Lisa Thomas

Testimonial: Executive Certificate in Management and Leadership
 

Lisa Thomas received a Ph.D. in school psychology from Lehigh University, where she specialized in pediatric/health psychology. In her professional experience, Dr. Thomas has provided assessment, training and consultation services to a variety of individuals and organizations. She is currently involved in several projects to develop universal, targeted and intensive behavioral and academic support systems within alternative education, behavioral health and public school settings. Dr. Thomas has published her research in refereed journals and presented at national conferences. Her research interests include interventions for children with behavioral disorders, the application of school-wide positive behavior support to alternative settings, training and coaching school and behavioral health professionals, parent management training and the assessment of reading and social skills.

“The transition from a clinical background into business/operations managerial position can be difficult,” says Lisa. “You get promoted because you are good at your job, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you will be a good manager. I never had courses in business, or experience with things like managing budgets and negotiating contracts. My previous experience at Lehigh led me to choose the school to continue my education The Lehigh certificate program is perfect for people like me who are moving up into a management role and want to ensure success with their new responsibilities. ” 

“The Finance for Non-Financial Managers program increased my comfort level with reviewing financial information. The program increased my financial vocabulary and provided insights for how to effectively communicate with financial professionals.” 

“The Advanced Negotiation Techniques program introduced me to the concept of BATNA [best alternative to negotiated agreement]. The role-plays were very helpful in illustrating how to reach an optimal outcome for all parties, including how to effectively communicate the return on investment.” 

“The Foundations for Project Management program included valuable information and resources. I particularly enjoyed learning the concepts and then applying the concepts using the project management simulation and case examples.”

“The Connected Leadership: Creating and Retaining and Engaged Team was very meaningful and beneficial because it showed me how to adjust my style when interacting with people whose styles are different from my own.  The in-person learning is much more powerful than reading books or attending webinars. The assessment we took allowed us to learn more about our leadership styles, and it was great to have other people going through the process with you. I spoke with people who have a similar style to mine, and also had conversations with those with a different style. The program emphasized that considering someone else’s style gives you the key to success to ensure effective collaboration with that person.