The future of higher education requires a new leadership playbook.

And I'm here to help you, your team, and your institution write one. As we work together, we’ll ensure that the changes you make are sustainable and that they help prepare you to meet the inevitable challenges your role or institution will face in the future.

The Department Chair Playbook

The Department Chair Playbook is a practical, evidence-based guide that walks academic leaders through the three critical phases of department leadership—creating conditions for success, establishing effective systems, and ensuring lasting impact—to develop sustainable leadership practices without sacrificing their personal well-being.

Playbook Overview

The Department Chair Playbook offers a comprehensive framework for navigating one of academia’s most challenging leadership roles. Drawing from years of experience coaching hundreds of department chairs across diverse institutions, this book provides actionable strategies for the complex challenges chairs face at every stage of their journey.

Structured as both a troubleshooting guide and action plan, the book follows a unique three-phase framework:

  • Leading In—focused on the early years and how to create optimal conditions

  • Leading Through—targeting the middle years and establishing effective roles and systems

  • Leading Out—dedicated to the final years and how to ensure a lasting impact

Each chapter addresses distinct elements of the department chair’s journey, answering real questions from department chairs and offering multiple evidence-based approaches, allowing leaders to formulate solutions that best fit their context and style.


What sets this book apart is its practical, hands-on, problem-solving focus and its emphasis on sustainable leadership. Rather than sacrificing personal well-being for effectiveness, The Department Chair Playbook demonstrates how chairs can create positive departmental change while maintaining work-life balance. Whether you’re a new chair, a seasoned leader, or considering the role, this guide provides the tools needed to navigate departmental leadership successfully while nurturing a healthy academic culture.