Professional Development with a Personal Touch

We are excited to welcome our new Director of Professional Development, Dr. Amanda Kellogg. Amanda received her PhD in English Literature from the University of North Texas. Both her M.Ed. in Educational Psychology and her B.A. in English are from the University of Virginia, and she holds an MBA with a concentration in Business Analytics from Radford University. 

What expertise do you bring to this position and the team?

I have both administrative and faculty experience. In my last role, I was an Associate Professor of English (teaching mostly Shakespeare, but also composition and professional writing) and the Director of Undergraduate Curriculum for Radford University. I have also recently completed an MBA with a concentration in data analytics and am currently working on my ICF professional coaching certification.

What most excites you about this position/the program/SPCE?

I love professional development. I can’t stop going to school, and I think opportunities like the ones we provide can give people access to a new and richer sense of their purpose and self-worth. I’m really excited, in other words, to help our community and its people work toward their potential and pursue their interests and passions.

What do you enjoy outside of work?

Definitely reading and going to the theater (to see plays, not musicals). I also love hiking, cooking, and spending time with my spouse (David) and daughter (Olivia).

What is one thing so far that you would like to see happen for Professional Development within the next 5 years?

I would like to see us add some fun activities to our Professional Development portfolio, even if it’s just for fundraising or awareness-building purposes. I think this could take on a lot of forms: a fundraiser that teaches participants how to taste and order wine? A dinner to give awards to our community partners? A class where JMU students explain various social media platforms to local businesses to help them decide if/how to market on them? You all seem like a really fun group, and I think we could translate that to the public.

Welcome, Amanda, and we are excited to see what the future holds for Professional Development in SPCE under your leadership.