A group of program participants in a leadership development class

Intensive Leadership Development Programs

Program Overview

This executive-style program is designed for experienced higher education administrators who are ready to grow their capacity to lead transformation and guide their teams and institutions through disruption and complexity. Through a blend of in-person modules, virtual sessions, coaching, and peer collaboration, fellows:

Deepen their leadership awareness and effectiveness
Strengthen their ability to lead system-wide change
Build capacity to foster innovation across their institutions
Navigate uncertainty with greater confidence and clarity

Grounded in systems thinking, strategic foresight, and adaptive leadership, the Academy helps leaders align who they are with how they lead. Fellows return to their campuses with:

A more intentional and effective leadership approach
Greater confidence in leading change and innovation
Practical, tested ideas ready for implementation
The ability to develop leadership in others.

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8 months

3 modules

2 locations

design sessions

virtual sessions

leadership coaching

Module 1 – October 26-28, 2026 | Washington, D.C.

Module 2 – February 1-2, 2027 | Tempe, Arizona

Module 3 – June 7-9, 2027 | Washington, D.C.

* Virtual sessions begin with a September orientation and take place between the in-person modules. A complete journey map is provided with acceptance into the program.

Program Structure and Curriculum

The Academy combines in-person and virtual experiences with the opportunity to apply learning with the Fellow's institutional context.

1. In-Person Seminars

Academy fellows engage in 3 in-person seminars that advance their leadership journey. Through a flipped classroom model with pre-work, discussions, and group activities, fellows come together with Academy faculty to deepen their mindsets, knowledge, and skills to navigate disruption and lead change. They also learn directly from experienced higher education leaders who share real-world insights on driving innovation and transformation.

Module 1: Leading in Complexity

Develop the mindset and awareness needed to lead in complex systems. Understand your institution more deeply while strengthening how you interpret and respond to change.

Module 2: Designing for Innovation

Build your capacity to lead innovation. Test ideas, challenge assumptions, and develop solutions while strengthening your ability to guide others through change.

Module 3: Becoming a Transformational Leader

Clarify who you are as a leader and the future you want to create. Craft a compelling vision and strengthen your ability to lead with purpose, resilience, and impact.

2. Leadership Coaching

Each fellow receives one-on-one coaching that accelerates their personal leadership growth. Coaches help fellows clarify their values, challenge assumptions, and expand their approach to leadership.

3. Learning Circles

Fellows work in small peer groups to reflect on their leadership in action. Fellows examine real challenges, receive feedback, and practice new leadership behaviors while supporting one another’s growth.

4. Innovation Studios

Each fellow develops and advances their own innovation project grounded in their institution’s needs. Through a series of in-person and virtual Innovation Studios and peer group discussions, fellows reframe challenges, identify innovation opportunities, and build an Innovation Roadmap for implementation at their campus.

Who are the fellows in the program? What are their titles and institution types?

Most of the fellows who have successfully completed the program have worked in higher education for 7-10 years and are in a supervisory position, either on the academic or administrative side of the institution. Most are deans, associate or assistant provosts, vice presidents and senior vice presidents, and senior directors.

Academy fellows come from all institution types, but mirror American higher education: About 60-80 percent in each cohort come from public colleges and universities, and 30-40 percent from private nonprofit colleges.

The chance to step back from daily crises to think about the landscape of higher education, to hear from presidents and other leaders engaged with those challenges, and to learn with and from a cohort of colleagues small enough to understand each member's unique situation and challenges, but large enough to reflect the range of American higher education, should not be missed.
Mark Hoveyassociate provost, Wesleyan University

Who are the faculty teaching in the academy?

At the foundation of the academy is the expertise of two leading institutions – ASU’s innovative model for the next-generation research university and Georgetown’s mission to develop and sustain transformational leadership.

The academy sessions are a mix of case studies, simulations and fireside chats with leading thinkers, practitioners and presidents, including:

Minu Ipe
Vice Chair & Managing Director, University Design Institute, Arizona State University

Lisa Foss
Sr. Director for U.S. Practice, University Design Institute, Arizona State University

Jeffrey J. Selingo
Founding Executive Director, The Academy for Innovative Higher Education Leadership and Special Advisor to President Michael M. Crow

Randy Bass
Vice President for Strategic Education Initiatives
Professor of English, Georgetown University

Darcie Milazzo
Program Design Consultant, Academy Facilitator and Leadership Coach

Kim D’Abreu
Academy Facilitator and Leadership Coach

Steve Galloway
Academy Facilitator and Leadership Coach

Kai Stowers
Academy Facilitator and Leadership Coach

Matt Zabel
Academy Facilitator

José Antonio Bowen
Past President
Goucher College

Jennifer Brown
Past Provost
California State Polytechnic University in Pomona

Bryan Brayboy
Dean, School of Education and Social Policy
Northwestern University

Aminta H. Breaux
President
Bowie State University

Sylvia M. Burwell
Past President
American University

Lisa Camp
Past Chief of Staff & Vice Provost for Strategic Initiatives, Office of the Provost
Case Western Reserve University

Lori Carrell
Chancellor
University of Minnesota Rochester

Dolly Chugh
Jacob B. Melnick Term Professor
New York University

Shirley Collado
Past President
Ithaca College

Scott Cowen
President Emeritus
Tulane University

Jennifer Cowley
President
The University of Texas at Arlington

Michael M. Crow
President
Arizona State University

John J. DeGioia
President Emeritus
Georgetown University

Kate Ebner
Past Cohort Co-Director
CEO, Founder & Leadership Coach, The Nebo Company

Hesham El-Rewini
Past Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs
Marymount University

Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Ben Freakley
McCain Institute for International Leadership
Arizona State University

Mildred Garcia
Chancellor
The California State University

Lev Gonick
Chief Information Officer
Arizona State University

Nancy Gonzales
Executive Vice President and University Provost
Arizona State University

Gloria Gonzalez
Past Academy Leadership Coach

Nathan Grawe
Professor of Economics
Carleton College

Daniel Greenstein
Chancellor, Emeritus
Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education

Brian O. Hemphill
President
Old Dominion University

Chris Howard
Executive Vice President & COO
Arizona State University

Freeman A. Hrabowski III
President Emeritus
University of Maryland Baltimore County

Nicole Hurd
President
Lafayette College

Charles Isbell Jr.
Chancellor
University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign

Sukhwant Jhaj
Vice Provost for Academic Innovation and Student Achievement
Arizona State University

Walter Kimbrough
Past President
Dillard University

Patricia McGuire
President
Trinity Washington University

Juan Muñoz
Chancellor
University of California Merced

Daryl Nardick
Past Academy Leadership Coach

Diana Natalicio
Past President
University of Texas El Paso

Ben Nelson
Founder, Chairman and CEO of the Minerva Project

Santa Ono
Former President
University of Michigan

Christine Ortiz
Former dean of the graduate school at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and founder of Station 1

Lynn Perry Wooten
President
Simmons University

Noah Pickus
Past Cohort Co-Director
Associate Provost, Duke University

Carol Quillen
President Emerita
Davidson College

Susana Rivera-Mills
President
Aurora University

Garry Sanders
Past Academy Leadership Coach

Mark S. Smith, MD
Director
MedStar Institute for Innovation

Michael Sorrell
President
Paul Quinn College

Neil Stroul
Past Academy Leadership Coach

Beverly Daniel Tatum
President Emerita
Spelman College

Jason Wingard
Past President
Temple University

The academy energized me to look at higher education differently in a time of great change and encouraged me to build new leadership tools to assist my institution.
Paul Atchleyassociate dean, University of Kansas