JUNE 26-27, 2025 THE WOODLANDS, TX
Cohort 8, Meeting 1
Named for Texas’ greatest hero, Sam Houston State University honors its historical roots through academic excellence. For more than 140 years, SHSU has prepared students for meaningful lives of achievement. Its motto, “The measure of a Life is its Service,” resonates among its more than 21,000 students, eight colleges and well beyond its Huntsville roots.
SHSU is ranked among the top colleges/universities for social mobility in U.S. News & World Report. From medical and doctoral degrees, undergraduate to graduate programs, SHSU provides an exceptional college experience for every student.
With a campus community comprised of approximately 50 percent first-generation students, SHSU’s First-Generation Center launched in 2022 and serves as resource in student success. The institution has been designated as a Hispanic-Serving Institution and the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education has classified SHSU as a community engaged campus and a Doctoral University–High Research Activity.
TALA thanks SAM HOUSTON STATE UNIVERSITY FOR GRACIOUSLY HOSTING THIS CONFERENCE!
THURSDAY, JUNE 26, 2025
9:00 – 9:15 a.m.
3380 College Park Drive
The Woodlands, TX 77384
Room 430
9:15 – 10:15 a.m.
Opening Remarks
Dr. Matt Fuller, Director
Texas Academic Leadership Academy
SHSU Welcome & Leadership Story
Dr. Chad Hargrave, Interim Provost
Sam Houston State University
10:15 – 10:30 a.m. Break
10:30 – 11:30 a.m.
11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
1:00 – 1:15 p.m.
1:15 – 2:15 p.m.
2:15 – 4:00 p.m.
4:00 – 4:15 p.m.
6:00 – 7:30 p.m.
Session 1 – How Higher Education is Funded in Texas
Dr. Matt Fuller, Director
Texas Academic Leadership Academy
Lunch Keynote
Dr. Phillip Lyons, Dean College of Criminal Justice
Sam Houston State University
Break
Panel, Making the Most of Your TALA Experience
Dr. Helen Berg and Dr. Jennifer Didier, Former TALA Fellows and SHSU Administrators
Session 2 – Managing within the HR Guardrails
Dr. Rhonda Beassie, Associate VP for People and Procurement Operations
Mrs. Tara Conlee, Director of Employee Engagement
Sam Houston State University
Final Daily Reflections
Dr. Matt Fuller, Director
Reception Hilton
AGENDA
FRIDAY, JUNE 27, 2025
9:00 – 9:15 a.m.
9:15 – 10:15 a.m.
10:15 – 10:30 a.m.
10:30 – 11:30 a.m.
Opening Remarks
Dr. Matt Fuller, Director Texas Academic Leadership Academy
Session 4 – Partnerships with Colleges & Colleagues
Dr. Kristy Vienne, Vice Chancellor for Finance and Operations Lone Star College System
Dr. Christina Hagerty, Interim Chief Academic Officer Lone Star College System
Break
Session 5 – Leadership in Higher Education from the Provost’s Desk
Dr. Chris Maynard, Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost University of Houston- Clear Lake
Dr. Chad Hargrave
Chad Hargrave is the Chief Research Officer and Vice President for Research and Strategic Partnerships, and he is currently serving as Interim Provost Sam Houston State University (SHSU). Chad has 19 years of experience in higher education. He began his career at SHSU in 2006 as an assistant professor in the Department of Biological Sciences. Chad’s administrative career began in 2012 as Chair of the Department of Biological Sciences. In this role, he helped launch a new Biomedical Sciences degree program, expanded the pre-nursing curriculum to accommodate student demand, and improved budget efficiency—reinvesting department resources into faculty-led student research. In 2018, Chad was appointed Associate Vice President for Research and Chief Research Officer. Under his leadership, SHSU implemented a strategy to foster growth in the university’s research enterprise. During his tenure, SHSU significantly expanded its grant portfolio and increased external funding, achieving an R2 research classification. In 2023, Chad’s role expanded to include strategic partnerships and the development of the SHSU Polytechnic College. This college will offer workforce programs to meet the workforce needs of high-skill, high demand industry sectors.
Chad received a B.S. in Biology from the University of Arkansas, and a M.S. and Ph.D. in Fish Ecology from the University of Oklahoma.
DR. CHRIS MAYNARD
Christopher Maynard joined the University of HoustonClear Lake in September 2021. Serving as the Chief Academic Officer, Maynard provides strategic leadership for the Division of Academic Affairs and is responsible for the academic standards and mission of the University.
Maynard brings more than 25 years of experience in higher education to UH-Clear Lake. Most recently, he served as interim provost and vice president for Academic Affairs at Sam Houston State University during the 2020-2021 academic year. He also served as vice provost (2019-2020) and associate vice provost (2017-2020).
Originally from Louisiana, Maynard obtained his Ph.D. in history from Louisiana State University in 2001. His research on the end of the Cold War has resulted in numerous publications, most notably his book titled Out of the Shadow: George H.W. Bush and the End of the Cold War.
DR. PHILLIP LYONS
Dr. Phillip Lyons was appointed the sixth Dean of the College of Criminal Justice in September 2015 after serving as Interim Dean for a year. Dean Lyons joined the faculty of Sam Houston State University in 1995 and served as an associate professor and in several administrative roles, including as Interim Chair of the Department of Security Studies, Director of the Division of Professional Justice Studies, and Executive Director for the Center for Policing Innovation.
In 2012, Dr. Lyons was named the first recipient of the David Payne Academic Community Engagement Award at SHSU, which recognizes excellence in community engagement through teaching, research and service. He also designed, developed, and implemented a community policing internship program with students in residence at Sam Houston for a year from the Zhejiang Police College in Hangzhou, China.
Dr. Lyons has written or coauthored dozens of scholarly and professional works, including books, book chapters, and journal articles, many of which are published in some of the leading journals of his field. He also was selected by his peers to serve a three-year term on American Psychological Association’s prestigious Committee on Legal Issues.
Before joining SHSU, Dr. Lyons completed a year-long, pre-doctoral internship in Forensic Clinical Psychology at the Federal Medical Center in Fort Worth, an institution within the Federal Bureau of Prisons, and spent several years as a law enforcement officer in the Hillcrest Village Marshal’s Office, the Alvin Community College Police Department, and the Alvin Police Department. In 2025, Dean Lyons successfully passed the Texas Bar Exam and became a lawyer. Dean Lyons received M.A., J.D., and Ph.D. degrees at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Dr. Jennifer Didier
Dr. Jennifer Didier serves as Chair of the Department of Kinesiology. She has held this leadership role since August 2021, following 18 months as an Assistant Dean in the College of Health Sciences and 15 months as interim co-chair of the Department of Kinesiology. Prior to her increase in leadership roles, her active research agenda included preventative measures for ACL injuries in female athletes; reliability, and validity of testing measures in exercise science; integrating motor learning in physical education; and most recently assessing tools to accelerate motor skill development in children with disabilities. She has published in journals such as Gait and Posture, The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, Exercise Medicine, Perceptual and Motor Sports and many others. Dr. Didier is an active member of NASPSPA and NAKHE and has recently completed her Department Head Certification.
Dr. Didier joined Sam Houston in 2010, with 8 years of experience as a professor at Southeastern Louisiana University and has been an active faculty member in many roles across campus. Her primary courses are Motor Learning and Biomechanics at the undergraduate and graduate levels. In 2018, Dr. Didier completed the Certificate of Effective College Instruction through ACUE and has also completed numerous trainings and certifications in effective online pedagogy. She serves the Huntsville community in various roles. In 2011, Dr. Didier and her husband started developing the 1st ever Huntsville High School Mountain bike team and coached and managed the team for 5 years, before passing the torch to their priceless volunteers and families. As a ‘retired’ cyclist, triathlete, and soccer player, she currently spends her spare time volunteering in the schools; teaching bike skills and bike safety; and volunteering at fitness events in the community.
Dr. HELEN BERG
Helen Berg currently serves as the Associate Dean of Student Success and Partnership in the College of Education at Sam Houston State University. She earned her doctorate from the University of Colorado-Denver.
Dr. Berg’s research focuses on the teacher preparation pathways, residency models, advocacy in education, biliteracy and dual language education, and international service learning. Her teaching interests include bilingual education and English as a Second Language (ESL)/TESOL. She is an active member of several professional organizations dedicated to bilingual education and TESOL.
Guest Speakers
Dr. CHRISTINA HAGERTY
Dr. Christina Hagerty serves as the Interim Chief Academic Officer of Lone Star College System. In her 20 years of service to the System, she has consistently proven her dedication to student success and instructional excellence. As the Interim Chief Academic Officer, Dr. Hagerty is the liaison for SACSCOC and THECB accrediting and regulatory agencies, respectively. She provides strategic leadership for best practices relating to academic quality and innovation, compliance, partnership development, and the student experience across the 8 LSC campuses. She supports instructional initiatives through collaboration with faculty and the college community to ensure that LSC remains a leader in higher education. Dr. Hagerty is a strong advocate for curriculum and programmatic initiatives while supporting campus administration, all in keeping with the LSC mission and value statements.
Prior to her Interim position, she served as the Senior Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. During this time, she provided leadership for the Bachelor’s degree programs, Quality Enhancement Plan, Accreditation and Curriculum Management, Strategic Planning and Assessment, and Library Technical Services departments. Additionally, she has served as the Vice President of Instruction at LSC-Tomball, Dean of Instruction for the Public Service, Health, and Behavioral Sciences division at LSC-CyFair, Dean of College Centers for North Harris, and Director and Professor for the LSC-CyFair Sonography programs.
She received her Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership from Sam Houston State University; her Master of Education in Allied Health Education and Administration from the University of Houston; and her Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Administration from the University of Houston-Clearlake. Dr. Hagerty contributes her career success to her initial introduction to a community college where she proudly earned two Associate of Applied Science degrees; Diagnostic Medical Sonography and Medical Radiologic Technology.
DR. KRISTY VIENNE
Dr. Kristy Vienne currently serves as the Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration and Chief Financial Officer at Lone Star College System in Houston, Texas. Dr. Vienne has 27 years’ experience working in higher education. At Lone Star College, Dr. Vienne has financial oversights for a $516 million budget and system administration of 26 locations serving 92,000 students. In her current portfolio, Dr. Vienne oversees forecasting and budgeting for the system, governmental relations, financial forecasting, treasury, financial reporting, payroll, procurement, supply management, accounts payable, real estate, student financial services, strategic initiatives, and auxiliary services.
Prior to her time at Lone Star College System, Dr. Vienne was an employee of Sam Houston State University for over 17 years; serving in key administrative roles in Finance and Administration and Student Affairs. Regardless of the role, Dr. Vienne’s time at Sam Houston was focused on serving students and improving their experience and education. Dr. Vienne’s most recent role at SHSU was AVP for Auxiliary and Business Services. During this role Dr. Vienne worked to improve services to students, including the reduction of textbook costs with the implementation of the first equitable access program at a 4-year institution in the state and one of the first in the nation. For her work on this innovative program, Dr. Vienne was recognized by the National Association of College Auxiliary Services (NACAS) in 2022 with the NACAS National Innovator of the Year Award. Dr. Vienne also represented SHSU at the LBJ Governor’s Executive Program.
In addition to her full-time role at Lone Star College System, Dr. Vienne was also appointed by the Commissioner of Higher Education to serve on the Standing Advisory Committee (SAC) for Public Junior Colleges, and by the Mayor of Houston to serve on the TIRZ board for Zone 11. Additionally, Dr. Vienne is currently serving as the Board Member at Large for the NACAS national board.
Dr. Vienne considers herself a servant leader who focuses on building a culture of inclusion, collaboration, and mentoring to ensure the administration she oversees provides a work environment that supports the people who work there and the students they serve. Dr. Vienne was recently recognized as one of the inaugural recipients of the CFO Awards by the Houston Business Journal.
DR. MAYA KIRKHOPE
Maya Ranchod Kirkhope has worked in higher education for the past twenty years and specifically with presidents and governing boards for the past ten years. She has extensive knowledge of the culture of public and private higher education, academic governance, and good board management and practices at colleges and universities. Since joining Academic Search, Ms. Kirkhope has conducted dozens of searches for public, private, and international institutions, from dean to president.
Ms. Kirkhope previously worked at the Association of Governing Boards, where she was responsible for the leadership, management, and marketing of its Board Education and Consulting Service. The portfolio of services offered included presidential search, transition, and assessment, as well as strategic planning and development. Ms. Kirkhope also provided a workshop service for presidents and governing boards, sponsored by the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities, which dealt with issues related to institutional governance, mission and identity. She conducted in-depth interviews with presidents and board chairs to develop specialized workshops that addressed specific institutional needs, recruited and trained facilitators, and evaluated the effectiveness of this service for Catholic institutions. As well, Ms. Kirkhope worked for the Center for Higher Education Transformation in South Africa, where she was responsible for developing the first governance project in the country.
She earned her bachelor’s degree from Ohio Wesleyan University and a master’s degree in education from Columbia University.
DR. Tara Conlee
Tara Conlee serves as the Director of Employee Engagement at Sam Houston State University where she leads initiatives to support employee relations, professional growth, and workplace well-being. Tara earned her bachelor’s degree in business management from Texas A&M University, followed by an MBA with a specialization in Management from Sam Houston State University. Her career began in marketing within the oil & gas industry, but her passion for higher education led her back to SHSU in 2016, and ultimately to Human Resources in 2022.
Dr. Matthew Fuller
Dr. Matthew Fuller is a Professor of Higher Education Leadership and Director of the Texas Academic Leadership Academy at Sam Houston State University. He is also the Director of the Center for Assessment, Research, and Educational Safety (C.A.R.E.S.) at Sam Houston State University. Dr. Fuller has worked in higher education since the 1990s in a variety of administrative and professorial capacities. Dr. Fuller’s research interests focus on culture and leadership in educational organizations, threat assessment, law, behavioral intervention, and educational safety. Since 2005, he has served as the Principal Investigator of the Survey of Assessment Culture, an international, longitudinal survey of higher education faculty, administrators, and student affairs staff members’ perspectives on cultures of assessment. As Director of C.A.R.E.S., he leads a team of researchers in developing research on educational safety and threat assessment models. He is the PI on a statewide, census-style study of Texas educators’ needs pertaining to educational safety and victims’ services. Dr. Fuller has also advised policy makers on scholarly works and research into school and university safety, legal issues, history of higher education, and financial aid policy. He has authored numerous books, monographs, and articles and presented on a variety of topics throughout his career.
Nicole Boston, M.A.
Purchasing & Operations Coordinator
Deans
Office, College of Education
Sam
Houston State University
Irfan Ahmed Professor ..................................................................................... irfanahmed@shsu.edu
Amy Austin Associate Chair ................................................................................. amaustin@uta.edu
Bart Ballard Chair and Professor ................................................................ bart.ballard@tamuk.edu
Flavia Belpoliti ............................................................................................. flavia.belpoliti@tamuc.edu
Vipa Bernhardt Department Head, Curriculum and Instruction ............... Vipa.Bernhardt@tamuc.edu
Jeff Breeden Chair ........................................................................................... breeden@tarleton.edu
Yong Chen Chair ............................................................................................. Yong.Chen@ttu.edu
Melanie Fields Department Head, Curriculum and Instruction ................ Melanie.Fields@tamuc.edu
Rebecca Finley Chair ................................................................................................... rlf001@shsu.edu
Shannon Glaser Associate ............................................................................................ sglaser@tamu.edu
Ari Gonzales Associate Provost ............................................................ ariadnea.gonzalez@tamiu.edu
Ambra Green Chair ........................................................................................... ambra.green@uta.edu
Lisa Haddad Exec. Assoc. Dean Lhaddad@tamu.edu
Amber Harris Bozer Associate Professor bozer@tarleton.edu
Damon Hay Chair dhay@shsu.edu
Cassy Henderson Chair cdh045@shsu.edu
Sally Henschel Chair sally.henschel@msutexas.edu
Rebecca Hernandez
Clinical Associate Professor ............................................ rebecca.hernandez@utrgv.edu
Lisa Hopkins Assistant Dean of the Unviersity Library ................................... l.hopkins@tamuct.edu
Mohammed Hussein
Associate Dept. Head................................................................ mthussein@pvamu.edu
Gabe Ignatow Assistant Vice President ............................................................. gabe.ignatow@unt.edu
Robin Jackson Associate Professor ..................................................................... rdjackson@pvamu.edu
Carie Kapellusch Lecturer ................................................................................................. cariek@uta.edu
Min Kim Assistant Chair ................................................................................ mxk056@shsu.edu
Karen Kohler ...................................................................................................... kkohler@tamusa.edu
Arlett Lomeli Chair ........................................................................................ arlett.lomeli@utrgv.edu
Amber McCord Assistant Dean ....................................................................... Amber.McCord@ttu.edu
Alfonso Mercado Associate Chair .................................................................. alfonso.mercado@utrgv.edu
Jordan Mitchell Chair ...............................................................................................mitchellj@uhcl.edu
Emmanuel Nzewi Department Chair ........................................................................eunzewi@pvamu.edu
Debra Pena Director, The Writing Program .................................................... debra.pena@utsa.edu
Rhonda Rahn Assoc. Dean, Academic Affairs ........................................................... rrahn@tamu.edu
Brian Robinson Associate Professor .............................................................. brian.robinson@tamuk.edu
Steven Romero Director, Human Vascular Physiology Lab .......................... steven.romero@unthsc.edu
Sarah Ross
Director, Center for Older Adults sarahe.ross@unthsc.edu
Upal Roy
Associate Professor supal.roy@utrgv.edu
Mary Short Chair shortmb@uhcl.edu
Elizabeth Sooby
Associate Professor elizabeth.sooby@utsa.edu
Nathalie Sumien Chair
Raymond Swisher
Nathalie.Sumien@unthsc.edu
Chair ................................................................................. Raymond.swisher@utsa.edu
Uyen Tran-Parsons
Principal ...........................................................................Lecturer Uyen.tran@unt.edu
Daniella Varela
Assistant Professor .............................................................. daniella.varela@tamuk.edu
Ruby Ynalvez
Associate VP Research and Sponsored Projects ............................. rYnalvez@tamiu.edu
Marcus Antonius Ynalvez
Dean ............................................................................................ mynalvez@tamiu.edu
Abolghassem Zabihollah
Associate Professor ................................................................ aZabihollah@tarleton.edu
Misti Zablosky
Chair .................................................................................. misti.zablosky@unthsc.edu
FUTURE TALA MEETING DATES
January 8-9, 2026
University of Texas at San Antonio
June 15-16, 2026
University of Texas at Arlington
BOARD OF REGENTS
THE TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY SYSTEM
Alan L. Tinsley, Chairman ............ Madisonville
Stephen Lee, Vice Chairman Bastrop
Charlie Amato, Regent ................ San Antonio
Duke Austin, Regent Houston
Sheila Faske, Regent .....................Rose City
Dionicio (Don) Flores, Vice Chairman ....... El Paso
Russell Gordy, Regent Houston
Tom Long, Regent ........................ Frisco
William F. Scott, Regent Nederland
Donavan Brown, Student Regent .......... San Marcos
Brian McCall, Chancellor .................. Austin
