In the Spotlight

The last year was a whirlwind of highlights and transitions for MAOL graduate Dawn Neil. She wrapped up her MAOL degree with the cross-cultural trip to Costa Rica as part of the Sustainable Organizations and Global Citizenship course. Soon after, she made the decision to leave her long-time employer and embark on a career pivot to a path that better aligned with her values. And all of this happened because she accidentally applied for the Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership program at EMU.

Just a few years ago, she was looking ahead to plan her professional goals and felt that her skills were insufficient for the kind of leadership growth and progress she hoped to make. When a friend told her about EMU’s graduate certificate program in Organizational Leadership, she thought the idea had potential. By “happy accident,” she explained, she applied to the masters program rather than the graduate certificate, which was the first step of a 2-year journey of growth, discovery, and development. After being out of school for 20 years, she was a bit apprehensive about going back into an academic setting, but she was soon put at ease by the warm and welcoming faculty and classmates. 

The cohort model helped her cultivate lasting connections with her classmates, many of whom remain friends and colleagues. These connections were forged in the rich class discussions where every participant was encouraged and supported in offering different opinions and perspectives, according to Dawn. Outside of class, each student navigated the challenges of graduate school alongside other life roles, including work, family, and volunteering. For Dawn, this meant others in her cohort understood the challenges she faced in raising kids, working full-time, and taking graduate classes. Despite the challenges, she believes the time and effort she invested in making it work was worth it. 

One of her goals in joining the program was to gain a better understanding of who she was as a leader and how she fit in the organizational environment. The MAOL offerings provided the perfect combination of organizational knowledge and individual development that equipped Dawn with the tools and confidence to be successful. As Dawn observed, “I gravitate toward the servant leadership style, but I enjoyed building a repertoire of leadership styles and skills.” With the range of leadership tools and organizational principles that she gained from the MAOL program, Dawn is a more versatile and well-rounded leader. Plus, she gleaned fresh insights into her own strengths and values that empowered her to re-evaluate her career aspirations.

After graduation, Dawn had the courage to ask herself, “What’s going to feed me?” She realized that her values no longer aligned with her current organization and she could no longer envision a long-term future for her there. Once again, she discovered that EMU was the right place for her in the newly created role Coordinator for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. In this role, she is re-energized by the values of the organization and her passion for helping people grow fuels her work everyday. She is excited about the opportunity to impact the campus and community in meaningful ways. “I bring fresh eyes to campus interactions and I’m eager to connect with the community of students, faculty, and staff to support positive change,” she explained. 

Dawn credits her time in the MAOL program with giving her the tools to look more broadly at change and instilling the courage to take risks and be her own leader. She learned to listen well to herself and others so the collective voices of change can be amplified. For others entering the MAOL program, she offers this advice, “As long as you put the work in you will get the reward. Be okay with taking the time you need to really absorb the material and allow yourself the grace to grow.” While Dawn doesn’t know exactly what the future holds, she knows that she is well-prepared to be the leader she wants to be.

 

Mikaela Brooks, a second year student in the Masters of Organizational Leadership (MAOL) program at EMU, is no stranger to navigating challenges. As a student athlete at Bridgewater College, she managed her studies, led her Lacrosse team, and overcame injuries. When her time at Bridgewater was ending, she wondered what was next. That question was answered when she had a conversation with former Women’s Lacrosse Head Coach, Katie Russo, who persuaded her to join EMU’s coaching team. Now, Mikaela is navigating a new challenge as she steps into the role of Interim Head Women’s Lacrosse Coach.

When Mikaela originally joined EMU’s coaching team, she was interested in exploring a career in coaching psychology, so she entered EMU’s Masters in Biomedicine program. It didn’t take long for her to realize that her “heart was on the field with the team.” With this new vision for her future, she moved into the MAOL program to bolster her team leadership knowledge and skills. The Lacrosse team is fairly new to EMU, so Mikaela immediately got to work applying what she was learning in her MAOL classes about setting the mission, vision, and values and creating structures that would facilitate a strong athletic program going forward.

Mikaela continues to translate the concepts she’s learning in class to her coaching context, especially with her added responsibilities as Head Coach. As Mikaela has simultaneously grown as a coach and in her leadership identity, she shared an important lesson about managing people by first recognizing that “Not everyone is me…everyone has a different way of expressing their work ethic.” Instead of expecting everyone to behave or respond like she would, she recognizes that as a leader it is her job to learn and adapt to her team so she can support what they need. 

She described other essential lessons from her studies in the MAOL program that she uses regularly in her coaching. One of these invaluable lessons is the ability to give and receive feedback constructively. She also described practical steps for managing organizational change that have prepared her to contribute to multiple shifts in the athletics department, at the university, and in the sport of Lacrosse more broadly. For example, she explains that Women’s Lacrosse is currently a predominantly White sport. As a woman of color, she is passionate about bringing other women of color into the sport she loves so much. Her passion for increasing access and elevating diversity aligns with EMU’s values and shows up in where and how she recruits student athletes.

In her recruiting efforts, Mikaela says she shares her own experiences at EMU and the way she “feels care in tangibles.” She tells prospective students about the overall support from faculty and classmates that makes being part of the EMU community so rewarding. Her advice to others is this: “Make sure you give 110% because what you learn in the program is applicable to your work and life.” She described the way class 

discussions create a learning community where each person shares stories and insights from their experiences and environments that they all learn from and apply to their own contexts.

Mikaela envisions herself moving into the role of Athletic Director someday, and she believes the MAOL program is preparing her well to achieve that goal. For now, she is overjoyed with the opportunity to serve as the Interim Head Women’s Lacrosse Coach. She described how humbling it is to get such an incredible opportunity at a young age, but she says, “That’s what EMU is about - giving people opportunities to make a difference.”

 

After 20 years out of school, Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership (MAOL) graduate  Amanda Poole ('22) said the hardest part of being a student again was getting started. Once she jumped in, she rediscovered her love for learning and grew in confidence in her ability to succeed in graduate school. Originally, Amanda enrolled in an MBA program at a large university, but she soon realized that the program wasn’t a good fit. When she switched to the MAOL program at EMU, she wanted a program that coupled strong knowledge and skill development with rich community among classmates and the support of caring faculty. According to Amanda, her EMU experience exceeded her expectations in both learning and community.

With 3 young children and a part-time job with a local non-profit organization, Amanda described the initial adjustment to graduate school as challenging. But, she soon found a rhythm that enabled her to craft her own work-life balance. She encourages others to “find a routine to get work done and manage stress by setting aside time and a work space” for class work. Connecting with classmates is also a key to success. Amanda was surprised and delighted by the richness of the cohort collaboration that occurred throughout the program and the depth of relationships that she developed with her classmates. These relationships continue beyond graduation, making the program about so much more than the knowledge and credentials that she gained.

Filled with purpose to prepare for her next career steps and pursue her calling, Amanda focused her time at EMU on exploration with an eye on working in non-profit organizations as an executive director or consultant. Two experiences in the program specifically gave Amanda the chance to tailor her learning to her unique interests and goals. First, in her Organizational Behavior class, she was especially fascinated by the subject matter, which caught the attention of professor and dean Dr. David Brubaker. Dr. Brubaker explained, “While working at EMU since 2004 I have continued a consulting practice focused primarily on congregations and other faith-based organizations. Whenever possible I invite a student or former student to join me, both for their learning and for their contribution to the work with a client.” 

With a consulting project underway, Dr. Brubaker invited Amanda to participate in the project. Amanda’s work on the project was greatly appreciated by the consulting client and served her own professional development as well. She observed, “My experience observing and assisting Professor David Brubaker in his professional consulting work enabled me to directly apply content from organizational behavior and leadership classes while also feeling like I was helping an organization navigate conflict.  It was absolutely illuminating and allowed me to explore a potential career option.” Amanda recounted three key takeaways from the consulting work she participated in: 1) individuals earn the right to make change in an organization, 2) as a leader, have humility and listen and learn, and 3) change is slow. Like Amanda, students in the MAOL program have a variety of opportunities to work with professors or other professionals with projects or experiences in the field that the student is interested in entering or growing in.

The second experience for Amanda came in the form of the mentoring relationship she formed for the Mentorship I & II classes. These classes facilitate meaningful mentoring relationships for each student in the program. Amanda’s mentor holds an Executive Director position in a local non-profit, which offered the career perspective and insight Amanda was looking for as she considered the future directions of her own career path. Even though the formal Mentorship class finished, Amanda confided that the relationship was so rewarding for both her and her mentor that they continue to meet monthly.

Amanda rounded out her classes with a cross-cultural trip to Costa Rica that emphasized experiential learning in sustainability. Leading in ways that serve the common good and advocating for sustainability in all its forms are common themes throughout the program, yet there is something especially potent about seeing these practices in action in a real-world setting while sharing the experience with a cohort of fellow students. The cross-cultural experience and emphasis on sustainability sets EMU’s MAOL program apart from similar programs and uniquely prepares students for the global perspectives and responsible resourcing that are hallmarks of socially responsible organizational leadership.

When looking for the right program, Amanda recommends meeting with faculty to find the right fit. She observed that the MAOL professors

come from a wide range of backgrounds and each student will connect better with some over others. While these differences can sometimes create tension, she believes that the diversity in faculty is ultimately a benefit because it represents the diversity of people, personalities, and experiences that make up the modern workplace. For her, the caring and support of the faculty made all the difference. She reflected, “I always felt the professors in the program wanted me to succeed.  If you're struggling or unsure about something you're working on, reach out to the professor. My questions were always welcomed and answered.” 

With graduation in the rearview mirror, Amanda is charting her course for future leadership opportunities. On the horizon, Amanda will be co-leading a cross-cultural trip for students and continuing to put her passion for the community into the non-profit work she does. She is confident that she is well-prepared for whatever comes next with both the organizational knowledge and ability to apply the lessons she learned to her current and future work.

 

For Sandra Quigg (MAOL '19), working for the community and finding the “Common Good” has always sparked her passion and purpose. She has worked in a number of non-profit organizations over the last 25 years in order to serve the needs of the community in a variety of ways. Her past work ranges from higher education to creating workforce development opportunities for people with disabilities. “I love helping individuals understand their own agency,” she explains, and she has extended that passion to serve young people as theExecutive Director of the Boys & Girls Club of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County. At Boys & Girls Club, she combines her passion for community with the knowledge of organizational leadership that she gained at EMU.

Before joining EMU’s Master of Arts program in Organizational Leadership, Sandra spent 15 years toying with the idea of graduate school, looking into different options and considering how to fit it into her full-time work and family life. She explored programs in public administration and other programs in business, but none of them felt right. Eventually, she discovered  EMU’s Master’s in Organizational Leadership and had an “Aha” moment. She knew she had found the program she’d been looking for that would help her develop the soft skills for leadership along with a strong knowledge of organizational structure.

She described organizational leadership as “a study in gray” while recounting many experiences that allowed her to wade through the gray in meaningful ways. For example, one class explored themes of faith and leadership that Sandra, as an agnostic, was originally skep

tical of. However, she came to understand leadership is a leap of faith, regardless of how one defines faith. For the cohort’s capstone, Sandra and her classmates traveled through the Appalachian region for a cross-cultural field experience. In Sandra’s words, the trip was both “fun” and “provided a window into the complexities of the Common Good.” 

In her quest to traverse the gray areas that characterize real-world leadership, she was joined by a cohort of classmates with a range of experiences. Some were working professionals while others were within a year of two of their Bachelor degree graduations. While these differences in life and professional experience sometimes created challenges, it also offered a range of perspectives for class discussions. As someone who is often hard on herself, Sandra explained that many of her experiences in the program showed her opportunities to provide grace to herself and others.

Although the organizational leadership program focuses on the theory and practice of leading, EMU’s program differs from other similar programs in that students also do the work to grow and develop as leaders themselves. Sandra observed, “The program gave me the vocabulary I needed to take the next steps.”

Alongside learning about organizational structure and how it works in tandem with culture for effective systems change, she recognized her own strengths and learned to articulate them in a way that made sense to others. According to Sandra, this led to her current role as Executive Director, a role that she had only been in for 6-months when the COVID-19 pandemic made organizational change essential. Despite the challenges the organization faced, with Sandra’s leadership, they kept the organization operating and open, an achievement that makes her proud.