Influential Woman · Higher Education

Alisa Taliaferro Russell

Associate Dean of Quality Assurance and Graduate Programs, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University

Greensboro, NC 27455

Certifications · Degrees · Memberships

Degree Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education Degree Master's Degree in School Administration Degree Doctorate in Educational Leadership Degree Clark Atlanta University Degree Atlanta Degree Georgia Degree Harvard University Strategic Data Project Institute Cert Licensed Elementary Teacher Cert Licensed School Principal Cert Licensed Superintendent

Her Story

About Alisa

As Associate Dean of Graduate Programs and Quality Assurance, I have a lot of wonderful initiatives on my plate. A lot of what I do is help preparing educator preparation programs - programs leading to licensure for teachers and school administrators. I work very closely with the departments in the college that are working to license individuals for those areas. I also work with departments across the college to ensure that we have appropriate systems in place for accreditation and accountability and assessment. For example, I work with the Department of Counseling on their accreditation visit for CACREP, which is their accreditation agency. I work with doctoral faculty in developing strong rubrics to assess the quality of dissertations that our students are preparing. I also work for Graduate Student Success - I just got off the phone with the vice provost over undergraduate and student success regarding obtaining additional funding to support a mentorship program between our graduate students and undergraduate students. So I do a lot to facilitate data, accreditation, and lead initiatives in all of those particular areas. It's never the same, which is wonderful. I might be working on finalizing a graduate program mixer for our graduate students, writing grants for graduate funding, or leading donation efforts. I really care about data-driven decision making and institutional improvement.

Her Interview

Ten minutes with Alisa

01What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?

I would say pay close attention to your social capital and also to your sponsorship. We often talk about mentorship, but young women need sponsorship. I think of sponsorships such as if you wanted to join a particular club, a country club - you usually have to have someone there to sponsor you, to say, hey, this person's okay, this person will be a great fit, because folks don't always know you and what you bring to the table. As you are attending to your social capital, your net worth of who you know and who knows you, and your mentors, think of how you can be a sponsor to someone else who is trying to break through as well. Who's someone else who is trying to have that opportunity, to a student, to an intern, to someone in your community that you can help open the door a little bit easier for them to walk through as your mentors and others are opening the door for you. And one thing about social capital - it impacts your well-being, your overall well-being. You're less lonely, you're more involved, you're more active, you're more engaged. So it is paying it forward, and you're also getting the benefit as well. So it's a win-win on both parts.

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