Strategic Initiatives has assembled an international cadre of seasoned practitioners and thought leaders from which we constitute our project teams. Through these relationships and connection to their organizations, we have access to proven expertise in a broad range of areas. Below please find a sampling of our partners and consultants.
Principals
Donald M. Norris, Ph.D. is President and Founder of Strategic Initiatives, Inc. Don has 35 years experience as a thought leader and expert practitioner in leading and navigating change, crafting and executing strategy, strategic marketing, and organizational transformation. His clients include hundreds of corporations, colleges and universities, and associations. He has published 20 books and monographs that continue to set the gold standard for transformative, strategic change. Dr. Norris has co-authored a number of seminal publications on analytics: “Action Analytics: Measuring and Improving Performance that Matters in Higher Education,” EDUCAUSE Review; “What Every Campus Leader Needs to Know About Analytics,” and A Toolkit for Building Organizational Capacity in Analytics.” Dr. Norris has been active in the Society for College and University Planning (SCUP) for over 30 years. He has co-authored a series of books and monographs for SCUP that have dramatically influenced the field of Strategic Planning over the past thirty years: A Guide for New Planners (1984), Transforming Higher Education: A Vision for Learning in the 21st Century (1995), Unleashing the Power of Perpetual Learning (1997), Transforming e-Knowledge: A Revolution in Knowledge Sharing (2001), and A Guide to Planning for Change (2008). Don was awarded the Distinguished Service Award by SCUP in 1994. He has pioneered a number of leading edge technologies in strategy, innovation, and change management. He is currently leading the Cooperatory™ initiative at Virginia Tech which will serve as a nexus for the entrepreneurial innovation resources and experiences at the University and expose Tech students and alumni to crowd-sourcing-and-funding approaches to entrepreneurship. He holds and B.S, in Engineering Mechanics and MBA from Virginia Tech and a Ph.D. from the Center for the Study of Higher Education at the University of Michigan.  Robert Brodnick, Ph.D. is a Principal at Strategic Initiatives. Rob has worked in the fields of educational and organizational management, change, and capacity building for twenty-five years. He holds special skills in strategy, innovation, and organizational development. Rob is an expert facilitator of human process from dyads, to small groups, to large scale retreats and has notable experience with leadership groups, boards, planning bodies and with strategic and creative solutions. He has served as an administrator and faculty member at three universities and his work has focused on building institutional capacity and effectiveness through strategy, planning, and innovation. He has direct experience with institutional effectiveness, assessment and program review, institutional accreditation, enrollment management to include retention, admissions, financial aid and registrar functions, and sustainability. He has managed technological implementation of analytics, business intelligence, data warehousing, security, and learning systems. Rob has been active in the Association for Managers of Innovation, the Society for College and University Planning, the International Association of Applied Psychology, the Association of Institutional Research, and others. He was a member of the Board of Directors of the Higher Education Data Sharing consortium and President of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education Directors group. In 2009, Rob was honored by the Society for College and University Planning with their award for Institutional Innovation and Integration. Rob teaches courses in education, the social sciences, and business and has special interest in innovation management. He holds a Ph.D. in Psychoeducational Processes from Temple University.
Joseph (Tim) E. Gilmour, Ph.D. is a Principal with Strategic Initiatives and President Emeritus of Wilkes University, which he served for 11 years. Dr. Gilmour is known as an innovative leader who has championed transformation and a strong performance excellence culture throughout his career. His over 40 years of experience also include serving as Provost at Northwest Missouri State University, Vice President for Strategic Planning at Georgia Tech and Executive Assistant to the President of the University of Maryland College Park. He has served on numerous Boards including the National Total Quality Forum, Association of Independent Colleges and Universities in Pennsylvania and the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities. 
Linda L. Baer, Ph.D. is an Advising Principal with Strategic Initiatives. She currently is serving as a Senior Fellow with Civitas Learning. Dr. Baer has served over thirty years in numerous executive-level positions in higher education including Senior Program Officer in Postsecondary Success for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs in the Minnesota State College and University System, Senior Vice President and Interim President at Bemidji State University. She presents nationally in academic innovations, educational transformation, the development of alliances and partnerships, the campus of the future, shared leadership and action analytics. She and Don collaborate on breakthrough practices in analytics, strategic planning, and the transformation of higher education. | Consultants Richard L. Byyny, M.D. - Chancellor Emeritus of the University of Colorado Boulder leader and innovator in medical education and clinical practice, active in International Health and Education, at UC Boulder championed a range of realignment, reinvention, and resource reallocation activities Samuel A. Kirkpatrick, Ph.D. - former president of UT San Antonio & Eastern Michigan Univ courageously pursued innovation in the face of considerable organizational inertia, internationally respected as an innovative leader who is expert in the leveraging of technology, metropolitan universities, developing organizational capacity, and leading change Michael Speziale, Ed.D. - Vice President, Wilkes University, partner in MIDA Learning Tech new program development and deployment, the establishment of innovative partnerships, strategic planning, educational technology integration, professional development, research, assessment and data analysis Michael Leardi - President, Strategic Business Advisory, LLC expert on measuring and enhancing institutional efficiency and productivity through deployment of a widely admired Cost of Education Model, whose findings can be leveraged to achieve efficiencies, reallocate resources, realign program priorities, and support program and process reinvention needed to establish long-term financial sustainability J. Wade Gilley, Ph.D. - former president of five institutions including the Marshall University turnaround expert for institutions in trouble, admired for his innovation, 16 books and hundreds of articles in journals and newspapers David Hollowell, DFP - 30 years experience as chief budget officer and chief planning officer responsible for all business and administration functions: finance, information technology, administration, facilities, business services, planning, and budgeting, widely admired for his innovative approaches to leveraging technology and innovation Ann Hill Duin, Ph.D. - Professor at the University of Minnesota higher education administrative roles including Vice Provost, Senior Associate Dean, Associate Vice President for Information Technology, CIO and focus on business intelligence and academic analytics, scholarship on emerging technologies and shared leadership Nick L. Poulton, Ph.D. - President Emeritus of the Texas International Education Consortium 40 years experience in planning, research, and academic leadership positions in American higher educational and in international educational settings, seasoned project manager and planner for international learning initiatives Richard Katz, MBA - President of Richard N. Katz & Associates consults on institutional and educational strategy, technology, and on performance management (governance, planning, measurement, assessment) with governments, corporations, and colleges and universities worldwide, served on more than 20 corporate, university, and association governing and advisory boards, internationally known speaker Mark A. Olson - President, Alliance Consulting, LLC senior industry executive with campus, corporate and association experience, highly skilled in system strategy, development and deployment, enrollment management, student support/success and analytics - published widely on strategic issues relating to higher education business, finance and technology Tapio Varis, Ph.D. - Emeritus Professor at University of Tampere, Finland emphasis is on global learning environments and transitions between K-12, higher education, and employment, a recognized expert on entrepreneurship and innovation in developed and developing countries Stacia Aylward, - CEO, Zelos, Inc. skillful process and meeting facilitator and seasoned strategic planner in higher education, state and local government, and association settings Senthil Nathan, Ph.D. - Founder, EduAlliance, UAE seasoned in strategic planning, program development, innovation, entrepreneurship and leadership development in international settings Susan Poulton - Founder, Door 44 digital media and communications strategist, working with for-profit and non-profit sectors to meet content, outreach, and audience building goals, former VP for Digital Media at the National Geographic Society and content professional at AOL, strong storytelling, communications, and production background |
