A professional learning series supporting the transformation from scholar to leader.
GRAVITAS: Elevating rising scholars into the next generation of academic leadership.
Where we’ve been is not where we are going.
The academy is moving towards broader representation, accessibility, transdisciplinarity, and inclusion. Academic leadership needs to evolve, reflecting and empowering new ways of being and belonging in academia.
Designed specifically to support the transformation from scholar to leader, GRAVITAS is a deep dive into essential leadership qualities and concepts.
On our call, we'll explore your scope, needs, and desired outcomes for the program. We’ll determine if it’s a good fit for your faculty, and potentially explore next steps. If you prefer to get a conversation started by email, feel free to reach out here.
Let's shape a new era of vision, belonging, and leadership in academia.
My future vision for academia, reflected throughout the GRAVITAS program, developed through my 20 years experience in creative approaches to teaching, facilitation, writing, mentoring, and leading in higher education.
I’ve learned that in order for change to be sustained, leaders need to be supported to stay and thrive in their positions of influence. The literature is consistent and clear that critical layers of support for leaders include,
mentors and supportive networks for guidance;
time for reflection;
attention to the moral, ethical, and inner dimensions of leadership;
outside perspectives beyond their institution;
active, personalized learning experiences.
Through five experiential workshops, participants explore their values, beliefs, and assumptions, ultimately, arriving at their expression of leadership.
Participants share and apply their learning through their roles as faculty, program directors, supervisors, administrators, and mentors.
By doing so, they not only experience deep personal and professional growth, but they also generate ripples of meaningful change that reshape academia for the next generation of students and scholars.
“What are universities and colleges doing to provide preparatory leadership experiences for our next generation of academic deans and department chairs? They typically come to the position without leadership training, without prior executive experience, without a clear understanding of the ambiguity and complexity of their roles, without recognition of the metamorphic changes that occur as one transforms from an academic to a leader, and without an awareness of the cost to their academic and personal lives. A radical change to developing academic leaders must be achieved if we are to respond to today’s challenges.”
Gmelch, W. H. (2013) "The Development of Campus Academic Leaders," International Journal of Leadership and Change: Vol. 1: Iss. 1, Article 7.
What you can expect in GRAVITAS:
SUPPORTIVE COMMUNITY. GRAVITAS recognizes the importance of cultivating diverse and supportive community of academic leaders on every campus. To address this, networking and collaboration are intentionally woven into the program so that participants learn from one another's experiences and build meaningful, lasting connections.
CUSTOMIZED CONTENT. Often, leadership guidance and development unintentionally reinforce biases and past paradigms, specifically failing to elevate marginalized and minoritized scholars. GRAVITAS acknowledges and values the existing experiences and leadership of its participants, actively shaping the program based on their perspectives and backgrounds.
EXPERT FACILITATION. The dynamic learning format encompasses introducing new concepts, group discussions, reflection exercises, and coaching. This holistic approach ensures that each participant receives personalized guidance that highlights their unique leadership perspectives and potential.
PRACTICAL INSIGHTS. Rising leaders often cite the challenge of being expected to lead without the necessary support and resources to actualize their innovative ideas. Through coaching, we work to bridge that gap, alleviating frustration and burnout while increasing organizational impact. Participants learn effective strategies for navigating institutional resistance to change and for working through their own fears and doubts.
THEORY TO ACTION. Through dedicated time for reflection, participants intergrate their "aha" moments, and fully embrace their role as leaders and inspire others.
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THE CURRICULUM
Workshop 1, Leading Through Intentionality: Discover the impact of leading from wherever you are.
Workshop 2, Leading Through Uncertainty: Learn strategies to effectively navigate the paradoxes that come with leading in a complex world.
Workshop 3, Leading Through Interdependence: Develop radical collaboration skills that reimagine power, communication, dissonance, and responsibility.
Workshop 4, Leading Through Presence: Explore the qualities of listening that lead to trust, problem solving, and shared solutions.
Workshop Five, Leading Through Reflection: Bring theory to practice to embody authentic, sustainable leadership.
“For working with clients in academic settings, you will find no one better. Brooke connects, she encourages, and she coaches people to greater awareness, achievement, and growth—personally and professionally.”
~ Dr. Mindi Rhoades, Associate Professor of Teaching & Learning, The Ohio State University.
“Dr. Brooke Hofsess provided unparalleled, multi-year professional coaching for faculty and graduate students. Dr. Hofsess worked with individuals and small groups, for both short- and longer-term coaching. In working with us, Dr. Hofsess applied her firsthand faculty experience, displaying a remarkable ability to relate to and support academics at multiple stages in their careers.
She also demonstrated a particularly informed, sensitive, and culturally-sustaining approach to working specifically with women and members of marginalized/minoritized groups.
Everyone at Ohio State who worked with Brooke raves about her as a coach and as a person. Every single person reported positive experiences that helped them step back, see options, consider and evaluate choices, make concrete plans, and take deliberate steps to move forward, confidently and successfully. Additionally, We hope to use her excellent, experienced, expert services again and again.”
What’s included in GRAVITAS:
Brainstorming session with university liaison to customize the program based on your institutional goals.
Series of five, 75-minute experiential workshops designed for engagement, supportive culture building, and meaningful integration of the course content.
Shared folder for references, resources, slideshows, and custom handouts to support learning before, during, and after the series.
Cohort of 15 participants to encourage support networks and relieve leadership isolation.
Virtual format so faculty can join from anywhere.
$7500 investment ($100 per participant per workshop)
Dr. Kelly W. Guyotte, Director of Faculty Development in the Department of Educational Studies, The University of Alabama ~
“Brooke is an absolute gift. We met together to brainstorm ideas to cultivate and support leadership with my colleagues, and she developed the most thoughtful series! Through the series, we learned so much about ourselves and developed ideas for growing and strengthening our leadership practices. I had high expectations based on previous work Brooke had done for us, and she exceeded them.”
GRAVITAS participant, The University of Alabama ~
“Brooke’s program turned the way I think about management completely on its head.”
GRAVITAS participant, The University of Alabama ~
“My colleagues and I continue talking about the workshop concepts well after each session.”
Bring GRAVITAS to your institution.
Next steps:
Book a free, 30-minute call with me.
Fill out a quick form when you book. Your responses help me show up with ideas and strategies specific to your context.
You’ll get a confirmation email containing a link to our Zoom call. Go ahead and add our session to your calendar.
We’ll talk! During our time, we’ll explore your goals and how GRAVITAS can support rising leaders at your institution.
If we decide to partner, we’ll schedule our brainstorming and planning call, and confirm your program dates with a deposit.
If you resonate with GRAVITAS, and have something different in mind, please get in touch about designing a bespoke program. You can email me, or book a call.
On our call, we'll explore your scope, needs, and desired outcomes for the program. We’ll determine if it’s a good fit for your faculty, and potentially explore next steps. If you prefer to get a conversation started by email, feel free to reach out here.
Meet your facilitator.
Hi, I’m Dr. Brooke Hofsess.
I currently work within academia as a full professor of art education, as a leadership coach, and as a consultant to organizations invested in elevating faculty leadership and wellbeing.
My administrative experience has been situated primarily in higher education, where I am currently a full professor and program director for undergraduate art teacher education. I’ve played 3 key administrative roles in my department—the largest art program in the University of North Carolina system. After 6 years as program director, I moved into the role of assistant department chair. In that role, I strategically developed the position to focus on DEIB and student experience during the pandemic. Following that appointment, I was unanimously supported to lead my department as chairperson during a major building renovation. I write, coach, speak, and facilitate on the topics of self-expression, paradox, mentoring, belonging, organizational change, and leadership.
About my background ~
I’m a certified transformational leadership coach, ‘Dare to Lead’ trained (Brené Brown), and a ‘Playing Big’ facilitator (Tara Mohr) with a PhD in Art Education (University of Georgia) and an MA in Art & Art Education (Columbia University).
My mentoring and coaching abilities have been honed by nearly a decade of professional experience in K-12 and community education contexts, followed by another decade in higher education as a faculty member and administrator.
I have acquired extensive leadership knowledge through programs such as the BRIDGES Academic Leadership Program for Women in Higher Education through UNC Chapel Hill.
As a leading scholar of mentoring, I’ve published a range of works that reimagine professional learning through creative and relational approaches. I’m the author of Unfolding Afterglow: Letters and Conversations on Teacher Renewal and the co-author of Reconceptualizing Early Career Teacher Mentoring.