiveness at Houston Community College (HCC)  Kurt’s areas of focus include: strategic and operational planning, regional accreditation with SACSCOC, educational policy, data and analytics, innovation and collaborative problem solving, entrepreneurial initiatives, and grants.    Kurt is a recognized speaker on issu...