Executive coaching is designed in a way that benefits both the leader and the institution. Therefore, Academic Search believes executive coaching should be approached from a systems perspective and in the context in which the leader is leading.
We believe that leadership is learned through ongoing practice, reflection, action and assessment. Thus, leadership always occurs in a particular context, leads to action, and has an impact to be evaluated.
Leading colleges and universities today is both noble and daunting work. We created our Executive Coaching Practice based on this philosophy so that presidents and senior leaders have professional and qualified leadership companions and guides on the leadership journey. We are committed to the effectiveness, sustainability and well-being of new and incumbent presidents and senior leaders. We believe that both the interiority of leaders and the exterior demands of institutional leadership are complementary.
LEADER-FIRST APPROACH
THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
MEET OUR SENIOR EXECUTIVE COACHES
Suzanne K. Mellon
Senior Consultant and Senior Executive Coach
Suzanne.Mellon@academicsearch.org
Dr. Suzanne K. Mellon’s approach to senior consulting is guided by her experience in health care and higher education administration. She’s highly attentive and perceptive, and she’s calm under pressure and in contentious situations. Dr. Mellon joined Academic Search as a Senior Consultant and Executive Coach in 2021. In the years since she joined the firm, Dr. Mellon has put her vast skillset to excellent use.
Dr. Mellon’s career started in nursing after she received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan and master’s from Ohio State in nursing, followed by a doctorate in philosophy from Wayne State University. When Dr. Mellon discovered her interest in mental health, she began working as a psychiatric nurse consultant in home care and later as an academic researcher in cancer survivorship.
As her career progressed, she joined the University of Detroit Mercy and was named Dean of the College of Health Professions and McAuley School of Nursing in 2001. While at Detroit Mercy, the largest Catholic university in Michigan, Dr. Mellon oversaw an 80 percent increase in enrollment in the nursing program, championed a $4 million boost in research funding, and led the university’s first online program development. She also held an affiliate faculty appointment at Wayne State University School of Medicine in Family Medicine and was a full research member with Karmanos Cancer Institute in the Molecular Biology and Genetics program. Dr. Mellon went on to become Executive Vice President/Chief Operating Officer and a Professor at Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire. She led the university’s strategic planning process by creating a detailed five-year plan and guiding the school through the tumultuous 2009 economic downturn.
With her breadth of experience, polished leadership skills, and excellent planning capabilities, Dr. Mellon was named president of Carlow University in 2013. Carlow, a private Catholic university in Pittsburgh, flourished with Dr. Mellon at the helm. She led the school through the development of a new strategic plan, academic program growth, endowment growth, the construction of new buildings, and fundraising. Dr. Mellon also established the Office of Equity and Inclusion, enhanced its Social Justice Institutes, and unveiled the revolutionary center for nursing, the Celtic Simulation Center for Innovative Learning.
As a Senior Consultant, Dr. Mellon’s skill for strategic planning and her purposeful approach to consulting guide her through the process. She intently listens to all members of a search committee, comprehends the institution’s concerns, and works diligently to recruit the candidates who would best suit the school’s needs. Through Dr. Mellon’s time as president, executive vice president/chief operation officer, dean, professor, researcher, counselor, and nurse, she has acquired the necessary skills to assist in filling any position confidently, and she is motivated to help all institutions prosper.
EXECUTIVE COACHING OFFERINGS
Whether a seasoned president or new to an executive role, our Executive Coaching Process is designed to customize and optimize your experience to advance your leadership and institutional goals.
We offer executive coaching to individual seasoned leaders, individual new or transitioning leaders, and cabinet and senior leadership teams, as well as assessment debriefs.
To learn more, please fill out our form to contact our Practice Leader.
“I absolutely believe that people, unless coached, never reach their maximum capabilities.”
“Coaches are your external eyes and ears, providing a more accurate picture of your reality. So, “It’s not just how good you are now, it’s how good you’re going to be that really matters.”
“A sense of purpose provides an ongoing capacity to generate possibilities… and to find the values that make risk-taking meaningful.”
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Phone: 202-332-4049
Fax: 202-234- 7640
