
Higher Ed Administrator, Consultant
Leah Sciabarrasi, Ph.D.
Hello! Welcome to my personal site and Leader Log. You’ve landed in the right place if you want to know more about me or my thoughts about organizational leadership and planning. By day, I am the Associate Dean of Business at Excelsior University. I also consult on accreditation and planning. Some of the work I’ve been privileged to work on in my career includes strategic planning, accreditation, online learning, recruitment, K12 partnerships, community engagement, and faculty development.
Areas of Expertise
Higher Education
I have over 15 years of experience in higher education, serving in various faculty and administrative roles with experience and expertise in online learning, faculty development, accreditation, K12 bridge programs, community partnerships, and strategic planning.
Accreditation
I’ve led accreditation initiatives at both college and K12 levels. I currently consult with high schools on their accreditation, and I’m well versed in Middle States college and K12 accreditation. I’ve also served on visiting teams at the K12 level.
Leadership
Throughout my career, I have served in various leadership roles pioneering online learning, overseeing faculty, collaborating with community leaders, and galvanizing strategic planning initiatives. My research interests include discovering innovative ways leaders can be more effective.
Planning
Planning is a passion of mine. I’ve led strategic planning initiatives at institutions, helped high schools to carry about accreditation action plans, and taken point on department goal projects. My research interests include discovering ways technology can enhance organizational effectiveness.
Leader Log
2023 Key Themes in Business Education
I recently attended the IACBE (International Accreditation Council on Business Education) annual conference. A few business...
Turnover and Organizational Set Backs
In Atomic Habits, James Clear shares stories about people who’s intuitive sense led to saving lives and predicting...
Leading a Multi-Generational Workforce
Last week, I had the privilege of serving on a leadership panel about managing teams at the virtual 4th Bi-Annual Federal...
Lessons Learned from the Accreditation Process
Educational accreditation is the approval from an accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education to...
Leah’s Lists
Leah’s Mixtapes
2023: Russia invades Ukraine - 2 giant snowstorms in Western New York - we got COVID - the world's population hits...
Leah’s Yearly Reads
Ultralearning: Master Hard Skills, Outsmart the Competition, and Accelerate Your Career - Scott Young I’ve been in Higher...
Leah’s Favorite Things
Almond Body Care Ritual by L'Occitane Almond is well-known for its ability to nourish the skin. L'OCCITANE has harnessed...
Leah’s Work
Execution Education
Execution Education by Leah Sciabarrasi 2022 This presentation was given at the International Leadership Association...
The Innovative Habit
The Innovative Habit by Leah Sciabarrasi2022 This presentation was given at the International Leadership...
Finding Erich Jantsch’s Five Crucial Innovations: A Study of Four Small Colleges (My Dissertation)
Research Questions To explore the problem, the following research questions were addressed: To what extent are Erich...
Five Crucial Innovations: A Method of Studying Evolutionary Change in Small Colleges
In ‘Integrative Planning for the “Joint-Systems” of Society and Technology—The Emerging Role of the University’, Jantsch...
Leah’s Resources
Leah’s Publications

The Quiet Ganesh: Finding Erich Jantsch
Dr. Erich Jantsch has been described as an astrophysicist, an author, a businessman, an astronomer, a conservationist, a consultant, an engineer, an evolutionary theorist, a forecaster, a futurologist, a humanist, a lecturer, a music critic, a philosopher, a physicist, a scientist, an urban planner, founder of the ‘big history’ concept’, a pioneer in systems and futures thinking, and one of the six founding members of the Club of Rome. His books and publications range from technological forecasting to evolution. In particular, his last book, The Self-Organizing Universe, has been influential in the interdisciplinary fields of biomimicry, holism, co-evolution, and self-organization. He was an occasional advisor to about twenty governments, several international organizations, and research institutions. This book, The Quiet Ganesh, is the start of a biography of this expansive man. Use the button to the left to buy the book and read more about Erich Jantsch here >>

New Models of Higher Education: Unbundled, Rebundled, Customized, and DIY
Our chapter: Ever Upward: Building an Ecosystem to Support and Validate Lifelong Learning (Scott Dolan, Michele Paludi, Leah Sciabarrasi, Gretchen Schmidt, and Anna L. Zendell)
In a world where skilling, upskilling, reskilling, and career shifting are becoming the norm, and where lifelong learning is a requirement, models of higher education designed to best support the needs of learners and the workforce remain relatively limited. In the chapter, the authors discuss strategies used by Excelsior University’s School of Graduate Studies to respond with agility to the needs of students and employers, including structures and processes used to better connect with employers and their needs. They highlight the development of high-quality learning outcomes, the creation of industry-aligned curricular and co-curricular learning experiences, and the development of stackable credentials to demonstrate how they provide students with flexible on-and-off ramps to learning and skill development.
Leah’s Podcasts

STRATEGIC PLANNING IS DEAD, LONG LIVE STRATEGIC PLANNING!
Strategic Planning is Dead, Long Live Strategic Planning!, is a podcast original from Manifoldo. This series presents new ideas for planning and measuring your organization’s progress.
Leah’s Ancestry
I am both Sicilian and Polish. I’ve spent quite a few years documenting my family lineage, in some cases back to the 1600s. I am proud of my heritage and grateful I get to live this lifetime.

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