Attract and retain top talent for your higher ed faculty

Mickey Hepner, Ph.D., Dean, College of Business at Austin Peay State University

Mickey Hepner is the Dean of the College of Business at Austin Peay State University, a position he has held since 2018. Before joining APSU, Dr. Hepner was the Dean of the College of Business at the University of Central Oklahoma. At APSU, he has championed initiatives to improve student outcomes, expand professional development opportunities and strengthen industry partnerships.

David Whaley, Ph.D., Dean, College of Education and Human Services at Murray State University

Dr. David Whaley is Professor and Dean of the College of Education and Human Services at Murray State University in Murray, KY. Prior to arriving in Kentucky 13 years ago, David served as the Associate Dean for teacher education at Iowa State University. He also served as the Director of Educator Licensing at Colorado State University for 16 years. Dr. Whaley’s research emphasis has been on changes in leadership policies and the resulting impact on educator preparation. Previously, he investigated the status and impact of practices related to the admission and retention of teacher education candidates. Dr. Whaley has taught a variety of graduate and undergraduate courses, including “Research Methods,” “School Law,” and “Curriculum Development.” He has supervised over 125 student teachers since first entering the professoriate in 1985 after finishing his Ph.D. at Cornell University. Previous to that, he was a secondary teacher in northern California.

Angelique Smith, Ph.D., Senior Director, Faculty Affairs and Development at Full Sail University

Angelique is a dedicated academic leader with over 20 years of experience in faculty development, instructional design, learning technology and academic compliance. She has an insatiable appetite for helping others maximize their potential. Her efforts have been pivotal in developing online programs that meet the needs of diverse learners and performance improvements throughout an organization. Her leadership extends to managing large-scale projects including the implementation of learning management and human capital management systems. With a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration: Education Leadership, she has used her research to foster supportive learning environments and collaboration with faculty while honoring their well-being. Her work is characterized by a commitment to equity, innovation and the continuous improvement of higher education practices to support student success.

Melissa G. Welborn, Senior Director, Faculty Review Systems at Clemson University

Melissa Welborn manages faculty review systems at Clemson University. She serves as the architect and system administrator for faculty activity reporting, annual reviews, tenure and promotion, and course evaluation systems. She works with over 1800 full-time faculty and administrators and ensures processes flow smoothly. She also analyzes key faculty metrics such as hiring statistics, turnover and faculty career life cycles. Melissa has a master's of Public Administration and a bachelor’s in English from the University of Georgia. This fall, she has enrolled in the Ph.D. program at Clemson in Rhetorics, Communication and Information Design. Her research interests include optimizing human resources data presentation in dashboards for decision-making and public interest.