Leadership Development Designed for the Academic Health Professions

 

The Chairs and Academic Administrators Management Program (CAAMP) is a 3-day in-person event to provide a practical, hands-on, interactive leadership development experience for department chairs, program directors, and administrators, including assistant and associate deans, in the academic health professions. Develop the core competencies for effectively managing your department or program.

 

July 28-30, 2025   Atlanta, GA

 

Registration for 2025 Coming Soon

Chairs and Academic Administrators Management Program

Leaders want and need to get it right. We all know the stakes are so high.

As a program director, chair, assistant or associate dean, you wear many hats—the ‘big picture’ leader, the guide, mentor, and role model, the liaison between your department and stakeholders, the first-line of defense, and the gatekeeper. Meeting the challenges and opportunities of the evolving academic landscape is difficult.

  • How do you align your natural leadership strengths with institutional goals and stakeholder expectations?
  • How do you handle maintaining momentum, morale, and vision?
  • How do you articulate the big picture to senior leadership and not get stuck on the details; “acting strategically”?
  • How to gain trust to lead in position?
  • How do you establish work-life boundaries when faced with effectively mentoring faculty, staff, and students through their challenges?
  • How do you improve your academic culture to promote innovation, collaboration, and productivity in a way that fosters engagement and value of faculty, staff, and students?

With all that’s on your plate, where can you turn to reset, recharge, and regroup? The Chairs and Academic Administrators Management Program provides a supportive atmosphere for you to assess your leadership and focus on purposeful preparation for effectively managing your department or program.  Through practical, interactive learning and engagement with leaders who have successfully powered through the obstacles you are currently facing, you will explore tangible strategies on improving communication, overcoming impediments, and expanding your influence for a lasting leadership and management impact.

This program is for you if you desire to:

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  • Learn strategies to be an influential leader.
  • Develop and continuously enhance your leadership approach.
  • Effectively manage your unit, program or department to align with institutional goals.

Who Should Attend?

  • New, Current, and Aspiring Administrators
  • Academic / Administrative Leaders
  • Associate / Assistant Deans
  • Clinical / Course Director
  • Department Chairs / Heads
  • Directors
  • Faculty Leader
  • Program Coordinator
  • Program / Project Directors

During the program, you will learn:

Professional Assessment of Leadership Competencies

Financial efficacy

Wellness & Work-Life Boundary Management

Communication Skills & Interprofessional Engagement

Critical feedback and managing civility

Strategic Thinking and Decision-making

Collaborative change and impact

Academic legal issues

What Our Alumni Say

  • It was comforting to know that our issues and challenges are similar and not unique to my school or profession. I was particularly encouraged to learn techniques on academic leadership from my peers in the health profession."


    Dr. Karla Georges, The University of the West Indies School of Veterinary Medicine

  • I am a believer in lifelong learning and regularly take steps to improve my understanding of leadership.  CAAMP provided an intensive three-day workshop with an incredibly diverse group of participants from many professions and disciplines.  This approach was timely and relevant from the lens of inter-professional education and practice.  This experience has given me a much clearer picture of the challenges these professions are faced with and thereby gave me a better understanding of how that impacts our practice."


    Dr. Holly Diesel, Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College

  • CAAMP was a revolutionary experience for me. I had been looking for an academic leadership development program, and this exceeded all my expectations. I was able to learn practical information that I could apply immediately in my everyday life, as well as engage in philosophical dialogue about re-defining work-life balance. I will certainly recommend this experience to my colleagues and administrators.  Thank you!"


    Dr. Julie Manz, Creighton University College of Nursing

  • I found this helpful and invigorating. It presented professional tools and techniques that I believe will allow me to carry out my challenging academic leadership role more effectively."


    Dr. Kristin Anderson, University of Minnesota, School of Public Health

  • AAL CAAMP exceeded all my expectations! This is a one-of-a-kind leadership program that I recommend to new department chairs. You learn from the AAL experts as well as colleagues from different disciplines. Don't miss the opportunity to assess what type of leader you want to be for your department and institution."


    Prof. Carla Beneduce, Erie Community College, School of Dental Hygiene

  • As a new academic administrator, the CAAMP program provided me with invaluable tools and insights on how I can become a more effective leader within my institution. Additionally, the program helped me to identify the boundaries of my current abilities and how I can expand my skills for future professional growth, both now and into the future. Anyone seeking to enhance their professional leadership capacities should strongly consider participating in the CAAMP program."


    Dr. Kelton Stewart, Indiana University School of Dentistry

  • CAAMP definitely helped me be better prepared for any administrative position."


    Pedro Diniz DVM PhD, Western University of Health Sciences College of Veterinary Medicine

  • One of the most valuable aspects of CAAMP was their promotion of networking and shared experiences, even outside of my discipline."


    Dr. Christine Riedy, Harvard School of Dental Medicine

  • I came to CAAMP as a brand-new administrator with no prior training.  I now have new insight into my natural management and communication style.  Particularly helpful was the evaluation of how others may perceive me.  I was unaware of some of these possible perceptions and this new awareness will, I think, serve me well in my future interactions with others, whether they be faculty, higher administration, or students."


    Dr. Karen Damron, University of Pikeville College of Nursing and Human Services

  • CAAMP has excellent information for academic administrators - relevant, understandable, and engaging. Great opportunities to network with faculty from many healthcare professions.”


    Leonie DeClerk, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences

Program Faculty

Below are our 2024 experts:

Karl Haden, PhD

Karl Haden, PhD

AAL President & CEO

Felicia Tucker-Lively, PhD, MPH

Felicia Tucker-Lively, PhD, MPH

AAL Vice President

Marcia Mastracci Ditmyer, PhD, MBA, MS

Marcia Mastracci Ditmyer, PhD, MBA, MS

Dean, College of Health & Human Services Saginaw Valley State University

Seena L. Haines,  PharmD

Seena L. Haines, PharmD

Director for Professional Well-Being and Belonging, University of Mississippi, School of Pharmacy

Jeff Johnson, DMD, MPH

Jeff Johnson, DMD, MPH

Chair, Pediatric Dentistry, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Dentistry – Alumni Speaker

Anita Joy-Thomas, BDS, PhD

Anita Joy-Thomas, BDS, PhD

Chair and Professor, Diagnostic Sciences, UTHealth Houston School of Dentistry – Alumni Speaker

Herminio L. Perez, DMD, MBA, EdD

Herminio L. Perez, DMD, MBA, EdD

Assistant Dean of Student Affairs, Diversity & Inclusion, Rutgers School of Dental Medicine

Michelle A. Robinson DMD, MA

Michelle A. Robinson DMD, MA

Senior Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs, The University of Alabama at Birmingham

Pamela Zarkowski, MPH, JD

Pamela Zarkowski, MPH, JD

Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at the University of Detroit Mercy