The online courses in the OD&C Essentials Graduate Certificate are taught by leading Penn State faculty who have extensive experience teaching in online educational environments and real-world work experience.
Catherine Baumgardner
Ph.D., Workforce Education and Development, Penn State
MHA, Finance, Planning, Marketing, Ohio State University
BSBA, HR and Production Management, Ohio State University
Dr. Catherine Baumgardner is a faculty member for Penn State World Campus' Health Policy and Administration, as well as Workforce Education and Development programs. She is also president of Catherine Baumgardner & Associates, Inc., a consulting practice specializing in leadership and organization development. An experienced health care executive, she has more than 30 years of operational and consulting experience. Dr. Baumgardner has worked with inpatient and outpatient hospital environments, as well as physician practice management and long-term care. Her research interests include organization development, leadership development, and workforce engagement.
Eric J. Bergstrom
Ph.D., Workforce Education and Development, Penn State
M.Ed., Training and Development, Penn State
B.S., Human Resources Management, Penn State
Dr. Eric J. Bergstrom has taught undergraduate credit and noncredit business management courses, as well as graduate training and development and organizational development courses. He has facilitated leadership development programs for organizations across a variety of industries focused on strategic planning processes, continuous improvement processes, human resource development, and organization development. His practical and research interests include individual career development, leadership competency modeling and development, human resource development, and organizational process improvement. Learn more about Dr. Bergstrom.
Maureen Dodson
Ph.D., Workforce Education, Penn State
M.A., Professional Writing, Carnegie Mellon University
B.A., English, Seton Hill University
Dr. Maureen Dodson has taught numerous undergraduate and graduate courses at Penn State for more than 20 years. She teaches WFED 880, Facilitating Groups and Teams, for Penn State World Campus. Dr. Dodson has spent her career helping organizations advance leadership skills, improve interpersonal communications, and create high-performing teams. Her expertise lies in DiSC®, Emotional Intelligence (EQ), the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI®), team performance, and coaching. She is certified in a variety of 360 Instruments.
John M. Kenny
Ph.D., Workforce Education and Development, Penn State
M.B.A., Bryant University
B.S., Physical Oceanography, U.S. Naval Academy
Dr. John M. Kenny is an experienced researcher. He was an Executive Fellow at the Brookings Institute in Washington, D.C., and a Research Fellow for the Office of Naval Research. He was also a senior research engineer at Penn State's Applied Research Laboratory. As a Penn State adjunct professor, he teaches Process Consultation. Dr. Kenny is a professor at the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island, and teaches Theater Strategic Decision Making.
Michele Newhard
Ph.D., Workforce Education and Development, Penn State
M.S., Workforce Education and Development, Penn State M.A., Ancient Greek History, Penn State
B.A., Classics, Penn State
Dr. Michele Newhard's teaching and research interests include appreciative inquiry, positive psychology and positive emotions, strengths philosophy, systems thinking, intergenerational communication, coaching, and team building. She has developed and taught graduate courses in the basics of appreciative inquiry, appreciative inquiry coaching, and appreciative leadership. Dr. Newhard has published work on appreciative inquiry, succession planning, work family balance, and job burnout. She is also a certified life and mentor coach, as well as a Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach.
William Rothwell
Ph.D., Education, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
M.A.B.A., Business, Sangamon State University, Springfield, IL (now the University of Illinois at Springfield)
M.A., English, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
B.A., English, Illinois State University, Bloomington
Dr. William J. Rothwell, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, CPLP Fellow, is professor of workplace learning and performance in the Workforce Education and Development Program, part of the Department of Learning and Performance Systems, on the Penn State University Park campus. As one of the founders of the MPS in ODC program, he had many years of experience in OD before becoming a faculty member in 1993. His research interests center around organization development, talent management, and succession planning. He is the author of 110 books and more than 200 articles. Learn more about Dr. Rothwell.