Instructors
Russ Little is a recognized subject matter expert in the use of technology to address student success, retention and completion challenges, and integrated planning and advising services (IPAS) and learner analytics. Russ is a frequent speaker and presenter on these topics at national conferences and events including Educause, Complete College America, and the League for Innovation.
After beginning her career in public accounting with a specialization in Higher Education and A-133 Compliance, DeAnna Smith became the first Director of Budget and Assistant Treasurer at her alma mater, University of Montevallo, Alabama’s only public liberal arts institution with approximately 3,000 students. Within one year, she was appointed Vice President of Business Affairs and Treasurer. In this role, DeAnna oversees accounting, human resources, student financial aid, budget, purchasing, and facilities. With a strong relationship to the Audit & Finance Committee of the Board of Trustees, she advises the president and board on all matters of finance and recommends the University’s strategic allocation of scarce resources. She also serves as a Director for the Montevallo Development Cooperative District and Leadership Shelby County. DeAnna earned her Masters in Accounting from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in August 2014 and a Bachelor of Business Administration degree, summa cum laude, from the University of Montevallo in 1999. DeAnna was named among Birmingham’s Top 40 under 40 in 2012.
Brian has significant administrative experience as department chair, program director, associate dean, and dean. This experience includes faculty and academic affairs, processes and procedures, promotion and tenure, strategic planning, accreditation, faculty development, and personnel management. He has been a faculty member with over twenty years of teaching experience and continues to teach in his current administrative position. Brian has presented numerous seminars to faculty, staff, program directors, and department chairs. He is the recipient of two teaching awards.
Ron is the founding partner of 2468 Appreciate, LLC, which provides consulting services to help nonprofit organizations thrive by maximizing the contributions of their constituents. Prior to that, Ron spent 32 years working for three small universities that secured over $350 million in gift and grant revenue from donors. He served as Vice President for Advancement at Susquehanna University (PA) from 2000-2017, leading two successful campaigns and starting a third, all of which saw donors contribute more than $200 million. Ron’s research on how colleges and universities stay meaningfully connected to their graduates led Susquehanna to re-positioning alumni engagement in ways that produced greater value benefiting students, alumni, and the university.
Since 1993, John has worked with a variety of institutions, leading public-facing outreach, recruitment, and access offices that work with students, parents, faculty, and corporate partners. He is published in the fields of enrollment, recruitment, marketing, precollege outreach, and career placement, and has presented at numerous national conferences on customer service within higher education. He is also LeaderShape co-lead facilitator. He received his PhD in education from Colorado State University.
Amy Moor Gaylord is a partner in the labor & employment and higher education law practice groups at Franczek Radelet PC. Amy represents employers in all aspects of labor relations including serving as lead negotiator in collective bargaining negotiations and representing employers in unfair labor practice cases, during union organizing campaigns, in state and federal courts and agencies, and in arbitration hearings. Amy is on the board of directors for the Chicago chapter of the Labor and Employment Relations Association (LERA). She is also a member of the Chicago Bar Association, Labor and Employment Section; the American Bar Association (ABA), Labor and Employment Section; and the Development of the Law under the National Labor Relations Act committee where she serves as the liaison to the ABA’s Pro Bono Work Committee. Amy was selected as a member of the ABA Section of Labor and Employment Law’s 2011 Leadership Development Program which provides leadership training and development to a select group of section members.
Julie is an experienced professional in higher education with emphasis in enrollment, marketing and data-integration for process improvement strategies. She has more than 15 years of experience in higher education, and has served in administrative roles at Universities. Her knowledge includes organizational change, data and economic insights, graduate enrollment, marketing and communications, CRM implementation, and online vendor relations. She has served as adjunct faculty, and worked with private and public universities. Julie is the Owner and Principal Consultant at Peak Marketing Insights Consulting. Her organization focuses on integrating new data sources into marketing and enrollment efforts on college campuses.
Ann Marie has been recruiting and marketing to adult students for nearly fifteen years. As director of marketing for Northern Arizona University’s Extended Campuses division, Ann Marie led positioning, lead generation, and prospect nurturing for the non-traditional student market. Prior to NAU, Ann Marie served as Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s education center director at Ramstein Air Base. She also spent five years as a marketing communications manager in the wireless technology industry. A passion for individual and organizational excellence led Ann Marie to study interpersonal and organizational psychology as an undergraduate student; she subsequently earned a master’s degree in employee and organizational development. Ann Marie transitioned her team to an agile marketing model in 2013, and a year later, University Business recognized the team with a Model of Efficiency award for increased productivity, enhanced customer satisfaction ratings, and reduction in costs. In March 2015, Ann Marie began her current role of assistant director for strategic communications at NAU, where she is extending her expertise to the traditional student market.
Andrew Dixon has over ten years of professional marketing and communication experience in fields as diverse as wastewater management, consumer electronics, and higher education. Andrew serves at Colorado State University-Global Campus, an independent online state university offering bachelor’s degree completion and master’s degrees designed for working adults. He earned his master’s degree in organizational leadership with a project management specialization from CSU-Global in 2013.
Allen is responsible for helping guide the Innovation Center in its mission of supporting businesses concentrating on advanced technology, biotechnology, life sciences, and nanotechnology research and development. He assists in coordinating the resources of the federal, state, and local governments with the resources of Missouri State University to promote business and industrial growth by blending entrepreneurship with research, innovation, and commercialization. Allen is responsible for engaging the University in economic development activities, including the development of IDEA Commons and development of the University’s business incubator, The eFactory. Allen also serves as Chief Executive Officer of Springfield Innovation, Inc., which is a non-profit organization affiliated with Missouri State University that operates the Missouri innovation center and serves an advisory role with The eFactory. He also manages the intellectual property portfolio at Missouri State University.
