Last week, Academic Leadership Fellows from the Associated Colleges of the South (ACS), the Associated Colleges of the Midwest (ACM), and the New York Six Liberal Arts Consortium (NY6) gathered in Washington, D.C. at the American Council on Education for our 2026 Academic Leadership Fellows Summer Institute. This event marked the midpoint of fellows’ two-year cohort experience.
Twenty-four fellows representing 23 institutions explored communication and change management, leadership in the current higher education landscape, the evolving policy environment, and navigating professional growth and academic searches. Small group discussions, scenarios and case studies, and reflective conversations helped fellows strengthen their leadership skills and deepen connections across institutions and consortia.
Our ACS Academic Fellows with members of our team.
L-R: ACS Program Manager Shiree Williams, Olivier Delers (Richmond), Lucas Morel (Washington & Lee), Genny Ballard (Centre), Dania Abreu-Torres (Trinity), Miriam Clinton (Rhodes), Kimberly Dennis (Rollins), ACS Director of Programs and Operations Betsy Davis, Melissa M. González (Davidson), Mimi Hanaoka (Richmond), and ACS President Anna Drake Warshaw. Not pictured: Garbiñe Vidal Torreira (Hendrix)
L-R: Lucas Morel (Washington & Lee), Miriam Clinton (Rhodes), Olivier Delers (Richmond), Melissa M. González (Davidson), Lisa Jackson-Schebetta (Skidmore), Nora Lewis (Lawrence), ACM President Lisa Jasinski and Ben Zeller (Lake Forest).
We welcomed an outstanding group of facilitators, including Bryan Alexander, Ph.D. (Georgetown University), Ralph Gigliotti, Ph.D. (Rutgers University), Jon Fansmith and Heidi Tseu (American Council on Education), Ilene Crawford, Ph.D. (Ilene Crawford Consulting), Pamela Pezzoli (Isaacson, Miller), L. Jay Lemons, Ph.D. (Academic Search), and Eduardo Peñalver, J.D. (Georgetown University).
L-R: ACM Vice President for Programs and Professional Development Lynn Murray-Chandler kicked off our session on The Next Steps in Your Leadership Journey, with our facilitators, Dr. Ilene Crawford, Pamela Pezzoli, and Dr. L. Jay Lemons.
L-R: NY6 Executive Director Amy Doonan Cronin, ACS President Anna Drake Warshaw, Dr. Bryan Alexander and ACM President Lisa Jasinski led a session on Leadership in the Current Moment.
Dr. Ralph Gigliotti led a session on Communication and Change Management.
Special thanks to the Mellon Foundation for its generous support, and to all our facilitators, fellows, and consortia leaders for making this gathering such a meaningful and enriching experience.
2026 Academic Leadership Fellows Summer Institute participants.