Spring 2015 Griffiths Leadership Conference Speakers

Rachel Anderson, Entrepreneurial Specialist at The eFactory and Co-Founder at Alumni Spaces Griffiths member Rachel Anderson is an Entrepreneurial Specialist at The eFactory, a and the hub for in Springfield, Missouri. She is also the co-founder of Alumni Spaces, a tech startup company and the executive director of the University of Missouri Flagship Council, an advocacy group and political action committee.

Rachel previously served as the head of marketing for a global executive search firm and was a development officer at the University of Missouri. She graduated from Mizzou, where she also served as student body president, was a member of Alumni Association Student Board and a member of Kappa Alpha Theta sorority. https://twitter.com/AndersonRachelM www.linkedin.com/in/rachelmarieanderson http://rachelmarieanderson.com/ http://efactory.missouristate.edu http://alumnispaces.com http://flagshipcouncil.com

Lawren Askinosie, Director of Sales & Marketing, Askinosie Chocolate As the Director of Sales & Marketing, Lawren Askinosie helps lead Askinosie Chocolate, an internationally- acclaimed bean to bar chocolate factory in Springfield, MO, alongside her father, Shawn Askinosie (a Mizzou alum!). Still in high school when her father transitioned from a trial attorney to a chocolate maker, she assisted in almost every facet of their new life as chocolate makers – from working the storefront to developing marketing material – and has been involved with the small international business since its inception.

Upon graduation from Drury University with degrees in writing, arts administration and global studies at just 20 years old, she jumped into chocolate factory life full-time and has never looked back. Lawren’s passions for chocolate and the people around the world who make it happen has led her to the cloud forests of Ecuador and remote villages of Tanzania, as she searches with her father for the world’s best cocoa beans and the amazing farmers who harvest them.

Among other things, Lawren’s one of her roles is to share the Askinosie Chocolate mission and story to customers, fans, followers, cocoa bean farmers and media. She acts as a spokesperson for the factory, having appeared on MSNBC live discussing small social business. Askinosie Chocolate is enjoyed by folks across the globe and has been featured in O, Magazine, the Times, Wall Street Journal, Bon Appetit and other publications. https://www.linkedin.com/pub/lawren-askinosie/94/946/450 https://twitter.com/askinosie https://askinosie.com/

Dr. DeAngela Burns-Wallace, Assistant Vice Provost for Undergraduate Studies, University of Missouri Dr. DeAngela Burns-Wallace is the Assistant Vice Provost for undergraduate Studies at the University of Missouri where she focuses on student persistence, completion and overall success at all levels. Dr. Burns-Wallace also holds faculty appointment through the College of Education’s Education Leadership and Policy Analysis division.

Previous positions at Mizzou include Assistant Vice Provost for Enrollment Management and Director of Access Initiatives. For the 2013-14 academic year, she was selected as an American Council on Education Fellow, working directly with presidents and other senior leaders, observing how the institution and its leaders address strategic planning, resource allocation, development, policy and other issues and challenges.

Prior to joining Mizzou, Dr. Burns-Wallace held the position of Assistant Dean in the Office of Undergraduate Admission at . She has also served as a Foreign Service Officer (FSO) with the U.S. Department of State. She has lived/worked in Guangzhou and Beijing China; Pretoria, South Africa; and in Washington D.C. She was also trained in two languages, French and Mandarin Chinese. Dr. Burns-Wallace holds a dual bachelor’s degree in International Relations and African American studies from Stanford University, a Masters in Public Policy from the Woodrow Wilson School for Public and International Affairs at Princeton University, and a doctorate in education from the University of Pennsylvania. She is originally from Kansas City, MO. @dburnswallace08

Amber Cheek, Disability Inclusion and ADA Compliance Manager, University of Missouri Amber Cheek is a young attorney and first generation college student who first came to Mizzou for law school. After finishing her law degree, Amber received a Presidential Management Fellowship with the Department of Labor in Washington, DC. Within six months, she became a Co-Director of the Workforce Recruitment Program, a nationwide employment program for persons with disabilities. She went on to work for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission before returning to Columbia to lead accessibility efforts as MU’s Disability Inclusion and ADA Compliance Manager. @MUDisability

Dr. Anne Deaton, Deaton Institute for University Leadership in International Development and MU Adjunct Faculty Member Mother (4), Grandmother (7), Wife (1), Daughter, Friend, Teacher, Community Volunteer and Griffiths Mentor (co-founder of the Children’s Grove, Columbia Interact/Rotary for teens, MU campus Chapter of American Association University Women; Mizzou Women Give); Special Assistant to the Chancellor; Deputy Director of the MO Division of Aging; Director of the MO Division of Developmental Disabilities, World Traveler, Phi Beta Kappa, and grateful to God for countless blessings.

Jennifer Ehlen, Vice President-Deal Origination at Thompson Street Capital Partners, Founder of Prosper Women Entrepreneurs, Managing Director of Prosper Capital Jennifer Ehlen is a vice president at Thompson Street Capital Partners, a St. Louis-based firm. As a member of the Deal Origination team, Jennifer works with senior management at Thompson Street to help source and evaluate investment opportunities for the firm’s $380 million fund. Prior to joining Thompson Street,

Jennifer was the director of the Center for Entrepreneurship at Saint Louis University. Jennifer is also the founder of Prosper Women Entrepreneurs and a managing director of Prosper Capital. Prosper Women Entrepreneurs was created to address the entrepreneur gender gap in the St. Louis region. Prosper helps existing and aspiring women business owners navigate the entrepreneurship ecosystem through the Prosper Institute (501c3) programs, and increases women entrepreneurs’ access to and the number of women investing in early stage capital markets through Prosper Capital (LLC). Jennifer also serves as a coach, mentor and advisory board member to several St. Louis-based entrepreneurs. Jennifer has received various recognitions for her work in mergers & acquisitions and the entrepreneurship community. She was named a “Most Influential Businesswoman” in 2014 by the St. Louis Business Journal. She also received an Award in 2014 and was listed as one of the area’s “Top 40 under 40” business professionals in 2011 by the same publication. She was also named as the Distinguished Young Alumni of the year by the John Cook School of Business at Saint Louis University in 2013. Jennifer’s most important job, however, is raising two very special people...and maybe teaching them a thing or two along the way. Her children, Jackson and Evelyn, are her most important start-up ventures. https://twitter.com/JenniferEhlen https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferehlen https://twitter.com/ProsperSTL http://www.prosperstl.com/

Joan T.A. Gabel, Dean of the Robert J. Trulaske, Sr. College of Business at Mizzou Joan T.A. Gabel is Dean of the Robert J. Trulaske, Sr. College of Business at the University of Missouri. Under Dean Gabel’s leadership, the Trulaske College of Business team of faculty and staff has accomplished key initiatives. The execMBA, a new program for working professionals, combines rigorous instruction, innovative technology, and strong peer connections. The Entrepreneurship Alliance was created for students who demonstrate a high potential for new business development. The program ensures MU continues to cultivate innovators to drive economic growth. As part of the Trulaske College of Business Centennial Celebration in 2014, the Risk Management and Program was launched for students interested in managing risk for corporations, businesses and individuals. Students in the School of Accountancy now access an enhanced Certificate in Tax that prepares graduates with applied skills and knowledge in tax. Faculty continues to publish impactful research in top academic journals and have received national press coverage in The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, , Fox Business News and Market Watch. Other key initiatives include rebranding the Trulaske College of Business under the award-winning “We’ll Show You” campaign, developing a committee-led Strategic Plan to guide the college, creating a Certificate in Sales and Customer Development in the Department of Marketing and a Concentration in Marketing Analytics for MBA students.

Dean Gabel previously served as a DeSantis Professor and Chair of the Department of Risk Management/Insurance, Real Estate & Legal Studies at the Florida State University College of Business. She also was Director of International Relations for the College of Business at FSU. Dean Gabel joined FSU in 2007 after serving on the faculty of the Robinson College of Business at Georgia State University for 11 years. At Georgia State, she was Interim Director of the Institute of International Business and Faculty Director of the Atlanta Compliance and Ethics Roundtable.

As a faculty member, Dean Gabel has taught legal and ethical environment of business classes, led global business seminars, and taught around the world. Her research interests include corporate governance and employment law issues, and she has been published in several premier scholarly journals including The American Business Law Journal and The Journal of Business Ethics.

On campus, Dean Gabel serves on a series of University of Missouri committees and, in the community, on the board of directors for the Heart of Missouri United Way. She is also a member of the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) board of directors.

She is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Charles M. Hewitt Teaching Award, the Kay Duffy Service Award and the Bunche, Kemper and Holmes-Cardozo Awards for Excellence in Research. Her work has been placed on the National Law Journal’s “Worth Reading” list. Dean Gabel has served as editor-in-chief of the American Business Law Journal and the Journal of Legal Studies in Business. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Haverford College and her juris doctorate from the University of Georgia. https://www.twitter.com/JoanGabel https://www.linkedin.com/pub/joan-gabel/14/b54/987

Diana Kander, Entrepreneur, Author and Senior Fellow at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation A refugee of the Soviet Union, Diana Kander entered America as an 8-year-old resident of subsidized housing in , New York. By the time she was an American citizen, she had perfected her skills as a capitalist – selling flea market goods to grade school classmates at a markup.

Diana has a degree in political science from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and is a graduate of Georgetown Law. Her legal career included work in the corporate transactions division of a large national law firm and as general counsel of a real estate development company before she left to launch her first company. Today Diana is a successful entrepreneur in the legal, technology and service sectors; an educator; an author; and she serves as a senior fellow at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, the largest non-profit in the world dedicated to entrepreneurship and education.

As a senior fellow at the Kauffman Foundation, she’s had the opportunity to mentor hundreds of startups and advise educators and Fortune 500 executives on ways to successfully launch new products and services. Diana is the author of “All In Startup,” a New York Times best-selling novel outlining lessons for launching successful products through a story of a struggling entrepreneur making his way through the World Series of Poker. Her book reached #4 on the New York Times bestseller list in July 2014.

She also works with Mizzou’s Entrepreneurship Alliance and has taught two entrepreneurship courses through Mizzou’s Trulaske College of Business. Diana lives in Columbia with her high school sweetheart/best friend/husband, Jason, and their awesome son, True. https://twitter.com/dianakander https://www.linkedin.com/pub/diana-kander/a/308/406 http://www.dianakander.com

Dr. Karin C. Loftin, First Lady of Mizzou Dr. Karin C. Loftin retired as an associate biosafety officer with the Office of Research Compliance and Biosafety at Texas A&M University. She has had a long and distinguished career in biomedical research and public health and is the author of numerous papers and presentations that span a variety of disciplines.

Prior to coming to Texas A&M, she served as a biological and chemical safety specialist in the Department of Environmental Health and Safety at The University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston; a microbiologist in the arbovirus surveillance program at the biosafety level 3 Bureau of Laboratories at the Norfolk (Virginia) Department of Public Health; a visiting instructor in microbiology at the School of Medical Laboratory and Radiation Sciences at Old Dominion University; and an instructor and research associate at the University of Texas Medical School in Houston.

Dr. Loftin also was a research scientist KRUG/Wyle contractor employee at the Johnson Space Center from 1989 to 2000, working on Space Station planning and environmental physiology related to space walks.

Early in her career, she was a Henry Holcomb Postdoctoral Fellow in Clinical Immunology at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Hospital and Tumor Institute in Houston and studied various aspects of cell and humoral immunology as a research associate in the Department of Microbiology and as a research assistant in the Department of Pediatrics at The University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston.

She earned a B.A. in biology from Oakland University (Michigan) in 1970 and an ASCP degree in medical technology from Baylor College Medical Center in Dallas, Texas the following year. She earned a master’s degree in biomedical sciences in 1973 and a Ph.D. in 1979, with a specialization in microbiology (infectious diseases) and cellular immunology (inflammation), both from The University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences.

Dr. Karin Loftin is married to Dr. R. Bowen Loftin, Chancellor of The University of Missouri. The Loftins married in 1972 in Houston, TX and have two grown children, Elisabeth and Benjamin, three grandsons and a granddaughter due in February.

@kcloftin

Matt Murrie, Social Entrepreneur and Edupreneur, Executive Director and Chief Curiosity Curator for What If…? 360 Matt Murrie works to live in a world where people prefer finding solutions to complaining about problems, where people seek answers through questions, and curiosity is treated like the natural resource it is. Most recently, he has traded in the security of being a full-time college professor for the responsibility of being a full-time social entrepreneur. He doesn’t consider his business, What If...? 360 to be a startup business, rather a startup movement.

The What If...? 360 global community pulls on the strength and power of community to co-create a better way of doing things. The goal is to transform the two words “what if” from a question into an action. Endlessly curious in and fascinated by the spectacular diversity of people and places that make up this planet, his greatest fear isn’t failure, it’s becoming stagnant. He refuses to accept the current models of education and entrepreneurship and works to engage and connect people who share a similar commitment to collaborate in evolving both – by melding them together.

He’s taught for over a decade across five countries and three continents. He’s a returned Peace Corps volunteer who has written seven books that have gone on to sell more than 250,000 copies. He blogs regularly about “what if...?” issues on the Huffington Post, Medium, and LinkedIn. His TEDx talk, “What If Your Socks Didn't Match” has more than 85,000 views on YouTube (www..com/watch?v=_ycWB3WLCwA#t=79). Matt spent the past five years teaching English Literature, Writing and Entrepreneurship at Westminster College. Today, he’s a social entrepreneur and “edupreneur” working full-time as the Executive Director and Chief Curiosity Curator for What If...? 360. https://twitter.com/MattMurrie https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewmurrie http://about.me/mattmurrie http://www.whatif360.com/

Cindy Mustard, Co-Owner, Tiger Trolley Tours I grew up in Columbia where the MU campus was my playground. My family has been here since the 1820’s and we are one of the founding families of MU which was extra special this year as we go to participate in the 175th birthday celebration of MU. I graduated from MU with a degree in History. However, for the next 40 plus years I worked in the social service field. I retired in 2011 after serving for 20 years as the Executive Director of the Voluntary Action Center. In 2009 I was honored by the Griffiths Leadership Society with the Spirit of Martha Award. Today, as co-owner of Tiger Trolley Tours we provide a variety of tours of Columbia. This is a fun, new way to explore & see Columbia. Am also involved with several organizations such as the Columbia Cemetery Board of Trustees, Columbia Public Schools Foundation Board, Community Foundation of Central Missouri Board of Directors, House Board of Kappa Kappa Gamma, and the Chancellor’s Historic Preservation Society.

Diane O’Byrne, Partner, Competitive Resources Diane O’Byrne earned bachelor’s degrees in journalism and political science at Mizzou with the intent of becoming a broadcast political analyst. After completing her MBA at Rockhurst University, though, she knew the business of journalism was her passion and direction.

Following a successful career as both a television and radio account executive, Diane launched her managerial career in 1985 as General Sales Manager of KCFX radio in Kansas City. Next, she headed national sales for the radio group and initiated a national sales consultancy. An advocate for sales and marketing in journalism, she quickly said “yes” when asked to “fill in” for a management class at the University of Kansas in 1988. That position became permanent and she taught message development, presentation skills, campaigns and sales strategy as an adjunct professor in KU’s School of Journalism through 2012. Today she is an adjunct professor for Kansas’ MBA program.

Simultaneous to her teaching career, Diane co-founded Competitive Resources, a sales coaching firm based in Kansas City that she continues to manage today. The company consults a variety of clients, locally and nationally, and customizes sales training programs for teams as well as one-on- one training for individuals. Clients include: Kansas City Power & Light, Bank of America, Hunt Midwest, Saint Luke’s Hospital, Churchill Container, OnMedia and others. A time management consultant, Diane lives by her own advice “focus on your passion” and has demonstrated her expertise in time management and balance by negotiating professional and personal interests successfully. She has been active in the Griffiths Leadership Society for Women since 2005, as a member, a mentor and a speaker. Diane has held positions on numerous boards throughout her career and currently serves as chairperson for Speaking of Women’s Health, on the marketing committee for Women on the Move, and is on the executive committee for the University of Missouri Alumni Board Kansas City. https://twitter.com/dobyrne https://www.linkedin.com/in/dobyrne/en http://www.competitiveresources.biz/

Sara Pauley, Director, Mo Dept. of Natural Resources Sara Parker Pauley leads the Missouri Department of Natural Resources’ efforts to protect our air, land and water; preserve our unique natural and historic places; and provide recreational and learning opportunities for everyone. Pauley began as director in December 2010 and is the second female to lead the agency. She received both her law degree and her bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri – Columbia, completed post-graduate studies in Australia as a Rotary Fellow and was an instructor for MU’s School of Natural Resources.

During her career, Pauley has worked in the executive and legislative branches of state government, both fish and wildlife, environmental agencies in state government, profit and nonprofit sectors and with federal, state and local governments. Under her leadership, Pauley has worked on policy development, environmental compliance, and built and improved relationships with Missouri’s communities, business and industry, the environmental community, legislators, and the public to make Missouri a leader in innovative resource conservation, while protecting our outdoor heritage for generations to come.

Melodie A. Powell, Attorney, Evans & Dixon Melodie is Of Counsel with the law firm of Evans & Dixon, where she concentrates her practice in the area of workers compensation. She received her B.A. from Mizzou in 1977 and her J.D. from Mizzou in 1981. Melodie is a longtime volunteer for the Mizzou Alumni Association, serving as President in 1999-2000. She, along with Deb Snellen, founded the Griffiths Leadership Society and served as co-chair for two years. Melodie received the MAA Tiger Pride Award in 2007 and the MAA Faculty Alumni Award in 2009. She is a member of the Tiger Scholarship Fund and currently serves on the Jefferson Club Board of Trustees. Melodie and her husband, Jerry Short, reside in Kansas City and enjoy golf, cooking, good wine and all things Mizzou!

Stephanie Regagnon, Founder and Executive Director of Ava’s Grace Scholarship Foundation Stephanie Regagnon is the founder and executive director of Ava’s Grace Scholarship Foundation. Stephanie and her husband, Jason, formed the non-profit in 2010 after a harrowing personal experience resulting in then incarceration of her mother. It is now her personal passion to change the lives of children affected by incarceration by providing opportunities for these unique and deserving children to achieve a higher education. The foundation is named after her daughter, Ava Grace, who inspired its formation. Stephanie’s professional passion is agriculture. She has a bachelor’s degree in political science from Mizzou and a master’s degree in political science from American University. She is the agriculture biologicals engagement lead for Monsanto Company in St. Louis. She has worked in agriculture and renewable energy in Washington, D.C., and St. Louis for the last 15 years. In 2012 she was named to the St. Louis Business Journal’s“40 Under 40.” https://twitter.com/StephRegagnon https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephregagnon http://avasgrace.org/

Betsy Rodriquez, PhD, Vice President for Human Resources, University of Missouri System Since 2008 Betsy has served as the Vice President for Human Resources and as a General Officer for the University of Missouri system, a land grant research institution with four nationally ranked universities, including an academic medical center.

Betsy began her academic and HR career at the University of Missouri. After earning a BA degree from Vanderbilt University, she attended graduate school at MU earning both a Masters and PhD in Psychology. During her graduate studies she worked for the campus and system in several positions before moving to Colorado.

In Colorado for 20 years she held various positions with the University of Colorado and the State. During her years at the University of Colorado she served as Assistant Vice Chancellor on the Denver/Anschutz medical campus, and was Associate Vice President for Human Resources for the CU system. Prior to those roles Betsy managed of the State of Colorado employee benefits and risk management department.

Betsy has served on the CUPA-HR national board, and was selected last year to receive the Distinguished Service Award. She is currently a director of the Greater Missouri Leadership Foundation board and the Heart of Missouri United Way board. @UMVPrezHR

Lauren Rundquist, Mizzou Senior and Founder of LaQuist Griffiths member Lauren Rundquist is the founder of LaQuist, a global online boutique and brand that creates wearable art in the form of custom, hand-painted shoes. As a Mizzou sophomore, Lauren found a way to combine her passions for art and entrepreneurship into a business the gives back to people and places, near and far. Now a senior studying strategic communication and approaching graduation, Lauren’s shoe designs adorn the feet of customers across six continents. Her business and charitable efforts have been awarded with the 2012 Chancellor’s Excellence Award in Community Service Leadership and recognized with the Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization’s 2013 National Student Entrepreneur of the Year Award.

Recently, Lauren and LaQuist have partnered with the charity Solea Water for a shoe line that generates funding and awareness for their sustainable, clean water solutions in communities throughout Latin America. With plans for future charitable partnerships and shoe lines, LaQuist continues to evolve in a direction of positive global impact, and Lauren evolves along with it, through art and entrepreneurship, and a bit of adventure along the way. https://twitter.com/laurenrundquist https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurenrundquist www.laquist.com

Dr. Ann E. Schulte, Global Leader of Learning and Development, Proctor & Gamble As the Global Leader of Learning and Leadership Development at Procter & Gamble, Dr. Ann Schulte has global responsibility to support the capability development of all employees, across regional, functional and business unit levels and to drive a strategy that aligns with the overall talent management intent to be increasingly focused, transparent and cohesive. As a key leader in the effort to take P&G's already high performing leadership development to the next level, the scope of Ann’s role includes all levels of leadership and management training on a worldwide basis, including executive development. She is also responsible to drive the change and innovation necessary to build organizational capabilities and impact business strategy with learning designs focused on relevance, speed and quality.

As the Chief Learning Officer at MasterCard Worldwide, Ann established and ran an award-winning corporate university and a sales academy providing compelling workshops and engaging online programs using video and mobile technologies. She was also responsible for integrating learning and talent development with key talent management processes including performance, succession and competency management.

Before joining MasterCard in 2002, Ann was a management consultant with SSE Learning Services. As principal of her own consulting practice, Ann delivered learning/performance improvement solutions over a 10-year period for clients such as Helzberg Diamonds, Sprint, Ferrellgas and the Kansas City Zoo. Her early career focus was in public relations and corporate communications.

Ann earned her doctorate (Ed.D.) in work-based learning leadership at the University of Pennsylvania/Wharton School of Business. Her dissertation, a qualitative study of the role of learning and development in employer brand practices, was designated a dissertation of distinction. She holds a master’s degree in media from Webster University, and a bachelor’s in journalism from the University of Missouri. Ann taught for several years in an adjunct faculty role at the Keller Graduate School of Management and at Johnson County Community College in Kansas City. She has served on the Public Policy Council for the American Society of Training and Development, and on the HR Committee at the Magic House, a children’s museum in St. Louis. Currently, she is a member of the Arts Wave Women’s Leadership Roundtable in Cincinnati and sits on the Advisory Board of the Chief Learning Officer Executive Doctoral Program at the University of Pennsylvania. She also teaches strategy in the business block of the UPenn’s CLO program. https://twitter.com/annschulte https://www.linkedin.com/in/annschulte Deborah Snellen, Director of Organizational and Professional Development, University of Missouri Office of Advancement Deborah Snellen is the Director of Organizational and Professional Development for the University of Missouri Office of Advancement, overseeing the hiring, learning and development, performance management, and career path functions for fundraisers and support staff. Deb joined Mizzou after 25 years as owner of Business Class, a nationally recognized consulting firm dedicated to training and development options for improving organizational performance. Deb received a Master of Arts from the University of Missouri’s Department of Communication with an emphasis in Organizational Training and Development and is a long-time volunteer and donor to Mizzou. She served as the 2003-2004 President of the Mizzou Alumni Association and was one of the founding members of the Griffiths Leadership Society for Women program.

Deb has provided workshops and seminars throughout North America. For ten years, she also served on the faculty for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute for Organization Management. She is a certified practitioner for the Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument, a powerful survey that is used worldwide for building communication effectiveness, teambuilding, and numerous other applications. She also has published more than 100 articles, including a collection of her work entitled Lead the Team: Effective and Inspirational Training for Supervisors.

Garnett S. Stokes, Ph.D., Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, University of Missouri The University of Missouri has named Dr. Garnett S. Stokes the new executive vice chancellor for academic affairs and provost, effective February 2, 2015.

Prior to joining MU and since August, 2011, Dr. Stokes served as provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at Florida State University (FSU), a public research university in Tallahassee with more than 41,000 students, and in 2014 she served for seven months as the interim president. During her term as interim president, Dr. Stokes oversaw the development of FSU's "kNOw More" campaign intended to prevent sexual violence and assault, and she worked closely with alumni, donors and friends in preparation for the launch of FSU’s billion dollar capital campaign. As provost and as interim president, Dr. Stokes focused attention on several initiatives designed to raise the university’s academic profile, enhance student learning and success, develop and reward faculty, and promote interdisciplinary teaching and research.

Prior to joining FSU, Dr. Stokes served as a faculty member at the University of Georgia (UGA). She headed the university’s Department of Psychology for five years prior to becoming Dean of the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences in August, 2004. Dr. Stokes earned a B.A. in psychology from Carson-Newman College in Jefferson City, Tennessee, and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Georgia in industrial/organizational psychology. Her research has focused on personnel selection and promotion, specifically the use of biographical information in job selection and promotion decisions. As a consultant, Stokes has assisted businesses, government agencies and Fortune 500 companies in the development of their hiring procedures.

She is a fellow of the Association for Psychological Science, the American Psychological Association, and the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology.

Dr. Stokes is married to Dr. Jeffrey N. Younggren, a forensic psychologist in private practice and a clinical professor at the UCLA School of Medicine.