Brenda Levya-Gardner

Brenda has been with Xavier University as director and faculty since the HRD Program's inception in 1992. She is also Chair of the Department of Leadership Studies and Human Resource Development. She co-designs and co-teaches many of the courses in the HRD program, including Developing the Adult Learner, Behaving in Organizations, and Applying and Designing HRD Research. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Missouri-Columbia, her Master of Public Administration from University of Southern California--Washington, DC Public Affairs Center, Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies from Providence College, and Associate of Science from Bryant College, Smithfield, RI.

Brenda was formerly with the University of Missouri-Columbia as an assistant professor, director of graduate studies, director of extension, director of the Missouri Training Institute, and director of training. She has been a management training specialist and management consultant with a large quaisi-federal organization in Washington, DC; a coordinator of training with a national nonprofit organization, and a director of a criminal prosecution center with a state attorney general's office.

Brenda has been on the Board of Directors for the Academy of Human Resource Development and was co-chair of the Membership Committee. Brenda's research and teaching interests center around group and team behavior, applying organizational behavior concepts to the classroom, and innovative teaching methods in training and academic settings. She has published in journals such as Innovative Higher Education, and the Journal on Excellence in College Teaching, Workforce Education Forum, and Journal on Education for Business.