Southern Miss School of Leadership

09/10/2026

🌟 KUDOS Spotlight 🌟

Congratulations to Heather Glausier, a current Human Capital Development doctoral student and Assistant Director, Career Education and Employment Readiness at Southern Miss, who has been selected to participate in the Association of American Colleges and Universities’ 2026–2027 Institute on AI, Pedagogy, and the Curriculum. As a member of USM’s five-member interdisciplinary institutional team, Heather will collaborate with colleagues and higher education leaders from across the country to explore the integration of artificial intelligence into curricula and develop strategic frameworks for its responsible and effective use.

Additionally, she was invited to support President Joe Paul’s Digital Transformation Taskforce as a member of the Digital Workforce & Change and Teaching and Learning working groups, where she will help develop recommendations to align technology investments with the University’s teaching, learning, and student-success priorities.

09/08/2026

🌊 Year 3 of the Blue Economy Leadership Certificate Program is underway!

We recently kicked off the first session for our third cohort on the USM Gulf Park Campus. Dr. Janea McDonald facilitated an engaging session on Employee Engagement and Emotional Intelligence, setting the stage for another year of leadership development, connection, and growth.

Throughout the Blue Economy Leadership Certificate (BELC) Program, participants will strengthen their leadership skills, build meaningful connections across industries, and explore ways to support the continued growth of the Blue Economy along the Gulf Coast and beyond.

We’re excited to see what Year 3 has in store for this outstanding group of leaders!

09/04/2026

🌟 KUDOS Spotlight 🌟

Congratulations to Dr. Deano Harrison, Human Capital Development, PhD alumnus, who was recently announced as Director of ApprenticeshipMS! We are excited to see Dr. Harrison continue making an impact on workforce development, talent development, and economic growth throughout our state.

Congratulations, Dr. Harrison, on this outstanding achievement!

Proud to announce Dr. Daniel “Deano” Harrison as Director of the Mississippi Office of Apprenticeship — ApprenticeshipMS.

Registered apprenticeships connect Mississippians with rewarding careers while helping employers build the skilled workforce they need to grow.

Under Dr. Harrison’s leadership, ApprenticeshipMS will expand high-quality opportunities that respond to industry demand, strengthen our talent pipeline, and support economic growth in every region of our state.

09/03/2026

The Fall 2026 semester is off to a great start! 🦅

We recently welcomed 44 doctoral students in our executive-format Human Capital Development and Leadership and Organizational Development PhD programs for their first in-person session of the semester. We even had a special guest, Dr. Joe Paul, stop by to say hello to students during our session!

Students engaged in three courses:
• Foundations of Leadership and Talent Development
• Organizational Diagnosis and Design
• Statistics in Leadership and Organizational Development I

We're excited to see this cohort continue their scholarly and professional journeys as they develop the knowledge and skills to lead organizations and drive meaningful change.

08/25/2026

Several School of Leadership faculty and staff recently attended the 2026 MS Horizons Workforce Strategy Symposium, hosted by AccelerateMS, bringing together leaders from across Mississippi to explore strategies for strengthening the state’s workforce and building stronger connections among education, industry, government, and workforce partners.

A highlight of the symposium was the panel “Designing a Connected System: Alignment, Gaps, and Opportunity,” featuring Dr. Heather Annulis and Dr. Cyndi Gaudet. During the session, they introduced the Workforce Intelligence Scorecard and joined fellow panelists in a discussion about how shared performance metrics and data-driven alignment can help identify workforce system gaps, uncover opportunities, and strengthen pathways from education to employment.

We were so proud to see many School of Leadership alumni and current students participating in the symposium, including many who are now doing important work with AccelerateMS and helping advance workforce development efforts across Mississippi.

MS Horizons provided a valuable opportunity to reconnect with alumni and students, build new partnerships, and exchange ideas with leaders who share a commitment to developing Mississippi’s people, organizations, and communities. Thank you to AccelerateMS for bringing together so many individuals who are helping shape the future of our state’s workforce!

08/24/2026

Exciting updates are coming to graduate programs in the Southern Miss School of Leadership!

Beginning Fall 2026, our Human Capital Development graduate programs will enter an exciting new chapter with updated program names and curricula:
• Leadership and Talent Development, MS
• Leadership and Organizational Development, PhD

These updates are the result of an extensive faculty-led review and build on the strong foundation of Human Capital Development (HCD) at Southern Miss. The programs will continue preparing students for leadership, talent development, organizational development, workforce development, performance improvement, and meaningful change across industries.

We are proud to honor the legacy of HCD while looking ahead to the next chapter of these programs and the opportunities they will create for our students, alumni, and communities.

Read more about the program updates:

The University of Southern Mississippi’s School of Leadership will introduce new names and updated curricula for its Human Capital Development graduate programs beginning in Fall 2026.The Master of Science in Human Capital Development will become the Master of Science in Leadership and Talent Deve...

08/18/2026

Congratulations to Dr. Demetrice White! She successfully defended her dissertation, Voices from the Classroom: Exploring Teacher Experiences with Shortages, Work Conditions, Burnout, and Compensation in Mississippi.

08/17/2026

🌟 KUDOS Spotlight 🌟

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Abu Haddud on his promotion to Professor and the award of tenure, both effective this academic year!

This significant professional achievement is a well-deserved recognition of Dr. Haddud’s dedication and contributions to our students, the School of Leadership, Southern Miss, and the broader academic community.

Congratulations, Dr. Haddud, on this exciting and well-earned milestone!

08/10/2026

🌟 KUDOS SPOTLIGHT🌟

We’re proud to recognize School of Leadership faculty and doctoral students who recently shared their research at the Academy of Management’s 86th Annual Meeting!

𝘾𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙧 𝙍𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮: 𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙋𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙍𝙚𝙗𝙪𝙞𝙡𝙙 𝙒𝙚𝙡𝙡-𝙗𝙚𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝘼𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝘾𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙧 𝙎𝙚𝙩𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙨
𝘗𝘢𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘚𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯
- Sachini Edirisinghe, Human Capital Development PhD student
- Dr. Amin Alizadeh, Assistant Professor of Human Capital Development

𝘼𝙄-𝙈𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙀𝙭𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙯𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣: 𝘼𝙄 𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝘾𝙤𝙜𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙋𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙣𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙁𝙖𝙘𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙏𝙖𝙘𝙞𝙩 𝙆𝙣𝙤𝙬𝙡𝙚𝙙𝙜𝙚 𝙏𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙛𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙣 𝙈𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜
𝘗𝘢𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘚𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯
- Dr. Shinhee Park, Assistant Professor of Human Capital Development
- Sachini Edirisinghe, Human Capital Development PhD student
- Dr. Vishal Arghode, Associate Professor of Human Capital Development

𝙄𝙢𝙥𝙖𝙘𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙇𝙈𝙓 𝙤𝙣 𝙏𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙄𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙉𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙨 𝙏𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙈𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙀𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙀𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙤𝙮𝙚𝙚 𝙀𝙣𝙜𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩
𝘗𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘚𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯
- Antara Mahbub, Human Capital Development PhD student
- Dr. Quincy Brown, Associate Professor of Human Capital Development

Congratulations to our students and faculty for representing Southern Miss and contributing to important conversations in leadership, workplace learning, employee well-being, mentoring, and organizational research. We are especially proud to see our doctoral students collaborating with faculty and sharing their scholarship on an international stage.

08/04/2026

It was a beautiful day for a walk around the USM Gulf Park campus! Consider this your reminder to take a break, stretch your legs, and go for a walk! 💛🖤