ELA Faculty

Preston S. Walton, M.A.

Senior Associate Vice President for Development, University of San Francisco – San Francisco, California

Preston serves as the Senior Associate Vice President for Development at the University of San Francisco, but his roots at USF go much deeper. Preston earned a Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Industry Management and a Master of Arts in Organization & Leadership, both from USF. After his graduation, and prior to joining the university as a leadership team member, Preston served as President of the Alumni Board, as a constituent representative on the Board of Trustees, and on the Hospitality Industry Management Program Advisory Board.

Preston spent many years honing his...

Shirley R. Pippins, Ed.D.

Former President, Thomas Nelson Community College – Hampton, Virginia Former President, Suffolk County Community College – Long Island, New York

Dr. Shirley Robinson Pippins joined Academic Search in 2016. Prior to this consulting experience, she served in major regional and national leadership roles including Senior Vice President of Programs and Services at the American Council on Education (ACE). These programs and services included all of ACE’s leadership development programs, Spectrum, the Office of Women, and the Center for Racial and Ethnic Equity. She also served on the Executive Committee of the American Association of Community Colleges, where she was Chair of the Audit and Finance Committee.

Dr...

Simon Barker, M.B.A & M.A

Managing Partner, Blue Moon Consulting Group – Denver, Colorado; Former Senior Vice President in Marsh & McLennan’s Reputational Risk & Crisis Management

Simon Barker is Managing Partner at Blue Moon Consulting Group, a consultancy that focuses on providing real-time response and proactive planning services to reduce reputational risk, particularly for higher education and technology clients. Prior to founding Blue Moon in 2014, he was a senior vice president in Marsh & McLennan’s Reputational Risk & Crisis Management practice.

Simon provides issues and crisis management advice and counsel to clients in the midst of high profile events including, protests, cyber attacks and data breaches, workplace...