Franklin College Vice President and Dean Selected for Prestigious Leadership Academy
Kristin Flora, Ph.D., Franklin College Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the College, has been selected to participate in the highly selective Executive Leadership Academy (ELA), cosponsored by the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC), the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), and the American Academic Leadership Institute (AALI).
The academy is a yearlong program designed to prepare experienced provosts and vice presidents to move to positions of greater responsibility, including presidencies. It offers unparalleled learning, mentoring and networking opportunities. Participants acquire knowledge, skills and experiences to prepare them as the next generation of college and university presidents. Since its inception in 2009, more than 100 individuals who have completed the ELA program have been appointed as presidents or chancellors of colleges and universities.
Flora is one of only 36 higher education leaders selected to participate in the academy this year from a pool of highly competitive applicants, including those from both independent and state-supported colleges and universities from across the nation.
“I am honored to be selected for this program where I will have the opportunity to convene with student-centered higher education professionals to strengthen my leadership skills for both the challenges of the day and those that lie ahead,” noted Flora. “CIC and AASCU are visionary in seeing the need to invest in future leaders. Their partnership with AALI, a well-respected organization committed to equipping the next generation of higher education leaders with mentorship and education to advance the work of our nation’s colleges and universities, ensures our sector is prepared to lead through change.”
Flora earned her bachelor’s degree in chemistry and psychology from Valparaiso University, followed by both a master’s and doctorate in experimental psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
She joined the Franklin College faculty in 2007 as an assistant professor of psychology and has since built an impressive record of service and leadership. Flora was named the Roscoe W. Payne Endowed Chair in Philosophy and Psychology and served as division head for social sciences and department chair from 2009 to 2015. Her dedication to student success and academic excellence has earned her numerous honors from students and faculty peers, including the Academic Adviser of the Year award, the Faculty/Staff Service Award—the highest recognition given by student organizations through the Center for Student Involvement—the Faculty Steering Committee Distinguished Service Award, and the Clifford and Paula Dietz Award for Faculty Excellence. She also holds membership in the Alpha Society and the Alpha Lambda Delta national honor society.
Prior to joining Franklin College, Flora worked as a clinical outcomes analyst and research coordinator at a regional hospital in Wisconsin. During her tenure there, she contributed to a research team that studied sports-related concussions in high school athletes, culminating in a 2013 publication in the Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society. She has since co-authored chapters in the books Early Psychological Research Contributions from Women of Color (Vol. 1) and the forthcoming ASCEND to Higher Retention Rates (Vol. 3).
Flora remains active in her field as a member of the Society for the Teaching of Psychology (STP), serving on the Presidential Task Force on Undergraduate Research, and was recently named a Fellow of the Midwestern Psychological Association.
She is a resident of Franklin.