Jennifer (Dennis) Brown, Ph.D
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Jennifer (Dennis) Brown, Ph.D. EDUCATION Ph.D., Horticulture Michigan State University, 2004 Dissertation Topic: Satisfaction and regret of horticultural products and their impacts on purchasing behavior and plant guarantees M.S., Natural Resources and Environmental Resources (N.R.E.S) University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), 2001 Thesis Topic: Consumer perceptions and buying behaviors of Illinois Retail Nurseries and Garden Centers B.S., Ornamental Horticulture University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), 1999 SKILLS Dynamic, Entrepreneurial and Collaborative Leader with a consistent track record of delivering exemplary outcomes for institutions and the higher education community. Exceptional Communicator and Extraordinary Advocate with experience helping develop collaborative initiatives addressing collective challenges while creating value and generating impact. Forward-Thinking and Visionary Leader with a demonstrated track record of “thinking outside of the box”, community building and empathetic approach as well as experience in working with surrounding communities including K12 partners to increase student success. Talented Executive and Team Builder with management experience across institutions and a track record of achieving long-term strategic goals. EXPERTISE • Change Management • Student-Centered Advocate • Program and Curricular Review • Academic & Student Success Innovation • Pan University Experience • Shared Governance • Online Education • Bargaining and Unionized Environments • Data-Informed Decisions • Culturally and Racially Competent • Staff and Faculty Advocate • Fiscal Management ADMINISTRATIVE EXPERIENCE University of California, Riverside Vice Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Education 2018-Present Responsible for spearheading institutional student success efforts for 20,000+ undergraduate students overseeing persistence and retention and ensuring organizational outcomes exceed expectations, financial oversight, fundraising, network engagement. Works to create holistic experience by convening campus stakeholders including Registrar, Enrollment Management, Admissions, Student Affairs, Academic Deans, Vice Chancellors and Advising Leads. Supervises 10 direct reports (over 90 staff and faculty within the UE org) with multi-million-dollar budget. Selected Key Accomplishments: • Strategized and created institutional COVID response that supported 20,000+ undergraduate students at UCR focusing on equitable and just policies for students, staff and faculty; • Secured $5.9 MN to increase instructional technology infrastructure for the adoption of CANVAS learning management system, YUJA (video capture/proctoring) and SLACK (community building and social connection) along with permanentizing 4-5 FTE in the center for teaching and learning (CTL) during an unprecedented budget shortfall; • Led and secured a second wave of funding for $2Mn to retro-fit lecture capture technology in preparation for a return to fall (Fall 21) which includes significant infrastructure investments and 50 TAs trained to assist faculty with technology in the classroom and currently awaiting $1MN proposal for community of practice support for increasing online offerings for 200 faculty; • Directed UE leadership team to the creation of Fall 2020 partnership with mentor collective to implement peer- based text messaging to 4800 first time freshman with a 38% participation rate (max for mentor collective was 30%) to recreate informal information communication and develop a campus social support network; • Convened faculty and senate to discuss senate policies and long-term implications of COVID on student learning including anticipated challenges for first-time freshman and transfer students that resulted in flexible policies for students during the pandemic; • Strategized and co-created student campaign to navigate remote university environment that led to ask.ucr.edu website after receiving student feedback regarding lack of response from campus community; • Created forward-thinking vision bringing siloed campus partners together to create holistic student supports during the pandemic that focused on flexibility while keeping an eye on retention and persistence; • Raised and stewarded over $17 Mn (overall), $2.8Mn (UCR total) from national/regional funders for student success interventions; • Served as University Innovation Alliance (UIA) Liaison speaking at several UIA convenings focusing on student success attainment- The UIA is the first national consortium of public research universities, working together to test, scale, and diffuse innovations that close achievement gaps and improve all students’ outcomes; • Supported the collaborative implementation of various student success innovations though the UIA like Chatbots, Predictive Analytics, Proactive Advising, and Completion Grants on UCR’s campus; • Oversaw completion grant implementation for UCR that included 232 students and $131,000 in grant funds; • Supervised three UIA Fellows on student success initiatives such as Chatbot, Bridging the Gap from Education to Employment and Black Student Success in partnership with The UIA Fellows program, designed as a pipeline for aspiring future college presidents, attracting and developing talented former first generation, low-income, and students of color and supporting their ascension into leadership positions throughout higher education; • Successfully contributed to several national student success grants such as the $8.9 million grant First in the World competition for proactive advising (“MAAPS”) as well as $3 million in support from Strada Education Network and implemented widespread college to career redesign initiatives at UCR; • Successfully managed leadership culture with a diverse team of direct reports (staff and faculty) to focus on decreasing achievement gaps, retention, persistence and time to degree as well as sharing a common goal around empowering campus stakeholders and becoming a hub of innovation and collaboration for the campus; • Served as Provost designee for all undergraduate program reviews focusing on assessment practices and accreditation standards; • Positive reputation on campus as a student, staff and faculty advocate; • Developed and managed relationships with regional funders working in partnership with UE’s designated advancement development officers. Oregon State University Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School 2016– 2018 Responsible for overseeing 80+ graduate programs including 4500 graduate students and post-docs and 2000 graduate faculty with multi-million-dollar budget. Strategic problem solver who focused on academic resolution between faculty, administrators, campus legal counsel, HR and collective bargaining units. Selected Key Accomplishments: • Successfully co-led university bargaining team and renegotiated graduate student collective bargaining demands for the Council of Graduate Employees (CGE 2300 graduate employees); • Served as 1 of 5 administrators on the institutional Promotion and Tenure (P&T) committee that provided final recommendations to the Provost regarding tenure track P&T for Assistant, Associate (with tenure) and Full Professorship cases (60 cases annually); Raised and stewarded funding from OSU foundation for graduate fellowships; worked with intimately with ARCS Foundation Oregon to secure $750,000; • Participated in ADVANCE Senior Leadership two- week immersive workshop experience understanding bias, inclusion, equity, microaggressions; • Member of the 4th cohort of ASU-Georgetown Academy for Innovative Higher Education Leadership Program; • Effectively collaborated with university stakeholders (general counsel, academic deans, provost, faculty senate, etc.) to develop graduate student success initiatives; • Successfully orchestrated all graduate program reviews with elevated level of responsibility to shut down programs and revoke graduate status of faculty and/or programs based on assessment and accreditation standards; • Received faculty senate resolution based on transparent and collaborative leadership. Oregon State University Associate Dean of the Graduate School 2015– 2016 Selected Key Accomplishments: • Gained in-depth understanding of the experiences, opportunities, and challenges facing campus dynamics; • Administered budgets, revised and enacted policies and monitored graduate student success convening 11 colleges and 2000 graduate faculty; • Created online graduate programming with faculty and Ecampus partners; • Convened academic deans, associate deans, international programs, research office, Ecampus, grad council (faculty senate subcommittee); • Led and developed campus-wide online module project for incoming students on campus expectations of inclusive environments to address Anti-Racism. Purdue University Inaugural Director of Distance Education, College of Agriculture 2014– 2015 Selected Key Accomplishments: • Effectively chaired eight-person taskforce to examine the status of distance education in the College of Agriculture and produced an 86-page whitepaper outlining efforts and opportunities; • Evaluated Extension/engagement and outreach distance education programs and created a survey assessment of distance education needs for Extension specialists and educators; • Led a nine-person faculty/staff taskforce to create an action plan for creating a unit on distance education for College of Agriculture, which, produced an action plan, one invited talk to China and one conference proceeding paper written on exploring distance education