Dr. Kathy Jordan

Kathryn Jordan is senior consultant with The Success Associates, an executive level career transition and coaching firm. She has worked in this consulting role for over 20 years while completing her own career as a senior leader in higher education. She is recognized for her collaborative, positive leadership style and as a visionary team developer and career strategist.

She began her consulting career after earning her doctorate in 1994 and assuming the Management Consulting role for the State of Virginia with Drake Beam Morin, one of the country’s leading providers of human resource consulting services to corporations.

Her reputation for understanding the emerging expectations for higher education administrators, faculty, and students began when she served as the Director of Experiential Learning and Career Services at Radford University for over 17 years. Her interest in the engagement of students in all forms of experiential education preparing for career success in the 21st century economy led most recently to her management responsibility for Virginia Tech University’s Cooperative Education and Internship Program, one of the oldest cooperative education programs in the country.

As a coach who urges her clients to stay intellectually engaged with their work, Kathryn took a two-year break from her service in higher education to focus her work and write a book, VOICES; Words From Wise Women.  This book made “Best Seller” in the Leadership and Business category in March of 2012 with Amazon.com.

The book was written to assist all women in the development of leadership tools for both work and life.  In her consulting practice, she assists executives in their search for a promotion and greater success in their administrative or business roles.  She has assisted six senior women to find presidencies in higher education. Her work also includes working with hundreds of individuals, both men and women, who are seeking a change in their careers.

Today, she is a Nationally Certified Career Counselor (NCCC) and holds memberships in such professional organizations as the American Counseling Association and the National Society of Experiential Education.  She has been active in the business world as a member of the Board of Directors of the Radford Chamber of Commerce, a member of the Society of Human Resource Managers, and for seven years as President of Main of Main Street Radford, an economic development organization.  As a faculty member in Radford’s Graduate College, she has taught students about the career counseling profession, authored numerous articles and made presentations for national organizations.

Dr. Jordan also works with corporations to solve human resource issues related to talent and team development, change management, succession planning, and pre-retirement workshops.  Her clients have included major Fortune 100 companies like General Electric, Anthem Blue Cross, Capital One, and Virginia State Agencies as well as smaller entrepreneurial firms in the non-profit, arts and entertainment, and business arenas.

With a Bachelor’s degree from the College of William and Mary in Sociology, a Master’s degree in Counseling and a minor in Business from Radford University, and a Doctorate in Education and Counseling with a cognate in Industrial Organizational Psychology from Virginia Tech, Dr. Jordan has worked at the College of William and Mary, Radford University and Virginia Tech prior to going into consulting.  Dr. Jordan resides in Radford, Virginia with her husband who is a retired college professor. She has three grown daughters.   

“Kathy, Thank you for always being a tremendous support in my life and career moves over the years.”
Justin Mosby, Former Graduate Student
Associate Director, Philanthropy at Guideposts Foundation. New York

Dr. Connie Gores

Dr. Connie Gores’ leadership experience centers around a strong belief in the power of education to change lives and make a difference. In her extensive career she has served a variety of institutions – public and private – including six years as the President of Southwest Minnesota State University, where she was the first woman president. Previous roles include Interim President at Winona State University; Vice President at Winona State University; Vice President at Randolph-Macon Woman’s College (now Randolph College); Dean at Cornish College of the Arts; and a directorship at Willamette University College of Law.

Dr. Gores is a graduate of the Institute for Educational Management (IEM) at Harvard University. She completed the American Academic Leadership Institute (AALI) Executive Leadership Program as well as the Minnesota Partnership for Executive Leadership Program, where she serves as Mentor and Sponsor.

Recent highlights from her professional leadership and involvement include:

Dr. Gores was the sole presenter from the United States at the Dialogue on Innovative Higher Education Strategies (DIES) Conference in Bonn, Germany, where she spoke on gender equality in leadership and advancing women leaders in higher education.

Drawing on her experience as a leader in crisis management, Dr. Gores authored a chapter entitled, Courage, Compassion, Communication, in the book Managing the Unthinkable: Crisis Preparation and Response for Campus Leaders. She also co-authored a case study on campus leadership with the Harvard University Kennedy School and the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and was a featured presenter at the inaugural institute on Crisis Leadership in Higher Education at Harvard University.

In addition, she has authored case studies and served as guest lecturer for graduate classes in Administration and Leadership in Higher Education at the University of Minnesota. She has also served as guest lecturer at Virginia Tech, Colorado State University, and George Washington University.

She earned her Ph.D. from the University of Washington; her master’s degree from Colorado State University; and her bachelor’s degree from North Dakota State University.

Dr. Connie Gores resides in the Raleigh-Durham Triangle area of North Carolina, where she is delighted to be closer to her two adult daughters and three darling grandchildren.

"Thank you for your invaluable guidance and support over the past few weeks.  Your expertise and insights have been instrumental in helping me develop a deeper understanding of leadership and identify my unique skills and strengths.  I am grateful for the time and effort you dedicated to helping me shape my CV and everything you taught me about cover letters and job search strategies. Plus, you are, also, really fun to hang out with."
April Talent
2024
"Thank you so very much for all the time, guidance, tools, knowledge & support over the past month.  It has certainly helped & given me some direction to find a new place to land, this time for good. I will definitely keep in touch with you and will reach out as things move forward.  Onward & upward!"
Diane Tinker-Hurst
2024
“I needed to make a decision about a personnel matter. As a former President and as a former Vice President for Student Affairs, Dr. Connie J. Gores’ consultation enabled me to step outside of my contextual subjectivity and focus on salient universal student affairs constructs to assist in my decision making. Her practical advice coupled with her experiential wisdom was just what I needed as a first year chancellor.”
Dr. Dwight C. Watson, Chancellor
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
"Connie was excellent in coaching and mentoring me on the next steps for my academic career. I had served as a department chair for four years and was unsure of my next step when I saw professional opportunities arise. She worked with me to identify my strengths and long-term goals to develop a professional package that reflected my values and ambitions. Through this process, I gained confidence in my presentation and interview skills, allowing me to accept a new position that aligns more closely with my professional dreams. I highly recommend working with Connie to discover your potential!" 
Melissa Weddell, Ph.D., MBA
Director and Research Faculty, Institute of Tourism and Recreation Research
WA Franke College of Forestry and Conservation at the University of Montana
“Connie has provided me with incredibly valuable consultation related to career trajectory and advancements in my leadership journey. I believe in her so strongly that I have connected multiple friends and colleagues to her. I have extreme confidence and have seen evidence in her ability to coach folks from multiple levels within institutions to senior level leadership positions.”
Jennifer Burris, Ph.D.
Provost, Lenoir-Rhyne University
“I reached out to Connie after experiencing a traumatic career event to help me work through a career transition and what ultimately became a career change. I was in a pretty vulnerable place when I reached out. Connie was absolutely incredible - she is honest and authentic, she is consistent and reliable, and most importantly, she is a careful and compassionate listener. Connie truly seeks to understand. Her work led me through my values assessment and clarification; she validated me, she challenged me, and she led me through some important investigative work as I navigated my transition. The work we did together established my "compass" that continues to guide and ground me through my decision-making and goal-setting. In my work with Connie, I felt "seen." She reminded me of who I am. Her belief in me and in my potential inspired me with the courage - and even joy - to navigate this journey. I am immensely grateful to Connie for her wisdom, guidance, and mentorship.”
Emily Farner Johns
Owner, Gates and Paths
Partner, Bright Mountain Bodywork  
Scroll to Top