Elizabeth LaTorre Travis, Ph.D., FASTRO
Associate Vice President, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center
Elizabeth Travis, Ph.D. is the Associate Vice President, Women and Minority Faculty Inclusion, and Mattie Allen Fair Professor in Cancer Research in the departments of Experimental Radiation Oncology and Pulmonary Medicine at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. She is an internationally recognized scientist who has made significant contributions to our understanding of the effects of radiation on normal tissues in her 25 years in the field. For the past eight years, she served as Associate Vice President, Women Faculty Programs, where she led efforts to further the academic careers of women physicians and scientists by ensuring they are appointed to high profile committees and leadership positions, by leading institutional policy change to address obstacles that interfere with women's success, and by providing career guidance to countless women faculty. The office recently expanded under her leadership to include minority faculty, where she will apply similar and new strategies to address their specific career needs. Dr. Travis is a principal investigator on two NIH grants: a U54 partnership grant with Puerto Rico, 'Partnership for Excellence in Cancer Research,' and an R001 grant 'Gatekeepers and Gender Schemas," which seeks to understand the role that gender plays in choosing faculty for tenure track positions. She is a fellow of the American Society of Radiation Oncology, recipient of the Association of American Medical Colleges' Group on Women in Medicine and Science Leadership Development Award for an individual (2009) and an institution (2012). Dr. Travis was inducted into the Greater Houston Women's Chamber of Commerce Hall of Fame in 2012 and elected as a member of its Board of Directors in 2013 and became chair in January 2017. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Association for Women in Science. She was recognized at the Houston Italian Cultural and Community Center's 12th annual gala honoring the Italian Influence in Medicine and is the recipient of the 2014 Marie Sklodowska-Curie Award by The American Association for Women Radiologists. She is the past Chair of the Group on Women in Medicine and Science, Association of American Medical Colleges.
Janet F. Williams, M.D., FAAP
Professor of Pediatrics, UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, Long School of Medicine
Janet F. Williams, M.D., has served UT Health San Antonio since 2011 as the inaugural LSOM Vice Dean for Faculty through which she has forged systems’ changes in faculty-related processes, policy and procedures, as part of facilitating and demystifying faculty career development, leadership enhancement and promotion and tenure. Dr. Williams earned the rank of Professor of Pediatrics with tenure, and has now been a Department of Pediatrics’ faculty member for over 30 years. Her scholarship expertise has included child and adolescent growth and development, as well as substance abuse education. She was twice awarded the UT Health SA Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching, honored to be designated a UT Distinguished Teaching Professor and elected to membership in The University of Texas System Kenneth I. Shine, M.D., Academy of Health Science Education, which she has also chaired. Dr. Williams is nationally recognized for her educational, research and policy development work related to substance abuse both through Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Association funding, and ten years’ service (4-years as Chair) on the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Substance Use and Prevention. She represents the UT Health SA LSOM as a member of the Association of American Medical Colleges’ Group on Faculty Affairs, Group on Diversity and Inclusion, and Group on Women in Medicine and Science. As a woman leader in the UT System, Dr. Williams has participated in the UT System Chancellor’s Network for Women’s Leadership since its inception in 2012, continues to serve as a UT System Women’s Leadership Sponsorship Workshop core planning committee member, and co-Chaired the 2017 Sponsorship Workshop.
Courtney Holladay, Ph.D.
Conference Speaker
Executive Director, Leadership Institute, MD Anderson Cancer Center
Courtney L. Holladay is the Executive Director of the Leadership Institute within Human Resources at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. She received her master's and doctoral degrees in Industrial Organizational Psychology from Rice University, holds her license as a psychologist in the state of Texas and has earned her International Coach Federation credential as an executive coach. She currently leads programs focused on leadership development, enveloping curricula, mentoring, coaching, selection, teams, change enablement and personalized development for faculty and administrative leaders. She is the author of numerous peer-reviewed articles in journals such as Journal of Business and Psychology, Academy of Management Learning and Education, Journal of Applied Psychology and Leadership and Organization Development.
Marc A. Nivet, Ed.D., M.B.A
Conference Speaker
Executive Vice President for Institutional Advancement
Marc. A. Nivet, Ed.D., M.B.A., is the Executive Vice President for Institutional Advancement at UT Southwestern Medical Center, where he provides strategic vision and oversight in coordinating the areas of Development; Communications, Marketing, and Public Affairs; Government Affairs; and Community and Corporate Relations. Prior to his role at UT Southwestern, Dr. Nivet served as a member of the executive leadership team of the Association of American Medical Colleges, where he provided leadership on issues surrounding community engagement, diversity, and health equity at medical schools and teaching hospitals across the United States and Canada. Dr. Nivet has spent over 20 years in academic medicine developing creative program initiatives and innovative approaches to advance the mission of excellence in research, education, and patient care. Dr. Nivet earned his doctoral degree from the University of Pennsylvania and his M.B.A. from George Washington University's School of Business. He is a fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine, and a former president of the National Association of Medical Minority Educators.
Chiquita Collins, Ph.D.
Conference Speaker
Chief Diversity Officer, Office of the Dean
Associate Professor, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics
UT Health San Antonio, Joe R. & Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine
Dr. Chiquita Collins was appointed in September 2017 as the inaugural Vice Dean for Inclusion and Diversity and Chief Diversity Officer in the Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine and Associate Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostastics. Under her leadership, she provides oversight on efforts to address a broad spectrum of issues pertained to increasing respect for differences and fostering intergroup dialogue by working directly with department chairs; health disparities center directors and senior administration to develop robust school-wide and departmental policies and practices to elevate diversity and inclusion within and across all levels.
She is recognized at both state and national levels for her work in health disparities, primarily as it relates to the social context and various societal influences
Steven W. Leslie, Ph.D.
Conference Speaker
Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, The University of Texas System Administration
James E. Bauerle Centennial Professorship in Drug Dynamics, College of Pharmacy, The University of Texas at Austin
Before joining the UT System in 2015, Dr. Leslie spent nearly 40 years in various academic leadership and faculty positions within The University of Texas at Austin. He served as Executive Vice President and Provost for six years. Prior to becoming Provost, Dr. Leslie served as Dean of the College of Pharmacy and the James T. Doluisio Regents Chair in Pharmacy for nine years. Additionally, he served as the Inaugural Director of the Institute for Neuroscience for six years and was instrumental in the launch of Dell Medical School.
Dr. Leslie's research is focused on the molecular mechanisms of brain development and the effects of fetal alcohol exposure on the developing brain, and he is an NIH MERIT recipient with more than 25 years of continuous research funding.
Professional recognition for Dr. Leslie includes several notable distinctions. He is a past recipient of NIH's National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) Research Scientist Development Award, the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) MERIT award, The Texas Pharmacy Foundation's Individual Educational Excellence Award, and Lifetime Achievement Award recipient from the Research Society on Alcoholism.
Additionally, UT Austin's College of Pharmacy Alumni Association awarded Dr. Leslie with the Legend of Pharmacy Award in 2007, and in 2011, Dr. Leslie was presented the Robert C. Jeffrey College Benefactor Award by UT Austin's College of Communication.
Dr. Leslie's alma mater, Purdue University, has presented him with two awards: The College of Pharmacy's Distinguished Alumnus Award (1994), and in 2017, he was bestowed with a Career Achievement Award, Purdue's highest honor.
Dr. Leslie earned his B.S. in Pharmacy, and his M.S. and Ph.D. in Pharmacology/Toxicology, all from Purdue University. He joined the faculty of the College of Pharmacy at UT Austin in 1974, where he currently holds the James E. Bauerle Centennial Professorship in Drug Dynamics in the Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology.
Suzanne J. Farmer, Ph.D.
Assistant Vice President of Talent Management/Assistant Professor, UT Southwestern Medical Center
Suzanne Farmer, Ph.D. is the Assistant Vice President of Talent Management and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and she also serves as the Chief Learning Officer for UT Southwestern Medical Center, where she leads the enterprise recruitment, organizational development, succession and learning strategy for the Medical School, and its University Hospitals and Clinics. Her key responsibilities include identifying and building key physician and professional leadership talent, leading organization design, galvanizing change, and driving employee engagement. Her accomplishments since joining the organization in 2012 include consolidating learning entities across the enterprise and launching the Academy for Career Enrichment (ACE) that expands access to personalized learning opportunities through technology and customized programs for key talent segments.
Prior to her role as CLO, Farmer led Talent and Organization Development at Dean Foods, led Sales Communication at Frito-Lay North America, and gained global experience leading talent management and succession planning at Celanese. She began her career at Dell Inc. in Austin as an Organization Development consultant. Farmer earned her Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from Central Michigan University and her B.S. in Psychology from Texas A&M University. Her assessment and selection research is published in the Journal of Organizational Behavior, and she is also published in the Journal of Vocational Behavior, and the Journal of Occupational and Health Psychology. She is a member of the American Psychological Association, the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, the Society for Human Resource Management and the International Association of Business Communicators.
Sara Laschever
Author and Founding Faculty Member of the Carnegie Mellon Leadership and Negotiation Academy for Women
A leading authority on the obstacles, detours, and special circumstances that shape women's lives and careers, Sara Laschever is the co-author, with Linda Babcock, of the groundbreaking books Women Don't Ask: The High Cost of Avoiding Negotiation - and Positive Strategies for Chance (Princeton University Press, 2003) and Ask for It! How Women Can Use the Power of Negotiation to Get What They Really Want (Bantam Publishing, 2007). She lectures and teaches workshops about women and negotiation, women's leadership challenges, and the multiple factors influencing women's long-term career success for colleges and universities, corporate audiences, law firms, government agencies, and women's leadership conferences in the U.S. and around the world.
A founding faculty member of the Carnegie Mellon Leadership and Negotiation Academy for Women and formerly a Senior Fellow for the Center for Work-Life Policy (now the Center for Talent Innovation), Sara Laschever also served as Academic Coordinator for the inaugural WIN Summit in 2015, a global women's conference focused on women and negotiation. She provides private coaching services and facilitated online group coaching for women navigating critical career transitions, preparing for high-stakes negotiations, and undertaking new leadership challenges.
Susan Miller, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
Founder, Voicetrainer, LLC
Susan Miller, Ph.D. is Founder of Voicetrainer LLC, a voice, speech and communication consulting business (http://www.voicetrainer.com/about-us). She has worked closely with individuals at all stages of their career, from corporate executives, government officials, broadcasters, and doctors. Susan is a popular trainer whose presentations, group seminars, and training programs have included topics on communicating confidently, using vocal power, developing a commanding presence, diminishing stage fright, presenting concise messages and maintaining vocal health. She has been featured on national radio and television stations and the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Voice of America, and NPR. She has been a frequent instructor in the AAMC Women Career Development seminars. She currently provides online coaching for professionals who wish to fine-tune their communication and presentation skills. Susan is an Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology at the Georgetown University Hospital, a scientific fellow of the American Academy of Otolaryngology and a certified speech-language pathologist. She received her Ph.D. in Human Development and Communication Science from The University of Texas at Dallas. She holds a Certificate of Clinical Competence from the American Speech Hearing and Language Association.
Susan Franzen
Assistant Vice Chancellor for Organizational Effectiveness, UT System
Susan Franzen serves as Assistant Vice Chancellor for Organizational Effectiveness at The University of Texas System. She is a strategic, visionary leader for growth, and performance improvement, integrating brain science to facilitate dynamic organizational change.
She achieves mission alignment through culture change, communication, and collaborative improvements. In 2015, she led the broadest and deepest organizational assessment in the history of the UT System, engaging multiple levels of staff and faculty at all 14 institutions, leading to 26 recommendations for change.
Susan joined UT System in 2008 as Director, Leadership Institute where she was responsible for designing, developing, and leading transformational programs to build leadership culture and capacity across the UT System institutions. She was promoted to Director, Shared Services Innovations where she led change management efforts for a multi-campus enterprise resource planning implementation and office building consolidations.
Prior to joining UT, Susan served as Founder and President of ComTutor computer and customer service training (1993-1997), CT Solutions call center and customer service training (1997-2003), and LifeU, a national leadership, organizational development, and executive coaching firm (2003-2011). She has worked in both public and private sectors with clients in healthcare, higher education, financial services, and technology.
Susan holds a Bachelor's in Business Administration from Elmhurst College and a Master's in the Neuroscience of Leadership from Middlesex University. She is certified in DiSC Behavioral Theory, Training and Development (Boston University), Executive Coaching, The Leadership Challenge, Kirkpatrick Evaluation, and Prosci Change Management. She is Board Chair for Hospice Austin.
Tony Cucolo
Associate Vice Chancellor for Leadership Development and Veterans Affairs, UT System
Tony Cucolo joined The University of Texas System in April 2015 as Associate Vice Chancellor for Leadership Development and Veterans Affairs. In this role, Mr. Cucolo is responsible for working with all academic and health institutions in the areas of leadership development for undergraduate and graduate students, leadership development programs for mid-level and senior campus leaders, and the establishment of an executive level leadership institute. Additionally, he is responsible for the coordination and integration of veterans' affairs and veterans support activities across all institutions. He serves as the system's liaison to campus ROTC programs and is also a member of UT System's Department of Defense Advisory Group.
Mr. Cucolo served more than 35 years in the U.S. Army, retiring at the rank of Major General in September 2014. Before joining the UT System, his final tour of duty was spent leading the US Army War College, an accredited institution for strategic studies, whose student bodies include senior US and foreign national security professionals preparing for leadership positions at the strategic level of the government and the military.
He earned a bachelor's degree from the United States Military Academy at West Point and a master's degree from the University of San Francisco. Among his awards are three Distinguished Service medals, the Bronze Star, the U.S. State Department Superior Achievement award and the French Legion of Honor. He is a Disabled Veteran.
