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Walden Virtual Fulbright Chapter: Chapter Board Members & Officers

Advisory Board Member: Dr. Walter McCollum

Dr. Walter McCollum, Fulbright Scholar and Executive Director/Dean Student Affairs, has worked for Walden over 10 years as faculty lead, dissertation chair, and URR in the College of Management and Technology.  He has mentored doctoral students at many universities in the colleges of business, psychology and education.  Prior to working for Walden, he spent 14 years as a corporate executive for top Fortune 500 companies leading teams in the areas of organizational development, quality management, process improvement, change management and human capital.  Prior to his corporate experience, he spent 13 years in the United States Air Force (Desert Storm Veteran).  Walter is the founder of the Walter McCollum Education Foundation with a mission to decrease poverty and improve literacy in Haiti.  He has written and published six books.  Walter earned a PhD in Applied Management Decision Sciences with a specialization in Leadership and Organizational Change from Walden University.

Advisory Board Member: Dr. Jeanne Dorle

Dr. Dorle is a business consultant, corporate trainer, and educator with more than 30 years’ experience in providing enterprise solutions to corporate and university clients in the United States, Canada, Mexico, England, Scotland, France and Poland. She is experienced in identifying, analyzing, and solving business problems and assisting organizations in aligning project and program portfolios and resources with strategic goals.

In her academic engagements, Dorle received the Alpha Kappa Psi Student Choice Award for Professor of the Year and the Chancellors Distinguished Services to Students Award.  During the 2005-06 academic year, she was awarded a Fulbright Research Chair in Project Management at the University of Québec in Gatineau, Québec. Dr. Dorle hold a BS with distinction, MA and Ph.D. from University of Minnesota and a JD from William Mitchell College of Law.

She is certified as a Project Management Professional (PMP®) and a Program Management Professional (PgMP®) by the Project Management Institute (PMI®).  She is also certified as an Organizational Project Management Maturity Model (OPM3) Assessor and Consultant and chaired PMI®’s Project Quality Community of Practice. Dr. Dorle was recently selected to serve as a voting member and subject matter expert on the ANSI accredited U.S. Technical Advisory Group (TAG) to the International Standards Organization (ISO) Technical Committee 258 on Project, Program and Portfolio Management.

 

Advisory Board Member: Dr. Doug Gilbert

Dr. Douglas Gilbert is on the faculty with Walden University in the College of Management and Technology.  He also is a principal with Lone Tree Academics LLC, an academic services company. His past experience in academia included a regional dean role for the University Phoenix, Colorado, and as Dean at the University of the Rockies in Denver.  Prior to academia, he worked as an attorney, in industry, and management consulting.

In 2006-07 Doug was a leader in establishing Colorado’s newest city, Castle Pines.  Later he was the first treasurer, on city council, and mayor pro tem.  Currently as Board Chair of RMPEx, a Baldrige award certifying body, he works with municipalities in the Baldrige Communities of Excellence 2026 program.

He holds a Doctor of Business Administration from the University of Phoenix, a Juris Doctorate from the University of Iowa, and an M.B.A. from the Unversité de Genève in Switzerland.  He is also a PhD candidate with the Taos Institute.

Doug was a Fulbright Specialist in 2017 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, at the University of Finance and Economics. He continues to work with the Mongolian Ministry of Education on higher education quality systems. In 2019 he will serve as a Fulbright Specialist at Vilnius University in Lithuania.

Advisory Board Member: Dr. Amany Refaat

Prof. Amany Refaat is a global public health Online Core Faculty at College of Health Professions, Walden University (USA); Professor Emeritus of Community Medicine at Suez Canal University (Egypt) and Fulbright alumina. 

She lives in Cairo, Egypt. She graduated as a physician; however, focused her career in teaching and research as a university professor.  She had two master’s degrees: MSc Histology from Suez Canal University, Egypt, and MHPE in Health Profession Education from the University of Illinois, then a Ph.D. degree in Public Health (Suez Canal University, Egypt) She worked as a planner, a WHO consultant for medical school community-based educational curriculum development. She authored published works in medical education and co-authored Handbook of Community-Based Education: theory and practices (2000). She received Extraordinary Faculty Award Recipient, Walden University, July 2011

She received the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship certificate "International health, Women Health and Population", Tulane University, School of Public Health & Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA, 1996. Since her return to Egypt by 1996, she shared actively in many activities of The Bi-national Fulbright Commission in Egypt. She organized Egyptian Hubert H. Humphrey alumni celebration by 20th Anniversary, Fulbright Commission, Egypt, June 1999, and shared in the organizing committee of Annual Fulbright Alumni Conferences 2017,2018. She reviewed applications and interviewed candidates of Fulbright fellowships in Egypt since 2001.  She attended many Fulbright conferences and meetings as Fulbright Conference on Women in the global community, Istanbul, Turkey, September 2002; 60th Anniversary Celebration, Alexandria, Egypt, Nov 2009; Egypt Hubert H. Humphrey Alumni Forum (EHAF); Bi-national Fulbright Commission in Egypt. 2014; and Fulbright - Minia University Art and Heritage event, March 2019.

She has extensive long experience in conducting applied and operational research targeting women health problems on national and international levels. She was a principal investigator for Data Management and writer of the final report of the National project of “Women’s health problems in Egypt focusing on Cancer Cervix” National Population Council, 2000- 2005. She is an advocate for eliminating Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting and fighting all types of Gender-Based Violence. She is a published author, editorial board member, and reviewer for more than seven peer-reviewed international journals. 

Advisory Board Member: Dr. Asghar Zomorrodian

Dr. Z is an educator, researcher, and management consultant  with more than 30 years of experience in served in leading universities of US both as full-time and Adjunct faculty along with extensive international exposure.   He has done several projects for UNDP in a few countries and visited as UN Fellow several European Institutions in England, Switzerland, and Germany among others. He has taught at China Northern University as well as Iran where he used to serve as the Chancellor of State Management Training Center.  In the US, in the past few decades he has been on the faculty of several leading universities, University  of Southern California, University of Denver, Chapman, UI &U, and Walden, both as full-time and Adjunct faculty.  He has a PhD and MPA degrees from the University of Southern California, a MBA certificate from Canfield Institute of Technology (England) a MA in Administrative Sciences and BA degrees in English  from Iran. At Walden, since 2009 as a Contributing Faculty, taught in areas of Public Policy, Nonprofits Organization,  Org Leadership, Strategic Planning, Program Evaluation, and Capstone. Serving on  major School Committee, the CAP, the Committee that reviews and approves all new programs and courses as well as changes to them for all degrees  offered by the School at BA, BS, MA, MS, and Ph.D levels, and served on the second University-wide Committee for reviewing the Professional Doctoral program.  Regular member and participants of committees for reviewing the Master Programs in Public Admin and Policy, Lead Faculty,  and First Term courses. Presented and publishes research papers at professional conferences. Outside Walden he taught mostly at the graduate level, Public Administration and Systems Management programs at USC, Systems Management the University of Denver, Business and HR programs at Chapman, Leadership and Public Policy program at UI&U and a variety of course in Public Policy and Administration at Walden.  He has also been extensively involved in program and curriculum development, served on many committees along doing research and consulting. .  He served as Sr. Fulbright Specialist at the National School of Political Studies and Public Administration in Romania 2009 and has been serving as a member of Peer Review Committee since 2012. 

Advisory Board Member: Jermaine Jean-Pierre

Jermaine Jewel Jean-Pierre grew up in the beautiful Caribbean Island of the Commonwealth of Dominica where her grandfather, Gems Jean-Pierre was her mentor.  She is the youngest of her siblings.  

Ms. Jean-Pierre is the Director of the Information and Communication Technology Unit, Government of the Commonwealth of Dominica. As the Director, Ms. Jean-Pierre has overall responsibility for programme implementation and deals specifically with Policy and Strategy Formulation, Research, ICT Human Resource issues and Special Projects. Ms. Jean-Pierre has a Bachelor of Arts in Computer Information Systems, MBA in Management Information Systems and MBA in Information Technology. Ms. Jean-Pierre is currently a PhD Candidate with Walden University. 

Her passion is research and has published articles in the Journal of Science and Technology.  Her work has also been featured in the Annual National Meeting of the Sciences Institute in Baltimore, Maryland. 

In 2014, she received the Government of the Commonwealth of Dominica Senior Manager’s Award and Public Officer of the Year Award. In 2017, she received the MIND Public Life Award for Leadership Excellence.

Socially, Ms. Jean-Pierre is also involved in volunteering her time and skills in the wider community of the Commonwealth of Dominica and is a member of the Rotary Club of Dominica, member of various groups and committees in the Methodist church and other organizations.  She is an avid basketball player and spends her Saturday mornings on the basketball court.  She enjoys singing and listening to soft rock music.  She also finds time to assist and support friends and family wherever that is required.

Ms. Jean-Pierre is a Fulbright Scholar.

Advisory Board Member: Dr. Linda-Marie Sundstrom

Advisory Board Member: Dr. William Schulz

Dr. William Schulz specializes in strategic management, entrepreneurship, workforce development and building leadership capacity.

A contributing faculty member at Walden for its PhD in Management program, Dr. Schulz also served as associate dean of the School of Management. Prior to joining Walden, Dr. Schulz was director of the Tagliatela School of Business and Leadership and professor of strategic management and leadership at Albertus Magnus College in Connecticut. At Albertus Magnus, Dr. Schulz also chaired the college’s Curriculum Development Committee for New Dimensions Business Programs. Before that, he taught for nine years as a tenured associate professor at Oglethorpe University in Georgia. He has served as the secretary of the Institute for Behavioral and Applied Management (IBAM) and is a former chair for the United States Association of Small Business & Entrepreneurship's (USASBE) Entrepreneurship Education Division.

President: Dr. Crystal Francis

Dr. Crystal R. Francis is a senior public policy expert and program analyst with the United States federal government. She also serves as the Executive Officer for the Maryland Alliance for Justice Reform (MAJR).  MAJR is a non-partisan public policy think-tank that works to improve outcomes for communities impacted by incarceration.  As the Executive Officer, she oversees the Backdoor (Reentry) Committee and explores the challenges marginalized communities face achieving their aspirations. Dr. Francis collaborates with over 40 organizations across Maryland to develop policies to end the school to prison pipeline, remedy the collateral effects of incarceration, and increase access to wrap around services (education, housing, and employment).

Outside of work, Dr. Francis is a sought-after motivational speaker.  She starred in the documentary “Degree of Impact,” which follows her journey earning a Ph.D. to advance social change through criminal justice reform.  Dr. Francis has a heart for the community and hopes to end poverty, mass incarceration, and homelessness in America.

She earned a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, a master’s degree in Homeland Security Management from Towson University, and a Ph.D. in Public Policy & Administration from Walden University.  She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated, National Society for Leadership and Success, and the Walden Virtual Chapter of the Fulbright Association.

Vice-President: Dr. Tom Butkiewicz

Dr. Tom Butkiewicz is a core research faculty member in the PhD in Management program, College of Management and Technology.  His experience includes Dissertation Chair, Second Committee Member, URR, Lead Faculty for dissertation and research courses, presented at residencies, served as a reviewer for the International Journal of Applied Management and Technology, and functioned as a committee member voting on the Curriculum and Academic Policy Committee.  Tom’s research interests consist of management, leadership, business strategies, organizational behavior, workplace spirituality, emotional intelligence, social change, diversity, and virtue ethics.  He worked 26 years in the automotive industry for Mitsubishi Motors North America in operations management, corporate strategic planning, training and development, marketing, district and region management, and customer service.  Tom concluded 20 years of honorable service with the United States Marine Corps Reserve, as a Chief Warrant Officer.  Among other achievements, he is certified by Dr. John C. Maxwell, international leadership expert, as a global leadership speaker, coach, and trainer equipped to partner with individuals, groups, teams, and organizations for influencing positive social change.  Tom pursues positive social change further by supporting the Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society.  His commitment to the MS Society involves fundraising via community walks and bicycle rides for 15 years.  Tom's positive social change focus also is shown by membership in the Strategic Development Committee for a new church building project in California. 

Secretary: Nadia Delanoy

 

Nadia Delanoy is a scholar-practitioner in that she has garnered her degrees while working in the field. Nadia has earned a BA., B.Ed., M.Ed., MBA, CAIS Leadership Diploma and is currently a PhD candidate. Ms. Delanoy is a graduate and bachelor level instructor at the University of Calgary. She has worked in the K-12 sphere for 19 years as an educator, as a leader in professional learning and program design. Ms. Delanoy has also held the positions of Director of Curriculum and Programming as well as a Director of IT with an extension into educational technology. She has also been a consultant for over 10 years within the private sector,  for private and public schools, Alberta Technology Leaders in Education (ATLE), the Siksika Nation, the Calgary Stampede and the College of Alberta School Superintendents (CASS). With a business background, Ministerial experience and a role on the Alberta Partners for Youth Career Development Board, Nadia brings to her role on the Fulbright Board a diverse perspective and well-rounded experiences from within the fields of business and education. From a complementary capacity, her research spans leadership development, educational leadership, the meaningful integration of technology, data analytics and organizational change, literacy programming, assessment frameworks, and instructional design. She has had many speaking engagements nationally and internationally to help mobilize knowledge/research which has included the American Education Research (2019) Conference, the UK Literacy Association Conference (2019), A Child’s World Conference (2018) in Wales as well as the University of Calgary Post-Secondary Learning Conference (2018). She is committed to social change through her research, work with Nutrien and the Calgary Stampede in their sustainable development pilot which focuses on metrics such as social change impact and global citizenship advancement. Additionally, she supports her community through philanthropy and volunteerism mostly pertaining to children with disabilities (i.e. assistive technology access and support) and neonatal programs in Central and South America.

Treasurer: Dr. Sharon Porter

Dr. Sharon H. Porter, (Dr. Sharon), is an Educator, Author, Interview Host, and Publisher. She has served as an educator for over 25 years as a classroom teacher,  Test Development Specialist, Regional Instructional Specialist, assistant principal, Leadership Development Coach, and elementary and middle school principal.

She is a graduate of Winston-Salem State University, National-Louis University, The Johns Hopkins University, Walden University, and Howard University.

Dr. Sharon is the host of The I Am Dr. Sharon Show, a LIVE weekly in-studio interview show, owner of SHP Enterprise Inc. which consist of Perfect Time SHP LLC, Coaching, Consulting, and Book Publishing Firm, The GRIND Entrepreneur Network, Write the Book Now, and SHP Media.  She is the Executive Director of the Next In Line to Lead Aspiring Principal Leadership Academy

She is a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, International Association of Women (IAW), an Official Member of the Forbes Coaches Council, Sister 4 Sisters Network, Inc.,  and Professional Women of Winston-Salem.