Leadership Academy Instructors and Coaches
Instructors
Elizabeth "Eli" Jamison, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Practice, Virginia Tech
Founding Partner, Bookend Consulting, LLC
Eli has been engaged in leadership and organizational development consulting for public, private and nonprofit organizations for over 25 years. Currently, Eli is faculty in Virginia Tech’s management department and serves as the co-coordinator of the Human Resources major and the Strategic Management capstone course. Eli has also taught in the VT College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences, in the graduate dance program at Hollins University, and spent 10+ years at Radford University and a variety of capacities including director of the Master of Business Administration program and Leadership Development Center director.
In addition to her academic experience, Eli is co-founder of Bookend Consulting, LLC, which focuses on providing business solutions designed to cultivate more equitable and just workplaces. She has developed and delivered leadership development programs, keynote addresses, and invited talks across the United States. At present, Eli serves as the Chairperson of the Roanoke City School Board. Eli received her bachelor's degree from James Madison University, master's degree from Vanderbilt University and doctorate from Virginia Tech.
Christian Matheis, Ph.D.
Visiting Professor of Justice and Policy Studies, Guilford College
Founding Partner, Bookend Consulting, LLC
Christian Matheis, Ph.D. is faculty in Community and Justice Studies in the Department of Justice and Policy Studies at Guilford College in Greensboro, NC. In 2004 he completed an M.A. in Applied Ethics at Oregon State University and in 2015 he completed his doctorate degree in the Alliance for Social, Political, Ethical, and Cultural Thought (ASPECT) at Virginia Tech with a specialization in ethics and political philosophy. Matheis focuses on scholarship and practice that bridge social and political philosophy, ethics, public policy, immigration, and direct-action organizing. He works to make theory and research accessible and practical to communities and organizations seeking to foster deeper relationships in a spirit of justice. He has over 20 years of experience in facilitation, organizing, and strategic process design.
His research and teaching concentrations include topics such as solidarity, refugees and immigration, feminism, race and anti-racism, indigeneity, power and policy, and global justice. Matheis also serves as an affiliate in the Virginia Tech Department of Engineering Education, and as core faculty in the Hollins University Masters in Fine Arts in Dance program where he co-teaches a graduate seminar focused on social identities, systemic oppression, and the liberatory role of dance and the arts. Matheis formerly served in administrative roles at Oregon State University, Penn State, and Virginia Tech. Most recently, before joining the faculty at Guilford College he served as interim director and assistant dean in the Office of Recruitment, Diversity, and Inclusion in the Virginia Tech Graduate School and faculty in the School of Public and International Affairs.
Matheis is co-editor of Migration Policy and Practice: Interventions and Solutions (2016), and editor of Transformation: Toward a People’s Democracy (2021).
Breyon Fraction, MSW, LMHP-S
Managing Director, The Stratamas Group
Director, Youth Advocate Programs, Inc (Roanoke and NRV)
Breyon has over twenty years of experience at the intersection of advocacy, behavioral health and organizational consulting, including workplace culture development, policy and program planning, and behavioral health advisory. He currently serves as Director of Roanoke and New River Valley Youth Advocate Programs, Inc. Before founding The Stratamas Group, a boutique consulting firm, Breyon exclusively served as a consultant within state and local government and community behavioral health.
Breyon holds a Master of Social Work and Bachelor of Social Work from Radford University. Breyon has spent many years creating and engaging creative spaces with performance and visual artist. When he’s not enjoying time with his family, Breyon is writing and making soulful music with friends, cycling, and enjoying outdoors.
Wendy Gentry, MBA, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Instructional Design and Performance Technology, Baker University
Performance Management Consultant
Wendy is passionate about fostering interdisciplinary understanding and helping leaders build systems and learning experiences that inspire action, elevate performance and improve well-being in the workplace. She has over 20 years of corporate experience in domestic and international settings.
A few notable experiences include leading company-wide financial conversions and technical training initiatives to support subsidiaries in Afghanistan, Bosnia, Croatia, United Arab Emirates, and Taiwan. One of her most fulfilling long-term consulting projects was serving as project manager and lead designer to create multimedia-rich learning experiences for an international, nonprofit educational consortium. She worked with foreign language translators to release the courses in 5 languages (English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and Arabic) to over 70 nonprofits, including Samaritan’s Purse and World Wildlife Federation.
Wendy serves as a doctoral advisor and faculty at Baker University. She teaches courses grounded in human-centered systems design, learning design, program evaluation, evidence-based decision-making, and data visualization. She holds a B.A. with a double major in Business Finance and Organizational Communication/Training and Development from the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire. She earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA) and a Ph.D. at Virginia Tech.
Bill Kennan, Ph.D.
Former Professor of Communication, Radford University
At Radford University, Bill served as vice provost for academic affairs, associate dean of the College of Humanities and Behavioral Sciences, and chair of the Department of Communication. As a professor of communication of 35 years, he taught a variety of classes at the undergraduate and graduate levels, including organizational communication, persuasion, research methods, public speaking, change and innovation, and training and development. His research focuses on social capital and public relations.
Bill has also served as a consultant and trainer for a variety of organizations. His skills in this area include teamwork, leadership, conflict, change management, information management, and international and intercultural communication.
Coaches
Janet Crawford, PCC
Extra Ordinary Living
As a professional coach, Janet leverages her experience as a health care executive where she learned the value and challenge of creating and maintaining an engaged and highly trained staff, of balancing attention on both strategy and operations, and of cultivating a style of courage and collaboration to improve results. Janet served on numerous state and national policy-making committees, which strengthened her ability to find sustainable solutions by honing in on the common-ground issues.
Committed to continuous learning and meaningful growth, Janet works with organizations and leaders that recognize the critical importance of emotional intelligence and communication skills to achieve their strategic initiatives while maximizing operational excellence.
She applies the principals of neuroscience to help her clients find ways to thrive in times of change, take calculated risks, and live into their potential. As a coach, presenter and meeting facilitator, Janet is known for her ability to challenge conventional thinking and promote possibility thinking to create sustainable change.
Janet feels her purpose as a coach is to use her honed skills of listening deeply, asking thought-provoking questions and sharing reflections to support her clients in having meaningful, fulfilling and joyful lives where their being leads their doing, their values are honored, their strengths are leveraged, and their courage muscle grows stronger each day. The result, less stress, improved quality of life and greater success...as they define it!
Janet holds a bachelor's in Business Administration from Baylor University and an MBA/MHA from the University of Missouri-Columbia. She is a graduate of Coaching University and has earned the designation of Professional Certified Coach from the International Coach Federation (ICF).
Ann Millehan, CTA
Millehan Coaching and Consulting
Anne Millehan, founder of Millehan Coaching and Consulting, is a certified coach and consultant for company owners, leaders, and motivated executives. She specializes in business performance coaching and corporate strategy consulting.
Anne draws from her strong background in the financial and medical industries, having worked for Crestar Bank, Dominion Bank, Bristol Myers Squibb, GlaxoSmithKline and Sanofi. Her primary roles have been as manager, account manager, field trainer, field sales representative and management trainer. Her proven ability to penetrate new markets, capture market share, and accelerate corporate revenue gains, gives her a unique perspective when working with clients, particularly those determined to grow.
In corporate positions, Anne has been a National Sales Champion twice, delivering in the top 2-8% of all sales representatives for both GlaxoSmithKline and Sanofi. She’s received Area Innovation awards as well as being recognized with Audacity, Solidarity, Creativity and Lead Teams Awards. She understands what it takes to achieve impressive sales results in a competitive marketplace. Her coaching and consulting work draw from this experience and knowledge.
Anne is active in the Roanoke community, served and serving on several boards, Blue Ridge Business Alliance, Agenacare Community Medicine and as a mentor for The Gauntlet, Virginia’s largest business program and competition. She is a founding member of the Healthcare Sales Professionals Association of
Southwest Virginia. She is a leadership coach with Virginia Tech’s Leadership Academy and has worked as an adjunct instructor with Virginia Western Community College. She has worked with both small and large businesses to help them attain their business goals.
Using her Bachelor of Science in Psychology and coaching certification through Coaching Training Alliance, Anne is focused on helping clients develop solid, customized, and effective solutions designed to accommodate both personalities and company cultures. She’s determined to help those she works with reach goals more quickly and easily. A member of the International Federation of Coaches as well as the local Virginia chapter, Anne takes continuous learning, confidentiality and ethics seriously.