I’m a Scholar and Leader who believes that colleges can do better.

About Me

As a researcher, I am drawn to questions that help improve policy and practice.

As a leader, I love applying new insights to help colleges and universities better serve students, fulfill their missions, and empower their employees.

Thought Partner.

I want to help everyone have better conversations about learning, leadership, and equity.

A woman with glasses standing near a white board holding a post-it note

Current Publications and Projects

  • Stepping Away

    Lisa’s new book, Stepping Away: Returning to Faculty the After Senior Academic Leadership, was published by Rutgers University Press in July 2023.

    Leadership change is inevitable, but smooth transitions don’t happen by accident.

  • The Futures of Planning in 2040

    As a current fellow of the Society of College and University Planners (SCUP), Lisa is using foresight analysis to map the possible futures of academic, financial, and facilities planning in higher ed.

  • 8 Dos and Don’ts of Stepping Away from Administration

    This thought-piece for The Chronicle of Higher Education outlines major considerations for leaders contemplating a return to the faculty.

  • Postcard Pedagogy Podcast

    This podcast highlights untold stories about global learning off-campus study programs at liberal arts colleges. Postcard-sized episodes (10 minutes or less) feature conversations about effective teaching, the impact of leading off-campus study programs, and suggestions for how colleges can better support these efforts.

  • Higher Ed Jobs Author in Residence

    As an author in residence, Lisa developed a blog series to take a deeper dive in the many dimensions of leadership transitions in colleges and universities.

  • 2024 National Conference on Trusteeship

    Lisa will moderate a panel addressing research‐based insights about what boards should know about why and how presidents, deans, and provosts return to the faculty, as well as which steps boards can take to ensure anyone departing a senior executive post might remain an essential asset to the institution.