Program Description
Initiated in fall 2012, Research Leadership Development Initiative (ReDI) is a leadership program for associate and early full professors who show promise for leadership on a wider scale. ReDI participants come from all disciplines. The university actively seeks to recruit into each year’s ReDI cohort a diverse group of faculty members, and intentionally prepares them to lead across differences of working styles, approaches, backgrounds, and disciplines.
The ReDI program spans six months, requires 40-50 hours of commitment from participants, and comprises three major activities:
- Workshops aimed at developing participants’ self-awareness as a leader in addition to specific leadership capabilities
- A team project that allows participants to investigate an important challenge at the university
- Meetings with university administrators to learn how the university works and discover what motivates their own leadership
We have collected a list of leadership development books recommended by Sabina and past How the University Works speakers which have influenced their perspectives and guided them on their paths to leadership excellence. We hope you will find these books to be helpful resources in your leadership journey.
ReDI Selection Process and Eligibility
The Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs (SVPAA) solicits faculty nominations from each college dean. Each nominee is vetted within their college and all nominees must be supported by their department chair (where applicable) as well as their dean before being recommended to the Office of the Provost. The SVPAA then reviews nominations and invites selected participants. Faculty members nominated but not placed in a given year’s cohort will be considered for subsequent years. Faculty members interested in being nominated to ReDI should speak with their department chair or dean.
Facilitator
Sabina Nawaz
Consultant
Sabina Nawaz is an elite executive coach who advises C-level executives and teams at Fortune 500 corporations, government agencies, nonprofits, and academic institutions around the world. Sabina gives dozens of keynotes, seminars, and conferences each year and teaches faculty at Northeastern and Drexel University. During her fourteen-year tenure at Microsoft, she went from managing software development teams to leading the company’s executive development and succession planning efforts for over 11,000 managers and nearly a thousand executives. She has written for and been featured in Harvard Business Review, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Inc., Fast Company, NBC, and Salon. She is the author of the book, You’re the Boss, Become the Manager You Want to Be (and Others Need), Simon & Schuster, 2025.
Sabina collaborates with ADVANCE to organize and facilitate the ReDI program at Northeastern University.
ReDI Value to Past Faculty Participants
The ReDI leadership experience provides not only new skills and time for their application, but also an opportunity for faculty members to reflect on their career aspirations in their totality. Past ReDI participants have said the following about their experiences in the program:
“Thinking of the analogy of the orchestra, I used to think that it was fine to play an instrument and to play it well, but now I see that I need to take a step back and be a conductor and a leader.”
“I really needed to understand the ramifications around establishing multidisciplinary degrees from a top-down and bottom-up perspective, and my cohort challenge was extremely helpful in that regard. I would not have gotten such a broad perspective had I not been in the cohort. So, I am very grateful my dean got me into ReDI.”
2025 ReDI Cohort
- Chiara Bellini, Associate Professor and Associate Chair for Graduate Studies, Bioengineering
- Dapeng “Max” Bi, Associate Professor
- Diana Bozhilova, Head of Faculty and Associate Professor in Politics and International Relations
- Darla M. Castelli, Chair, Department of Physical Therapy, Human Movement and Rehabilitation Sciences; Professor
- Cherese Childers-McKee, Assistant Teaching Professor
- Adriana de Souza e Silva, Professor, Director of the Center for Transformative Media
- Tara Duffy, Associate Dean for Equity & Teaching Professor
- Laura Forlano, Professor
- Steve Granelli, Associate Teaching Professor
- Richard Herron, Teaching Professor, Finance
- Lindsay Jamieson, Teaching Professor
- Denise Khor, Associate Professor of Asian American Studies and Visual Studies and Associate Director of Asian American Studies
- Marianna Koli, Faculty Director Social Sciences and Senior Lecturer for Economics ~ London Campus
- Andrew Mall, Associate Professor
- Andrew T. Myers, Professor and Associate Chair for Graduate Studies, Civil and Environmental Engineering and Industry Lead, Academic Center for Reliability and Resilience of Offshore Wind (ARROW)
- Sarah Ostadabbas, Associate Professor
- Rory Smead, Professor of Philosophy; Ronald L. and Linda A. Rossetti Professor for the Humanities; Interim Chair, Department of Philosophy and Religion
- Mary Steffel, Faculty Director of Online Programs; Associate Professor, Marketing; Joseph G. Riesman Research Professor
- Yiyuan Sun, Associate Chair, Clinical Professor
- Carol Theokary, Associate Professor of Business and Glenn and Ellen Voyles Professorship in Business Education
- Idia Thurston, Professor of Health Sciences and Applied Psychology & Associate Director of the Institute for Health Equity and Social Justice Research, Affiliate Professor of Africana Studies
- Byron Wallace, Sy and Laurie Sternberg Interdisciplinary Associate Professor, Associate Dean of Graduate Programs, Director of the BS in Data Science Program
- Jonathan Zaff, Chair, Department of Applied Psychology; Professor
2023 ReDI Cohort
- Sari Altschuler, Associate Professor of English; Founding Director, Health, Humanities, and Society Minor and Initiative
- Carey Barry, Department Chair, Associate Clinical Professor, Department of Medical Sciences, Faculty, Physician Assistant Program
- Kabria Baumgartner, Dean’s Associate Professor of History and Africana Studies; Associate Director of Public History
- Q. Jim Chen, Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering & Marine and Environmental Sciences
- Paul Chiou, Director, MathWorks Lab for FinTech and Quantitative Analytics; Associate Teaching Professor of Finance
- Meredith Clark, Founding Director of the Center for Communication, Media Innovation and Social Change
- Luis Dau, Associate Professor, International Business & Strategy; Robert & Denise DiCenso Professor
- Nathaniel Derbinsky, Teaching Professor, Associate Dean of Teaching Faculty
- Pamela Donlan, Associate Clinical Professor Interim Program Director, Department of Physical Therapy, Movement & Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty
- Randall Erb, Associate Professor, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering & Affiliated Faculty, Chemical Engineering
- Julian Fray, Associate Teaching Professor and Associate Dean for Digital Strategy
- Joshua Hertz, Teaching Professor, First Year Engineering Program
- Michael Hoppmann, Associate Dean for Undergradate Programs
- Alexander Ivanov, Associate Professor, Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Barnett Institute for Chemical & Biological Analysis
- Beverly Kris Jaeger-Helton, Teaching Professor and Director for Industrial Engineering Undergraduate Curriculum, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
- Xiaoning Jin, Associate Professor, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
- Robert Leeman, Professor and Department Chair
- Alina Oprea, Associate Professor, Khoury College of Computer Science
- K.J. Rawson, Associate Professor of English and Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies; Co-Director of NULab for Texts, Maps, and Networks
- Amit Shesh, Teaching Professor, Director – MSCS Boston Program
- Gustavo Vincentini, Teaching Professor of Economics; Undergraduate Program Director
- Maria Elena Villar, Department Chair, Professor, Communication Studies
- Emily Zimmerman, Associate Professor; Department Chair; Associate Chair for Research and Innovation, Department of Communication Studies and Disorders, Faculty
2020 ReDI Cohort
- Debra Auguste, Professor of Chemical Engineering
- Earlene Avalón, Associate Professor and Lead Faculty of the Healthcare Administrator, Health Sciences and the Post-Bacc/Pre-Medical Programs
- Dawn Cisewski, Associate Teaching Professor
- Guohao Dai, Associate Professor in the Department of Bioengineering
- Laura Dudley, Associate Clinical Professor and Associate Chair of the Department of Applied Psychology
- Jessica Edwards George, Associate Clinical Professor in the Department of Applied Psychology & Director of Clinical Training for the Counseling and School Psychology Ph.D. Programs
- Melissa Ferrick, Professor of the Practice
- Brooke Foucault Welles, Associate Professor of Communication Studies
- Francesca Grippa, Teaching Professor and Faculty Director of the Global and Social Enterprise Portfolio
- Randall Hughes, Associate Professor in the Department of Marine and Environmental Sciences & Associate Dean for Equity
- Francisco Hung, Associate Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering
- Linda Kowalcky, Professor of the Practice in the School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs
- Jason Lancaster, Clinical Professor in the School of Pharmacy
- Connie Lorette, Associate Clinical Professor and Nurse Anesthesia Program Administrator
- Jun Ma, Professor in the Department of Economics and Dean’s Leadership Fellow for Global Partnerships
- Renée J. Miller, University Distinguished Professor of Computer Science
- Cheryl Mitteness, Associate Teaching Professor & Associate Group Chair in Entrepreneurship and Innovation
- Laurie Nardone, Teaching Professor in English and Director of Advanced Writing in the Disciplines
- Gilbert Nyaga, Group Chair and an Associate Professor in the Supply Chain and Information Managemen Group
- Toyoko Orimoto, Associate Professor of Physics
- Taskin Padir, Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Department
- Mya Poe, Associate Professor of English & Director of the Writing Program
- Elizabeth Zulick, Assistant Teaching Professor and Director of the Lowell Institute School
2017 ReDI Cohort
- Dan Adams, Director and Associate Professor of the School of Architecture
- Debra Copeland, Director of the Office of Experiential Education and Associate Clinical Professor
- John Dencker, Professor, Management and Organizational Development
- Kimberly Eddleston, Schulze Distinguished Professor, Entrepreneurship and Innovation
- Edgar Goluch, Associate Professor Chemical Engineering
- Kimberly Larson, Associate Teaching Professor and Director of the Doctor of Law and Policy program
- Yingzi Lin, Professor of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
- Costas Panagopoulos, Department Chair, Professor of Political Science
- Purnima Ratilal-Makris, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering
- Andrea Raynor, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs, Photography, Professor
- Justin Ries, Professor of Marine and Environmental Sciences
- Abhi Shelat, Professor of Computer Science
- Ming Su, Professor of Chemical Engineering
- Corliss Brown Thompson, Faculty Member in the Graduate School of Education
- Ke Zhang, Associate Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology
2016 ReDI Cohort
- Nicole (Niki) Boyson, Associate Professor of Finance
- Özlem Ergun, Associate Professor of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
- Lori Gardinier, Director and Associate Teaching Professor of the Human Services Program
- Laura Green, Professor of English
- Stephen Intille, Associate Professor of Computer & Information Science; Health Sciences
- Carolyn Lee-Parsons, Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering; Chemistry & Chemical Biology
- Carla Mattos, Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology
- Shan Mohammed, Associate Clinical Professor of Health Services
- Mark Niedre, Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering
2015 ReDI Cohort
- Nicole Aljoe, Director of African American Studies & Associate Professor of English
- Alvaro Cuervo-Cazurra, Professor of International Business & Strategy
- Carlos Cuevas, Associate Professor of Criminology & Criminal Justice
- Yunsi Fei, Associate Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering
- Greg Goodale, Associate Professor of Communication Studies
- Elizabeth P. Howard, Associate Professor of Nursing
- Rachel Jones, Associate Professor of Nursing
- Jamie Ladge, Associate Professor of Management & Organizational Development
- Alisa Lincoln, Associate Professor of Health Sciences and Sociology
- Carol Livermore, Associate Professor of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering
- Kristin Madison, Professor of Law and Health Sciences
- Marilyn Minus, Associate Professor of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering
- Beth Molnar, Associate Professor of Health Sciences
- Cristina Nita-Rotaru, Professor of Computer Science
- Antonio Ocampo-Guzman, Associate Professor of Theatre
- Armen Stepanyants, Associate Professor of Physics
2014 ReDI Cohort
- Elizabeth Bucar, Associate Professor of Religious Studies
- Jennifer Dy, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering
- Deniz Erdogmus, Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering
- Amy Farrell, Associate Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice
- Veronica Godoy-Carter, Associate Professor of Biology
- Jonathan Grabowski, Associate Professor of Marine and Environmental Sciences
- Neal Lerner, Associate Professor of English
- Stacy Marsella, Professor of Computer and Information Science, Psychology
- Hilary Poriss, Associate Professor of Music
- Carmen Sceppa, Professor and Chair of Health Sciences
- Anand Venkateswaran, Associate Professor of Finance
- Kate Ziemer, Professor of Chemical Engineering, Associate Vice Provost for Curriculum
2013 ReDI Cohort
- Rebecca Carrier, Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering
- Jack Dennerlein, Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy, Movement, and Rehabilitation Sciences
- Magy Seif El-Nasr, Associate Professor of Computer Science & Director of Game Educational Programs and Research
- Natasha Frost, Associate Professor, School of Criminology and Criminal Justice & Associate Dean for Academic Programs in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice
- April Gu, Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
- Matthew Hunt, Professor of Sociology & Chair of Sociology and Anthropology
- Ying-Yee Kong, Associate Professor of Speech Language Pathology and Audiology
- Latika Menon, Associate Professor of Physics
- Guevara Noubir, Professor of Computer Science
- Sandra Shefelbine, Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering
- Michael Tolley, Associate Professor of Political Science
- Steve Vollmer, Associate Professor of Biology
2012 ReDI Cohort
- Jay Aslam, Professor of Computer and Information Science, Associate Dean of Faculty
- Penny Beuning, Associate Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology
- Tim Bickmore, Associate Professor of Computer and Information Science
- Heather Clark, Associate Professor of Pharmaceutical Science
- Erin Cram, Associate Professor of Biology
- Elizabeth Maddock Dillon, Professor and Chair of English
- Auroop Ganguly, Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
- Jessica Hoffman, Associate Professor of Counseling and Applied Educational Psychology
- Pete Manolios, Professor of Computer Science
- Shashi Murthy, Professor of Chemical Engineering
- Rupal Patel, Professor of Speech Language Pathology and Audiology and Computer and Information Science
- Nate Rickles, Associate Professor of Pharmacy and Health Systems Sciences
- Jeff Ruberti, Professor of Bioengineering
- Heather Streets-Salter, Chair of History, Associate Professor of History