ABOUT
Meet the Leadership & Planning Specialists Family
Our Leadership & Planning Specialists strive to follow our mission based “Values.” Three of our fundamental values are as follows: To ‘Learn It’, which means to check our egos at the door and to be proudly humble in order to focus our attention on your needs and wants. ‘Think It’, which means being passionate about every issue and concern you have, so we can make your organization better; and, to ‘Advance It’, which inspires us to seize each and every opportunity to learn, develop, and improve with you. With these core values in mind, we enter into each new relationship, and each new project, not only with the expertise we have to offer, and the passion for what we do, but also with open ears and minds, ready to learn about your goals.
Dr. William Austin
Dr. William “Will” Austin has served as Warren County Community College’s president for well over a decade, when at the age of 33 he was appointed as NJ’s youngest president.
As president of Warren County Community College, Dr. Austin managed a 120% growth in enrollment, advancing enrollment and improving graduation outcomes for eight consecutive years, and setting another institutional enrollment record in Fall 2016. WCCC has been twice recognized as one of the fastest growing community colleges in the country by Community College Week. He has initiated new campus construction leading to the doubling of the physical campus space; and has ended every fiscal year at WCCC with a revenue surplus during his tenure as president.
As president of Warren County Community College, Dr. Austin managed a 120% growth in enrollment, advancing enrollment and improving graduation outcomes for eight consecutive years, and setting another institutional enrollment record in Fall 2016. WCCC has been twice recognized as one of the fastest growing community colleges in the country by Community College Week. He has initiated new campus construction leading to the doubling of the physical campus space; and has ended every fiscal year at WCCC with a revenue surplus during his tenure as president.
He has led the development of new academic programs, including the first new nursing program in the state of New Jersey in over two decades and the nationally acclaimed veterans program known as VIPER which has been featured and endorsed in media as diversified as FOX NEWS and PBS.
He presents extensively on leadership, presidential contracts, presidential onboarding, board retreats, board chair assessment, faculty “no confidence” votes, remedial education reform & renewal, veterans programs, the role of the faculty of the future, the community college Baccalaureate, & media crisis management and other topics.
Dr. Lori Austin
Dr. Lori Austin is an Assistant Professor of Mathematics at Raritan Valley Community College. She served as co-coordinator of developmental mathematics at RVCC for six years. Prior to working at RVCC, Lori spent a decade teaching high school mathematics in southern and northern NJ.
She has a doctorate in Educational Leadership from Rowan University and was a member of the Community College Leadership Cohort. As part of her dissertation research she examined the current developmental math requirements at community colleges. Her research focused on a common remedial elementary algebra course required for all students seeking an associate’s degree. She determined that, for many students, these additional costly credits in remedial math do not provide students a better chance of success in college level math. She actively presents at national conferences (often with her spouse, Dr. William Austin) on the fairness of appropriate developmental math education. She is currently contracted to contribute a chapter on college placement in the monograph entitled, “Emerging Issues in Mathematics Pathways” for the Charles Dana Center at the University of Texas at Austin, forthcoming in 2018.
Dan Hollis
Dan Hollis is the founder and sales trainer/coach for The Magic of Selling. He is also the author of The Magic of Selling: A Treasure Map to Bigger and Better Sales as well as an accomplished radio host. Dan previously spent over 29 years in outside sales primarily in media: print, radio, television and film. Dan now helps sales people sell more effectively sharing the enthusiasm and wisdom he has been blessed with. He has a very unique style and approach to teaching and has helped implement countless successful solutions. Dan has always possessed the ability to work with anyone: to teach, to listen, to motivate and to inspire. Salespeople who have worked with Dan are now much more successful and confident when selling their products and services. At the core, Dan loves selling and loves to teach the art of selling. Helping others is truly his biggest reward.
