Instructors
John has nearly 20 years of experience in major gifts and has worked with donors on the creation of more than 90 endowed funds during his tenure at WMU. He is a frequent international speaker and the author of Opening the Door to Major Gifts: Mastering the Discovery Call (CharityChannel Press, 2013). John’s bestselling book helps nonprofit organizations begin relationships with potential donors.
Jeanne Hey is founder and principal at Hey University, a leadership development consultancy focusing exclusively on higher-ed settings. With over thirty years’ experience in academia, she specializes in developing materials and programs for emerging and experienced academic leaders. At the University of New England in southern Maine, she served as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences for eight years before finishing her university service as Associate Provost for Student Success. Before that, Jeanne served Miami University (Oxford, OH) for 19 years. There she served in roles including Interim Dean and Executive Director of Miami’s Middletown Campus, Director of International Studies, and Professor of Political Science and International Studies. Jeanne is the author of Managing Difficult Faculty and Staff: A Four-Step Process (Bloomsbury, 2026) and The Balancing Acts of Academic Leadership: A Guide for Deans and Department Heads (Rowman & Littlefield, 2021). She is an active participant in the Council on Colleges of Arts and Sciences, the Higher Education Research Service (HERS), and Academic Impressions. She leads professional development seminars, workshops, and one-on-one coaching sessions in the areas of leadership development, the unique challenges of academic leadership, administrative-faculty relations, strategic planning, and other topics facing academic leaders today. A […]
Prior to her current role, Jenny served as the Executive Director for Alumni Affairs at UNC Charlotte. From 2008-2012 she served as Director of Alumni Affairs for the Duke University School of Medicine and from 2002 – 2008 she served as Duke Medicine’s Director for Special Events and Donor Relations. She began her professional career in Student Affairs, working in Residence Life at Appalachian State University and Western Carolina University before moving to the University of Kentucky where she was Assistant Director for Student Activities. In her role at UK, Jenny advised Student Activities Board committee chairs for the Cinema, Spotlight Jazz, Homecoming and Visual Arts committees; negotiated contracts for major artists; created publicity pieces; and worked all major events sponsored through Student Affairs. Jenny moved into Alumni Affairs at the University of Kentucky when she took on the role of Special Programs Coordinator for the Alumni Association, handling all special events for the Association. She was promoted to the position of Associate Director for Membership, Marketing and Special Programs. In this role she worked with alumni clubs across the country as well as supervising membership/marketing and all special events for the Association. Jenny earned her Bachelor’s degree in secondary […]
With 29 years of experience in Student Affairs and four years in Parks & Recreation, Sandi Carlisle’s expertise includes Student Activities, Student Development, Residential Facilities, and Collegiate and Park District recreation. Dr. Carlisle served on the leadership team to build the first ever dedicated Student Recreation Center at Texas State University. Leading the Residential Facilities Team at Northern Illinois University for 6 years, Sandi was responsible for managing over 2 million square feet of housing and dining areas including refurbishing and remodeling projects. During her tenure Sandi helped develop a housing and dining capital renewal plan which led to the university’s decision to build new student university apartments and a new residence hall. As the Director of Campus Recreation at Northern Illinois University Dr. Carlisle worked with the Student Association and university administrators to build the first ever 27-acre lighted Outdoor Recreation Sports Complex which includes 186,200 square feet of synthetic sports turf. To increase student engagement and retention, Sandi and her staff implemented several initiatives in the last ten years: and has been actively involved in the National Intramural Recreation Sports Association (NIRSA) and other professional organizations.
Niraj Chaudhary serves as an Associate University Librarian for Organizational Innovation at University of the Pacific, where he leads organizational revitalization and furthers organizational effectiveness through services, technologies, collections, and learning environments, within an increasingly learning-centered and evidence-based workplace culture. At Pacific, Niraj is leading the technology planning and budget development for a comprehensive facility renovation of the Stockton campus library. Previously, he served as Head of Information and Educational Technology Services for Auraria Library, which serves University of Colorado Denver, Metropolitan State University of Denver, and Community College of Denver. At Auraria Library, he provided technology vision and led many successful technology implementations including the Discovery Wall during its comprehensive facility renovation from 2008 to 2016.
Nancy Fried Foster is a design anthropologist who helps libraries, colleges, universities, and cultural institutions use ethnographic and participatory methods to understand their users and then design spaces, services, and technologies to meet their needs. Dr. Foster served for three years as Senior Anthropologist at Ithaka S+R and for ten years as director of anthropological research for the University of Rochester’s River Campus Libraries. Since 2009, she has worked through the American International Consortium of Academic Libraries (AMICAL) to introduce participatory design and work-practice study to colleges and universities around the world, and from 2007 to 2013 she delivered workshops in the US through the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR). Dr. Foster is an author with Patricia Steele, et al. of The Living Library: An Intellectual Ecosystem; edited Studying Students: A Second Look; and co-edited with Susan Gibbons Studying Students: The Undergraduate Research Project at the University of Rochester.
Cynthia has been an active participant since 2009 in the renovation of the Auraria Library, which serves three institutions of higher education, the University of Colorado Denver, Metropolitan State University of Denver, and Community College of Denver. Throughout the multi-year projects, Cynthia convened essential conversations that ensured robust campus relationships and staff engagement. Reflective of her highly consultative approach, she invited students’ research-based design recommendations and advanced campus learning partners’ collaborations. Within the library organization, she furthered staff appreciation for repurposing facility spaces and, concurrently, reinventing service models. Cynthia’s visionary leadership guaranteed inclusive participation and responsive design. She earlier held positions at the University of Texas at Arlington libraries and earned a MLIS from the University of North Texas.
Lotte is an architect with over 18 years’ experience in designing educational and cultural facilities. With a passion for the design of public buildings that teach and contribute to communities, she has cemented her experience through the complexities of high performance, sustainable buildings. She brings a sensitive approach to buildings that fit place with thoughtful interior design that can answer the changing needs of users. Her diversity of experience ranges from libraries, to zoos and net zero energy buildings. She relishes anticipating challenges and navigating the appropriate solution with the design team and stakeholders alike. Lotte’s recent work includes the SFMOMA Expansion and the Packard Foundation Headquarters. She is currently working on the Library Renovation at University of Pacific in California. Lotte received her degree in Urban Design and Architecture from The Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen, Denmark, and has studied at both the University of Sydney and UC Berkeley.
Joseph, a library design specialist and founding partner of Studiotrope, has spent the past 18 years working with library clients to bring their buildings into alignment with their missions. He strongly believes we must first understand projects from the user experience perspective before we can start suggesting architectural solutions. Joseph has traveled and studied libraries across the nation and understands that contemporary libraries are in constant flux and must be recognized as very dynamic environments. In fact, Studiotrope was conceived so that Joseph could focus on the ever-changing role of the library in the eyes of its users. This journey has fostered memberships and partnerships with library organizations, including ALA, PLA, and CAL, and led to speaking engagements at local and national conferences. Joseph was also an adjunct professor at the University of Colorado College of Architecture for several years and taught previously at Arizona State University. Joseph has been a registered architect in the state of Colorado since 1996. He has a Master of Architecture from Arizona State University in Tempe, and a Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies from the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana where he studied two semesters abroad.
Mark Walters is responsible for the product development and marketing of Steelcase products for secondary and higher education learning environments. Mark uses his diverse background to lead teams in creating product solutions that support improved student engagement wherever learning happens. Since 2012, Mark has been applying design thinking principles to solve problems specific to library and student commons spaces on campus. Along with the Workspace Futures team at Steelcase, he has spent hundreds hours observing student behavior in scores of libraries and student commons spaces across the United States. Insights gained from this work have not only informed the development of products like Brody™ and Thread™, but have also influenced the design of effective learning spaces at Universities like Grand Valley State. Mark has a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Western Michigan University.
