Tom Buckmiller
Drake University Provost Sue Mattison has appointed Tom Buckmiller, associate professor of education leadership, as faculty of leadership studies and director of the LEAD concentration. “I’m excited to take on this role and look forward to the opportunities to build this program in the School of Education and across the campus,” said Buckmiller, currently in his eleventh year at Drake.
The School of Education recently announced that it will house the multidisciplinary leadership studies concentration, more commonly known as the LEAD program, adding to its current program offerings starting in Fall 2020. The LEAD program was founded in Spring 2011, and has grown to serve more than 100 students each academic year. The LEAD program is grateful to the College of Business and Public Administration for housing the program during this transitional year and to Chad Cardani-Trollinger for serving as the interim director.
According to Randy Peters, interim dean of the School of Education, “I believe that welcoming LEAD into our school has the potential to complement and find areas of synergy with our existing graduate leadership programs but also, with its multidisciplinary nature, strengthen our ties to other campus areas.”
Buckmiller is well-positioned for success in this endeavor: as a tenured faculty member who has worked to build substantive relationships with colleagues across campus, as the School of Education’s liaison to the athletic department, and in teaching very highly-regarded and engaging First Year Seminars for a number of years. He is a respected authority on, and researcher of, the field of leadership.