Two Academies, One Year of Growth Now Underway for Duke’s Emerging Leaders

Duke Leadership Academy and Duke Management Academy classes begin journeys focused on growth, connection and leadership development

Two photos on a blue background
Kickoff celebrations for the Duke Leadership Academy, left, and Duke Management Academy, right, were held last month. Photos by Travis Stanley.

With 24 years at Duke – and nearly two decades as a manager – Hope Harten is familiar with the demands of leadership.

But as she began her yearlong Duke Leadership Academy experience in January, she looked forward to learning much more.

“The culture I came into has evolved and changed multiple times,” said Harten, Duke Radiology of Raleigh’s Administrative Director. “You have to evolve and find new ways to communicate with people and build relationships and connections. If you can’t do those things, then you’re not going to be successful.”

Harten is part of the 28-member Duke Leadership Academy class that, along with the Duke Management Academy, held kickoff ceremonies in January.

The Duke Leadership Academy and the Duke Management Academy are immersive, yearlong programs designed to prepare the next generation of leaders at Duke University and Duke University Health System. The programs are part of the Professional Development Academy, led by Duke Leadership & Organization Development, a unit in Duke Human Resources.

See how the 2026 classes began their journeys this year.

Duke Leadership Academy

At last month's kickoff celebration, Duke University President Vincent E. Price fielded questions from the 2026 Duke Leadership Academy class. Photo by Travis Stanley.

During the Jan. 13  kickoff for the Duke Leadership Academy’s 16th class, Duke University President Vincent E. Price, the event’s keynote speaker, shared experiences that shaped his leadership style.

From taking the reins of a department amid a reorganization early in his career to getting to know his new colleagues soon after arriving at Duke in 2017, Price explained how the human side of leadership is the most challenging and rewarding part of the job.

He said selection into the program affirms that Duke’s emerging leaders already have the tools and support to succeed.

“Over the course of my career, in every job, from my first job at McDonald’s in high school, I’ve been fortunate to be in environments where people saw things in me that I didn’t think I saw in myself,” Price told those gathered in the Brodhead Center’s Bolton Family Tower Room.

AJ Mazaris laughs during the Duke Leadership Academy kickoff event. Photo by Travis Stanley.

During the kickoff event, Duke Assistant Vice President for Learning & Organization Development Keisha Williams walked the cohort through the comprehensive evaluations, individual coaching, coursework and team projects that create the journey.

“This is more than a program, it’s an investment in our people,” Williams told the group. “When we develop leaders, we strengthen our community and expand what’s possible for Duke.”

Each class member brought with them their own motivations for agreeing to be part of the program.

For AJ Mazaris, Duke Alumni Engagement & Development’s Director of Culture, Employee Engagement & Belonging, the opportunity to hear from Duke leaders and enhance leadership skills is a major part of the program’s draw.

With less than two years at Duke, Mazaris’ opportunity to learn more about Duke and the people who guide its missions is priceless.

“Making those connections and learning about the work that folks are doing across the Duke ecosystem is something that, for me, is the greatest value add to this,” Mazaris said.

Duke Management Academy

Duke Assistant Vice President for Learning & Organization Development Keisha Williams speaks to the members of the 2026 Duke Management Academy. Photo by Travis Stanley.

Since coming to Duke in 2018, Benjamin Spain has had opportunities to participate in the Duke Management Academy, but for different reasons, the timing just wasn’t right.

When he was nominated for the program, Spain, Duke Global Health Innovations Center’s Assistant Director for Operations & Finance, didn’t want to let another chance slip by.

“I’m excited to do it,” Spain said. “I’m looking forward to getting to meet people from across the university who are dealing with the same challenges that I am and getting a chance to apply what I’m learning in classroom settings into a real-world environment.”

The Duke Management Academy’s eighth class kicked off with a Jan. 21 ceremony in the Brodhead Center’s Bolton Family Tower Room.

In the coming year, the academy’s 30-member cohort of promising middle managers will learn about their strengths and how colleagues assess their leadership style and hone their decision-making and relationship-building abilities through coursework, group projects and individual coaching.

Lindy Norman sits with her Duke Management Academy colleagues at last month's kickoff. Photo by Travis Stanley.

“Leadership can’t just be at the top, it has to be recognized at every level,” said Duke Learning & Organization Development’s Associate Director for Leadership & Professional Development Joy Birmingham. “That very green brand-new person who’s promoted to a supervisory role and is very excited about that is equally as important as the executives who are steering the ship.”

Academy participant Lindy Norman has served in the Occupational Therapy Doctorate Division for six years and is currently the Operations Manager. To continue growing as a leader in higher education, she is completing a Doctor of Education at Western Carolina University.

She said the Duke Management Academy’s focus on developing her own leadership style and building skills to understand the systems and processes at Duke will be a strong complement to her broader professional development.

“Duke is a unique and special place and there’s so much I want to learn about how it operates,” Norman said. “Being able to lean on the knowledge of my colleagues in the room will be amazing.”

The classes will graduate this December, and the nomination process for the 2027 academies will open this fall.

Meet the 2026 Duke Leadership and Duke Management academies.

Duke Leadership Academy

  • Jennifer Bailey, Administrative Director, Office of the Provost
  • Scott Behm, Associate Dean for Communications & Marketing, The Graduate School
  • Beth Berg, Director of Integrated Marketing, Office of Communications, Marketing and Public Affairs
  • Marshall Davis-Henaine, Senior IT Director, Digital Strategy Office
  • Michael Greene, IT Director, Academic Services & Research Computing
  • Ali Harrison, Senior Associate Dean of Students, Residence Life
  • Hope Harten, Administrative Director, Duke Radiology of Raleigh
  • Laura Howes, Assistant Vice Provost, Interdisciplinary Programs and Strategic Initiatives, Office of the Provost
  • Krista Kenney, Associate Director for Assurance & Compliance, Office of Audit, Risk and Compliance
  • Jessica Kuchta-Miller, University Ombudsperson, Office of the President
  • James Lambert, Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs, Duke Law School
  • David Lane, Assistant Technical Director, Systems Administration, OIT
  • Brian Lee, Director, Duke Health Government Relations
  • Katie Lipe, Assistant Vice President, Government Relations
  • AJ Mazaris, Director of Culture, Employee Engagement & Belonging, Alumni Engagement & Development
  • Heather Mechler, Associate Vice Provost & Director of Institutional Research, Office of the Provost
  • Joshua Pontsler, Director, Engineering & Operations
  • Erika Segear, Director, Regulatory Affairs & Quality, School of Medicine
  • Justin Sharpe, Senior Associate Dean of Students, Director of Crisis Response & Risk Mitigation, Student Affairs
  • Stacy Swinney, Clinical Contract Attorney, School of Nursing
  • Chris Todd, Director of Scientific Program Management and Strategic Engagement, Duke Human Vaccine Institute
  • Jenise Washington, Finance Director, Office of the Provost
  • Karen Weber, Executive Director, Office of University Scholars and Fellows
  • Zachary White, Major Gifts Officer, Iron Dukes/Athletics
  • Clare Wildenborg, Assistant Vice President, Alumni Engagement and Development
  • Matt Wilson, Director of Clinical Trials Operations, DCRI/CSI+
  • Mitch Yelverton, Director of Site Based Research, Office of Research Contracts, School of Medicine
  • Alix Zwane, Director of Research & Engagement Strategy/Principal, Niees Research, Nicholas Institute

Duke Management Academy

  • Alissa Wallace, Senior Grants and Contracts Manager, Duke Global Health Institute
  • Ashley Wolf, Executive Director of Creative Services, Athletics
  • Bayley Garbutt, Senior Learning Consultant, Academic Resource Center
  • Benjamin Spain, Assistant Director for Operations & Finance, Duke Global Health Innovations Center
  • Catherine Hart, Education Manager, Office of Pediatric Education
  • Conner Cook, Director of Alumni Engagement, Duke Law School
  • Dave Harding, Executive Director of Blue Devil Network, Athletics
  • Debra Liner, Assistant Director, Marketing, Communications and Stewardship
  • Erica Clayton, Administrative Manager, Biomedical Engineering
  • Erin Bland, Manager of Member Programs & Communications, Clinical Trials Transformation Initiative
  • Grace Zirkle, Associate Dean and Director, New Student and Family Programs,
  • Jill Watkins, Human Resources Manager, Office of Interdisciplinary Finance & Administration
  • John-Philip Maarschalk, Nurse Manager for Operations, Cardiac Catheterization Lab/Interventional Radiology
  • Jonathon Cook, Communications Project Manager, DCRI Research Communications and Engagement
  • Kendall Schmidt, Capital Project Manager, Facilities Management Division
  • Kristi Jones, Nurse Manager for Operations, DRAH 4700 SP
  • Lauren Absher, Project Planner I, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
  • Lindsey Morgan, Senior Operations Manager, DLAR
  • Lindy Norman, Operations Manager, Occupational Therapy Doctorate Division
  • Lynn Perkins, Associate Director, DCRI Mega/Industry Operations
  • Maggie Peterson, Associate Director, Student Affairs Development
  • Meeghan Ford, Assistant Director of Athletics for Compliance, Athletics
  • Minerva Matos-Garner, Director of Communications, Department of Computer Science, The Alliance for Interdisciplinary Innovation in Computing Education
  • Noelle Wyman Roth, Research Manager, & Evaluator, Nicholas School of the Environment
  • Pearce Jackson, Associate Director, Duke Office of Scientific Integrity
  • Rasheedah Clay, HR Departmental Director, School of Medicine Service Center
  • Sondra Ponzi, Director of Events, Nicholas School of the Environment
  • Stacy Peterson, Senior Director for Campus Engagement, Alumni Engagement and Development
  • Sue Mathias, Director for Career & Communication, Pratt School of Engineering
  • Victor Gordon, Associate Director for Administration, Medical Center Library and Archives

Send story ideas, shout-outs and photographs through our story idea form or write working@duke.edu.

Follow Working@Duke on X (Twitter), Facebook and Instagram and subscribe on YouTube.