In need of a guide for higher education leadership? Untangling Leadership: Aligning Mind and Heart to Advance Higher Education, is a collaborative work that combines educational leadership theory and practice for transformational leaders. Reliance on theory serves to anchor practical case studies. This practice supports a scholar-practitioner framework in which readers begin to contemplate solutions to real-world scenarios in higher education. Drs. Chris Heasley and Robert Palestini address leadership and organizational weaknesses, and provide tangible skills to convert them to strengths.

Mark C. Reed, EdD, University President, Loyola University Chicago

hat makes Untangling Leadership significant and impactful is the intentional focus on the heart, will and motivation of the leader. Drs. Heasley and Palestini’s “sequential and systematic” case-study approach provides the reader with a concrete map for discerning and critical reflection on the “how’s” and “why’s” associated with decision-making among higher education leaders who strive to be authentic. The use of cases across the Academe within typical higher education organizations and the use of the “diagnostic debrief” at the end of each chapter, is unique and forward thinking. This coupling permits the reader to experience the circumstances of each case and use it to critically reflect on their own leadership journey and institutional context. The approach is both instructive and impactful for new and experienced leaders alike.

Nicole Stokes, PhD, Dean and Professor of Sociology, Penn State Abington

In their collaborative book, Untangling Leadership: Aligning Mind and Heart to Advance Higher Education, Drs. Chris Heasley and Robert Palestini present a scholar-practitioner approach to learning and self-assessment in a timely work considering current organizational trials presented to HE leaders. They foster personal advancement through opportunities to diagnosis real-world challenges in higher education with prescriptions for change. As a go-to guide for HE leadership, they inform our profession and practice with clearly defined diagnostic tools supported by theoretical constructs for organizational health and effective leadership. An apt and formative addition to the body of leadership studies.

Gabrielle St. Léger, EdD, Vice President for Student Development and Campus Life, La Salle University

Higher education requires a new kind of leader. Workforces are changing, and leaders and organizations must constantly evolve and transform with the times to stay competitive. Untangling Leadership: Aligning Mind and Heart to Advance Higher Education is a necessary text that challenges the reader to ask the "why" and shows the "how" of change. This solution-based text supports scholar-practitioners as they create organizational transformation in their institutions. It isn't enough to pose the questions. Transformational change requires direct action, and Drs. Heasley and Palestini provide a roadmap for evolution.

Alex Iannucci, EdD, Assistant Vice President of Strategic Initiatives, Office of Diversity Equity and Inclusion Villanova University and CEO, Blueprint Evolution