We are excited by K-State’s developing plans to become a next-generation land-grant university aimed at engaging students and communities worldwide. A guiding goal of the Staley’s School strategic plan is to build the capacity and infrastructure necessary to support and realize our expanded role in advancing leadership education and development, engaged teaching and learning, community engagement, and recruitment and retention of learners.
In addition to announcements from the Staley School earlier this academic year surrounding the Office of Engagement, University Honors Program, and the Office of Nationally Competitive Scholarships, the School has added faculty, administrative, and recruitment capacity and elevated and expanded key roles within the unit:
As the Staley School co-curricular programs grew, Karina Moncayo-Michel joined the team to administer HandsOn Kansas State, Academic Mentors, and Snyder Leadership Legacy Fellows. Prior to her role with the Staley School, Moncayo-Michel received her master’s degree from K-State in college student development in 2020 and served as a graduate assistant in K-State’s Office of First-Generation Students. Additionally, Shukeyla Harrison joined the team to coordinate the Edgerley-Franklin Leadership Scholarship program. Harrison is a current student in the Leadership Communications doctoral program and teaches courses in the Leadership Studies minor.
To both grow our student engagement initiatives and coordinate with colleges and units across campus to advance engagement and experiential learning as a key differentiator at Kansas State University, Kaitlin Long was recently promoted to director of student engagement. Through her tenure with K-State, Long has continually assumed greater responsibility and demonstrates a commitment to university-wide student engagement efforts.
We also recently welcomed Katie Barkley, academic program specialist; Kaitlin Barnett, recruitment coordinator; and Tracey Hurt, administrative coordinator. These roles are critical to the operations of the school and have supported growth and innovation by providing clear roles and responsibilities. Barkley advises students in our academic programs and ensures our students and guests are welcomed and connected to resources they need. Barnett partners with colleges and the Office of Recruitment and Admissions to drive recruitment efforts for the school and university. Hurt manages our building, purchasing, and human capital functions while supporting the dean and unit with overall administrative needs.
At the beginning of the fall 2022 semester, the Staley School added two new faculty members, Mac Benavides, Ph.D., and Murry Streetman, D.E.L., both assistant professors of teaching. Dr. Benavides graduated with his doctoral degree in Leadership Communications in May 2022 with scholarship centered around global community-based learning. He served as a graduate teaching assistant with the Staley School and taught courses in the Leadership Studies minor and qualitative research through the College of Education. Dr. Streetman joins K-State after over a decade of work with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He most recently served as a supervisory special agent in the Leadership Development unit designing and facilitating leadership education for the organization.
Finally, as we moved to a structure with Mary Tolar, Ed.D. named as dean of the School, Trisha Gott, Ed.D., has been named associate dean for academics. This role is central to the advancement of the academic programs and research agenda of leadership studies. Dr. Gott has demonstrated outstanding leadership at the Staley School and K-State for more than 10 years. In addition to advancing the School’s enrollment management and academic affairs, Gott directs our Leading Change Institutes, global engagement efforts designed to develop and harness new thinking, generate connection, and seed collaboration to address some of our toughest challenges.
The Staley School of Leadership is committed to preparing leaders for a diverse and changing world with equal focus on the study and on the practice of engaged leadership to drive change. Our team of faculty and staff continue to be champions of change by listening to understand and putting plans into action that embrace and adapt to the needs of our communities, students, alumni and friends.
We can’t accomplish our work without these brilliant minds and passionate hearts. We are incredibly grateful for everything they do, and we are proud to be able to continue to serve the university, community and our students!
