Kelley Walters has spent the last decade teaching and serving as an administrator in online higher education settings. She has over twenty-five years of experience ranging from the K12 classroom and Elementary Principal to graduate level teaching and higher education administration. She is currently the Dean for Northcentral University’s School of Business and has served as Senior Director for a Center for Teaching and Learning, Director of Curriculum, and Faculty. In addition, she is an education consultant, Contributing Editor for Young Children (NAEYC), Editorial Review Board Member for The Reading Teacher (ILA), Editorial Review Board for The Record (KDP), and a reviewer for a plethora of peer reviewed journals. Dr. Walters’ primary research interests include faculty and distance learning instructional practices, online teaching and learning, college level writing, and literacy strategies and instruction. She has received several awards including Walden University’s Presidential Research Fellowship, Walden University’s 2012 Presidential Award of Faculty Excellence, and Kappa Delta Pi’s Teacher of Honor Award. She was also nominated for Laureate International University’s Global Service Award in Collaboration. Walters has a Ph.D. in Reading Education from Oakland University, an MBA from Northcentral University, a master’s degree in Reading from Eastern Michigan University, and a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Michigan State University. She holds teaching certificates in online teaching and elementary education, and endorsements in science, social studies, and early childhood. She lives in Michigan with her husband and two children.
Patricia Henry has worked in higher education, at multiple institutions, for more than a decade serving as faculty, assessment coordinator, Director of Assessment, Associate Dean, and currently as the Dean of the Graduate School at Northcentral University (NCU). Taking an institutional leadership role at NCU, Patricia led the re-engineering project of the entire dissertation process moving from an unstructured approach to a structured, scaffolded, assessable learning process supporting timely student completion. Her efforts are recognized nationally and internationally and she has been consulting with various institutions on their own unique dissertation redesign efforts. Patricia has also been instrumental at NCU in developing, implementing, and leading a ground-breaking process supporting All But Dissertation (ABD) students offering a second chance to students who were unable initially to complete their doctorate at a prior institution. As a recognized graduate of the Assessment Leadership Academy from the regional accrediting body of the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) she leads institutional accreditation efforts and utilizes learner analytics modeling for determining student pacing, completion, at-risk, and faculty accountability. She also uses these data for continuous improvement efforts in process, curriculum, assessment, and financial modeling focusing on student success and completion. Patricia continually seeks innovative solutions to building NCU’s graduate culture through managing faculty research awards and honorariums while also leading the Institutional Review Board efforts. Patricia, from Detroit, Michigan, received her PhD from Walden University, her Master’s from the University of Central Florida, and her Bachelor’s from Wayne State University. Patricia also served in the United States Marine Corps. She actively presents her accomplished work and research nationally and internationally.