I founded Sage Leader to provide coaching and consulting support for academic administrators from department chair to president. Based on 40+ years of experience in higher education, I can help you develop a clearer understanding of your role and resolve how to respond wisely to perplexing situations. 

Many higher education institutions publish handbooks, guides, calendars, or checklists for new administrators. They tell you what to do and when. They rarely show you how to do it. Knowing to whom to report a serious situation is one thing. Knowing how you should handle or respond to that situation can be quite another matter. Without running afoul of your institution’s regulations or procedures, I help with the latter issue.

As a department/program chair, a dean, or even a provost, you lead from the middle. Satisfying the expectations of persons on both ends of that middle is tough—something for which earning a terminal degree leaves most of us unprepared.

Finding good, confidential advice is tricky. If you consult your superiors too often, doubt will arise about whether you are up to the job. If you consult your peers—administrators or faculty—you risk starting a gossip mill. Leading from the middle can be lonely.

That’s where I can help. Typically, I will ask questions to stimulate a clearer, more precise understanding of the challenge that you face. I will then accompany you in reflecting on available options that might be appropriate. And, finally, I will encourage you to decide and execute the best option in light of the most relevant considerations.

I have found that clients benefit most from more than one personal session. Therefore, I require first-time clients to schedule at least two sessions during a 30-day period for $500 total. (Group consulting services involve a different pricing structure.)

Finally, when you schedule your discovery session, be assured that the system will adjust as necessary for different time zones. Your appointment will show up according to the local time for each of us.

A brief word about me. After completing studies at Wabash College (B.A., English), Southern Methodist University (M.Div.), and the University of Chicago (M.A., Ph.D.), I taught religious studies and humanities. I also served as an undergraduate dean, academic vice president, and graduate dean. After retiring from academia, I ran my own writing and consulting business. In June 2022, I launched a higher education newsletter, Higher Ed Success. I live with my spouse and our cat in Raleigh, NC.