I have a passion for higher education and the role it has on society and people. Reporting to the President, serving on the President's Council, chairing the Dean's Council, and facilitating faculty governance, my position plays a crucial role in sustaining a professional work climate that is conducive to carrying out the mission and strategic goals of Baker University. I lead the School of Professional and Graduate Studies (SPGS) and Graduate School of Education (GSOE) and responsible for ensuring students are provided a quality, comprehensive experience, which promotes student learning, academic success, and societal contribution. Responsibilities include providing oversight and supervision of faculty [26 (direct reports) & 242 total faculty including PT & NTT] and teams that lead Enrollment Management (n = 8 FTE), Student Services (n = 4 FTE), Faculty Services (n = 4 FTE), and Academic Outreach (Continuing Education and Concurrent Credit) & Corporate Partnerships (n = 4 FTE). In addition, coordinating with the Offices of Academic Affairs, Registrar, Financial Aid, and Business & Finance to ensure that critical data are being captured accurately and consistently; monitoring success of students, retention and progress of incoming students from enrollment through graduation; serving on relevant campus-wide committees and assisting in developing effective strategies for the continuous cycle of assessment and evaluation with regard to student success and retention.

As the Associate Dean, I was responsible for assisting in the approval of new graduate programs (program development) and changes to existing graduate programs. In addition to my influence at UNK, I additionally served on the University of Nebraska system-level graduate governance on the Executive Graduate Council. This work allowed me the ability to work across campus and system to best serve students and faculty. As a leader in UNKOnline, I led the Student Engagement Teams, which included Academic Outreach Coordinator (n = 1 FTE), Content Coordinator (n = 1 FTE), Project Coordinator (n = 1 FTE), Online Program Coordinators (n = 4 FTE), and Graduate Assistants (n = 3 FTE). These teams worked to fulfill the vision and mission of UNKOnline to continually enhance the student experience and serve students and faculty

As a tenured Associate Professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Sport Sciences, College of Education, I was active in all aspects of the department, college, and campus. I taught Anatomy and Physiology (and labs) and research methods for undergraduate and graduate students. In addition to teaching, I led a research team that actively published and presented on national and international platforms.

I was responsible for overseeing research compliance, specifically overseeing the Institutional Review Board (Human Research) and IACUC (Animal Research). As an active researcher, I was able to connect with faculty and facilitate their research requests and provide meaningful feedback that aligned with research compliance.

As the Director of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity, I worked with faculty and students to develop meaningful research projects that connect student interests to faculty research agendas. During this time, I co-created Research Week that built upon the traditional undergraduate research conference but added graduate student research and faculty research panels. The expansion of the program contributed to enhancing the culture of research on campus. The expansion also created a sense of community among students, faculty, and the campus, which provided directive for many as the campus navigated the novel pandemic.

As a tenure track Assistant Professor, I taught introductory courses in Anatomy and Physiology and Research Methods. I also taught an interdisciplinary course on the Science of Play. My scholarship focused on evaluating heath behaviors (physical and nutritional), underlying issues, and contributing influences. As an Assistant Professor, I was able to establish a multidisciplinary research team including faculty, students, and community members. Our research team successfully published and presented our findings on national and international platforms.

The Center for Rural Health and Social Service Development at Southern Illinois University Carbondale aims to strengthen rural health infrastructure and to promote opportunities for enhancing health primarily in rural communities.
Assist with the implementation and evaluation of a variety of grant-funded community and school health programs aimed at improving well-being and reducing health disparities in rural Southern Illinois. The program I worked most closely with was the C.A.T.C.H. (Coordinated Approach to Child Health) program. My primary responsibilities included: constructing needs assessment, assisting with research design and methodology, conducting literature reviews, data collection, statistical analysis, and assisting with grant writing and manuscript publication.

Worked in Dr. Stephen Brown and Dr. Dhitinut Ratnapradipa, conducting research regarding environmental health and health behaviors. Developed further skills in participant recruitment, longitudinal research methodology, data collection (qualitative & quantitative), statistical analysis, report writing, and supervising and training undergraduate researchers.