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.
8 months
3 modules
2 locations
design sessions
virtual sessions
leadership coaching
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
Module 1 – October TBD, 2026
Washington, D.C.
Module 2 – February TBD, 2027
Tempe, Arizona
Module 3 – June TBD, 2027
Washington, D.C.
Virtual Sessions – conducted between in-person meetings.
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:
Current Faculty
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
Previous Speakers
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
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 advances 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