2022 Academy Cohort

Jo Daugherty Bailey,

Metropolitan State University of Denver

Amber Donnelli

Great Basin College

Christy Doyle

Walla Walla Community College

Erin Fouberg

Northern State University

Amy Juhala

Bismarck State College

Karie Kennedy

Western Dakota Tech College

Barbara Kleinjan

Alliance Executive Committee, Lake Area Technical College

Barbara Kleinjan, M.A., honors lecturer, began leading Lake Area Technical College as dean of academics in July, 2022. Previously, she served as professor of communication studies at South Dakota State University, designing the honors speech minor which earned the national Basic Speech Course #1 ranking. Further, Kleinjan authored 16 contemporary issues Readers’ Theater performances, winning multiple national titles. Kleinjan received her B.A. in German, English and education from South Dakota State University and an M.A. in educational administration and leadership, also at SDSU. In July 2022, the South Dakota High School Activities Association presented Kleinjan with the prestigious Distinguished Service Award. The award celebrates her lifetime dedication to Fine Arts programs in South Dakota.

Britney Mower

Southeast Technical College

Barbara Rodríguez

University of New Mexico

Brian Small

University of Idaho

Lisa Snyder

San Juan College

Scott Snyder

Idaho State University

Durward Sobek II

Montana State University

Hope Szypulski

Metropolitan State University

Joe Thiel

Forum Executive Committee, Montana University System

Joe Thiel has over a decade of experience in Montana higher education, where he has served as a member of the Montana Board of Regents for higher education, chair of the Board’s two-year and community college education committee, and as the Montana University System’s director of academic policy and research. Thiel holds a B.S. in chemical engineering and a B.A. in liberal studies from Montana State University and master’s degrees in public policy and higher education from the University of Oxford, which he attended as a Rhodes Scholar. Thiel is pursuing his doctorate in education policy from the University of Oxford, with a focus on transfer.

Mari Volk

Bismarck State College