Academic Affairs Leadership Academy (AALA)
Welcome from the Vice Chancellor
Welcome to the Academic Affairs Leadership Academy (AALA)! This opportunity was created to identify and invest in leaders from across TBR’s community and technical colleges. Each individual was nominated by their college president. This inaugural cohort represents the future of TBR and includes individuals from across campus roles including faculty, department chairs, coordinators, deans, directors, and vice presidents.
The cohort of leaders will meet monthly to learn from an expert in higher education. These opportunities will provide AALA members with opportunities to learn about promising practices, emerging trends, and historical challenges associated with Tennessee’s higher education system. Additionally, cohort members will receive career coaching from a national expert in professional coaching to help them reflect and define their short and long-term career goals.
The AALA has a practical component to its programming as well. I am elated that the senior leaders in TBR’s Office of Academic Affairs will serve as coaches for small groups of the cohort. These groups will work together to develop a grant proposal designed to address a system or campus-level problem related to student engagement, success, and/or retention. These proposals will be presented to the Chancellor and will be submitted to the Office of Organizational Effectiveness for review under their Student Engagement, Retention, and Success (SERS) grant program. This is a competitive grant process and, if AALA proposals are selected, group members will spend the next year working together to implement their proposal.
The Office of Academic Affairs is committed to developing a pipeline of leaders who will one day serve as the next generations of public servants dedicated to making student success and workforce development a reality for all students across our state.
Congratulations to our first cohort!
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Dr. Jothany Reed, Ed.D. |
About the Academy
The AALA was created to bring together emerging college-level leaders to engage and learn from experts in Tennessee’s higher education landscape. These leaders receive career coaching from a national expert to help them reflect and plan their immediate and future career goals. ALAA leaders will be working in groups to develop grant applications to submit to TBR’s Student Engagement, Retention, and Success (SERS) for review. If funded, the ALAA group will continue to collaborate with TBR staff and college leaders on the implementation of the proposed project in addition to opportunities to learn from higher education experts and receive career coaching.
2023 Cohort - Academic Affairs Leadership Academy
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Jillette Battle Academic Initiatives Coordinator Tennessee Board of Regents |
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Kimberly Christmon Dean of Health Sciences Volunteer State Community College |
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Dr. Richard Church Vice President TCAT Elizabethton |
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Kristin Davenport Education Program Director Columbia State Community College |
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Kim Davis Vice President TCAT Athens |
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Dr. Karen Eastman Dean of Math and Sciences Chattanooga State Community College |
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Dr. Shelley Esquivel Director of Grant Development & Academic Program Initiatives Roane State Community College |
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Jessica Green Dean TCAT Chattanooga |
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Sandra Godsey Assistant Business Professor Cleveland State Community College |
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Wendy Hopper Vice President of Instruction & Operations TCAT Pulaski |
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Crystal Hunter Coordinator of Accreditation TCAT Nashville |
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Amy Johnson Vice President of Academic Affairs and Student Success Dyersburg State Community College |
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Candace Daniel Justice Director of Instructional Dept. for Educator Advancement and Success/Associate Professor of English Walters State Community College |
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Dr. Jennifer Lopes Vice President of Academic Affairs Jackson State Community College |
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Dr. Shaquille Marsh Assistant Professor/Chair, Language and Communication Pellissippi State Community College |
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Sally Porter Strategic Impact Coordinator TCAT Knoxville |
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Ramona Shelton Associate Professor of History/ Academic Resource Center Director Motlow State Community College |
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Dr. Nathan Weber Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs Northeast State Community College |
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Dr. Johannah Williams Dean of STEM Nashville State Community College |
Action Team Coaches and Coordinators
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Zachary Adams Assistant Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs & Workforce Alignment Tennessee Board of Regents |
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Dr. Robert Denn Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Tennessee Board of Regents |
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Dr. Tachaka Hollins Assistant Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Tennessee Board of Regents |
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Dr. Chuck Lopez Assistant Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Tennessee Board of Regents |
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Amy Profant Coordinator/Coach Curriculum and Workforce Strategist, Office of Academic Affairs Tennessee Board of Regents |
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Dr. Thomas Sewell Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Tennessee Board of Regents |
National Coach
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Derek “DY” Young For nearly four decades, Derek “DY” Young as helped and half a million people from 43 industries elevate their performance from good to great to legendary. During that time he has been a consistent partner with the Tennessee Board of Regents and it’s diverse network of schools. As a member of the AALA team, he will provide his unique brand of executive coaching and leadership development that transforms how leaders achieve individual and organizational success. To learn more about DY, visit www.derekyoungspeaks.com. |