Suzanne W. Summers, Ph.D.
Founder & Lead Consultant
I've spent my career on both sides of student success work, first as an academic dean, then as System AVP for Teaching and Learning, and as Chief Academic Officer. That path taught me that engagement isn't a step you add after the strategy is set. It's the strategy. Faculty and staff know which students are falling through which cracks and why, and reform holds up only when they're brought in as partners rather than told what to implement.
As System AVP, I led chair training across a 19-campus system, built around giving department chairs real voice in leading change with their faculty, not just relaying decisions made above them. As a Gardner Institute Fellow, I co-developed and co-lead a national community of practice where academic leaders work through the same problem: how to engage the people closest to students instead of designing reform around them.
My colleague Paul and I are co-writing a book on building student success cultures through human-centered leadership, and my consulting practice grows directly out of that research. Student success initiatives succeed or fail based on whether the people doing the daily work feel like partners in it or targets of it.
I hold a Ph.D. in History from the University of Texas at Austin, a Graduate Certificate in Organizational Change from Northwestern University, and am an ACE Fellow.
I have spent the better part of my academic life at the intersection of teaching and scholarship. My career began with over a decade in the classroom and in faculty governance, experiences that underscore my belief that faculty engagement is the engine of any successful institution. Understanding the vital link between faculty autonomy and institutional mission is central to how I help campuses navigate change.
Currently, as an associate dean and clinical professor at Arizona State University, I lead initiatives focused on the holistic student experience, ranging from curriculum design to high-impact retention strategies.
A sociologist by training and a Gardner Institute Fellow, I previously served as a faculty member and assistant dean at the University of Washington. I earned my Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Today, I leverage this background to partner with campus leaders in building equitable frameworks that drive long-term institutional growth.
Paul LePore, Ph.D.
Associate
I've spent more than 25 years in higher education across academic and student affairs, from the classroom to the vice chancellor's office. That range gave me a feel for how a decision in one office reshapes a student's experience three offices away, and it shows up in how I coach and consult: attentive to strategy and data, and grounded in genuine care for the people carrying the change.
My executive leadership roles took me from a mid-sized community college to a multi-campus district, where I led major strategic and enrollment transformations. I began my career as an English professor working to widen college access, and I still teach today. Now I draw on that full body of experience as a consultant and executive coach, helping leaders move through change with clarity and purpose.
I'm a certified coach for The Leadership Challenge and LPI®360, with additional coaching credentials from the Center for Executive Coaching in culture change, change leadership, and communication impact. I hold a Ph.D. in Educational Administration from the University of Texas at Austin, an M.F.A. in creative writing from Texas State University, and a B.A. from Vassar College.