Vernon’s Specialties
Learn how Vernon can accelerate your higher education solutions.
Accreditation Readiness
Prepare confidently with expert guidance grounded in repeated success. I assist leaders and teams to prepare confidently for peer review and self-study visits.
Strategic Planning
Turn your mission into measurable momentum with actionable plans that align people, budget, and goals. I help teams move beyond vision into tangible results.
Academic Technology
Select and integrate learning technologies that create a scalable and effective digital infrastructure. I offer strategic insight grounded in executive experience.
Leadership Coaching
Confidential, personalized coaching for higher education executives and mid-level leaders. I strengthen your impact and build your resilience to lead with clarity through complexity.
Enrollment & Market Expansion
Future-proof enrollment with strategies that connect academic offerings to workforce relevance and student need. I drive student success and institutional growth.
Academic Program Development
Support for full-cycle program development—from idea to launch—grounded in data, outcomes, and instructional integrity. I guide your academic teams to create scalable and mission-aligned programs that stand the test of time.
Policy & Governance
System-level consultation to improve governance, effectiveness, and agility—especially for multi-campus or cross-functional settings. I bring a systems-thinking lens to institutional transformation.
Thought Leadership & Public Engagement
Keynotes, podcasts, and panels that elevate the field. I share practical frameworks and forward-thinking ideas to challenge norms and inspire action.
Details
Accreditation Readiness
Build cultures of evidence and improvement that satisfy regional and specialty accreditors.
What We Offer
Practical, results-driven support for institutional and programmatic accreditation, from narrative alignment to team coaching. Includes mock visits, document audits, self-study prep, and strategic communications planning.
Needs We Address
Your team might feel overwhelmed, under-resourced, or unsure how to turn evidence into persuasive narratives. Whether facing a reaffirmation, substantive change, a focused visit, or a teach-out, you need an experienced partner to clarify expectations and guide your team to success.
Proven Expertise
Led two “perfect” HLC reaffirmations (Rio Salado, APUS) with no findings. Served as HLC Peer Reviewer and led substantive changes at WSCUC. Supported dozens of programs through successful discipline-specific accreditations. Known for frameworks that simplify complexity and accelerate preparation.
Strategic Planning
Create a strategy that sticks—a roadmap aligned with your culture that adjusts to future needs.
What We Offer
Customized strategic processes that incorporate frameworks that fit your institutional DNA. We assist with goal-setting, prioritization, accountability planning, and ensuring future adaptability.
Needs We Address
In a volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous environment, strategic planning must be agile and effective. We help you bring vision to action.
Proven Expertise
Successfully designed and implemented strategic plans for institutions ranging from startups to $100M operations. Deep experience in inclusive planning across board, cabinet, faculty, and governance bodies.
Academic Technology
Innovation strategy and implementation support for digital learning, predictive analytics, and AI academic systems.
What We Offer
Consulting for digital learning infrastructure, AI integration, credential pathways, and LMS optimization. Includes vendor strategy, LMS migrations, course development, and faculty training and development support.
Needs We Address
Many colleges adopt expensive edtech without a learning strategy—or struggle with fragmented tools and stalled innovation. Faculty may be resistant for good cause. We help unify your digital vision with scalable, human-centered solutions.
Proven Expertise
Pioneered Arizona’s first online language courses; led enterprise LMS deployments; built 48-start online delivery models; created AI-assisted course design ensuring faculty-in-the-loop guidance; Led the RIO PACE predictive analytics system (70% accuracy).
Leadership Coaching
Confidential, results-driven coaching for new, emerging, and senior leaders navigating complexity, change, and culture.
What We Offer
High-trust, personalized coaching for senior and emerging leaders. Includes onboarding, succession planning, political navigation, and executive presence development. Confidential, context-aware, and grounded in shared governance.
Needs We Address
New and mid-level leaders are often left to ‘figure it out’ in high-stakes roles. They need a strategic sounding board to avoid missteps, navigate cultural complexities, and accelerate their impact. We coach for clarity, confidence, and growth.
Proven Expertise
Designed onboarding programs for newly hired VPs, Deans, Department Chairs, and Directors. Provided executive coaching that directly improved decision-making and confidence for new and existing talent.
Enrollment & Market Expansion
Break the cycle of stagnant enrollment by identifying growth opportunities with data-informed, student-first strategies.
What We Offer
Integrated consulting that connects enrollment strategies with labor-market relevance, delivery modality options, and credentialing innovation.
Needs We Address
You’re navigating enrollment cliffs and need more than incremental fixes. We help you design relevant offerings that attract and retain today’s learners.
Proven Expertise
Led double-digit growth through expanded modalities, new programs, and new student pipelines at multiple institutions. New program growth exceeding an average of 600%.
Academic Program Development
Faculty-centered design process that aligns curriculum with institutional mission and workforce needs.
What We Offer
End-to-end consulting on program design, revision, and launch. Includes market scans, learning outcome alignment, delivery modality design, and labor-market fit with support for rapid-cycle program innovation.
Needs We Address
You want to build programs and credentials that differentiate your institution—without compromising academic rigor. We help you do both.
Proven Expertise
Designed and launched full academic portfolios (AA to doctoral), including APUS’s 3-year Cybersecurity BA, Doctorates in Strategic Intelligence and Global Security, and Guided Pathways with Gates Foundation.
Policy & Governance
Analyzes and strengthens policies, structures, and governance to enhance institutional effectiveness.
What We Offer
Support for navigating funding models, performance metrics, state/federal policy shifts, and institutional reorganization. Ideal for systems-level initiatives or public-private partnerships.
Needs We Address
You may be reacting to new national, state, or system expectations without a proactive plan in place. We bring strategic foresight to the complexities of the public and private sectors.
Proven Expertise
Experienced in working with multi-college systems, national and state agencies to align metrics, strategy, and performance goals. Advisor on governance, policy response, and institutional restructuring initiatives that balance innovation with compliance.
Thought Leadership & Public Engagement
“Whether I’m speaking on unbundling the faculty role, building pathways for adult learners, or advancing digital transformation, my message is grounded in the work I’ve done—and the systems I’ve helped change.”
What We Offer
Executive branding, public speaking coaching, and platform development for institutional leaders. Includes speechwriting, podcast prep, keynote framing, and national visibility strategy.
Needs We Address
Presidents and provosts are being asked to “show up” more—yet many lack the support to craft a compelling voice or narrative. We help leaders take ownership, shape public trust, represent their institutions with integrity, and harness the power of social media.
Proven Expertise
Host of the Engaged by Design podcast; frequent presenter at national and regional events; strategic advisor to value-of-college campaigns. Trained leaders in speech delivery, panel prep, and mission storytelling.
Services to Accelerate Your Efforts
Improve your effectiveness by reaching out today!