Event Details

When:

Time: noon–1 pm

Location: Admin C280 and virtual

Change is a constant within higher education, and how leaders respond can shape trust, morale, and momentum. This engaging workshop explores how personal experiences influence our reactions to change and how leaders can support themselves and others through uncertainty. Through reflection, small-group dialogue, and applied scenarios, participants will learn strategies to build resilience, communicate with empathy, and guide teams through transition with clarity and care. Attendees will leave with practical approaches to navigating change thoughtfully while fostering confidence, adaptability, and collective wellbeing. Join Dr. Antija Allen & Justin Stewart for this interactive workshop to help build diverse capacity for leadership.

Dr. Antija Allen (ann-tee-yuh, al-en) is the Director of the Pellissippi Academic Center for Excellence (PACE) and a tenured Associate Professor of Psychology with over two decades of experience as an educator. She was the 2021-2022 recipient of the Roger Crowe Excellence in Teaching award and 2022-2023 Staff Excellence award. Dr. Allen’s recent publication is a book entitled, We’re Not OK: Black Faculty Experiences and Higher Education Strategies (Cambridge University Press), which was selected as an Outstanding Academic Title of 2023 by Choice (a division of the American Library Association). We’re Not OK was recommended by Inside Higher Ed, Teaching in higher ed, and several others. In October 2023, the book was reimagined as a podcast titled, We're Not OK: A Community of Healing, where Antija and her co-host Justin Stewart speak with guests from higher education as well as other industries such as tech, performing arts, and politics. Antija has led and conducted research at NYU, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and Columbia University. She earned her BA in Psychology from Neumann University, MA in Psychology from Pepperdine University, and EdD in Adult Learning & Leadership from Columbia University, Teachers College where she later taught aspiring school leaders as an Adjunct Professor in the  ir Summer Principals Academy (SPA).

Justin T. Stewart (just-in, stew-art) is a regulatory management professional, faculty career coach with Allen Ivy Prep Consulting, and former entertainment journalist whose work focuses on storytelling, equity, and systemic change. He holds a B.A. in Journalism from Clark Atlanta University. Justin’s career spans regulatory management, higher education, and career services. A member of the BOLD (Black Organizers, Leaders, and Doers) network, he has used his platforms to amplify diverse voices and highlight artists, entrepreneurs, nonprofit organizations, and changemakers locally and nationally. He co-edited We’re Not OK: Black Faculty Experiences and Higher Education Strategies (2022) with Dr. Antija Allen, a book examining racial inequities in higher education and offering strategies for accountability, healing, and institutional change. Building on the book, Justin co-hosts We’re Not OK: A Community of Healing, a podcast expanding these conversations beyond academia to explore mental health, diversity, equity, inclusion, and the experiences of marginalized communities.