Executive Consultant: Linda M. Ragosta, Ed.D.

Category: Career Resources

Linda M. Ragosta, Ed.D.Linda M. Ragosta, Ed.D.

Higher Education Consultant

Dr. Linda Ragosta has over 30 years of experience mobilizing and leading higher education teams to collaboratively establish and accomplish organizational goals and priorities. She has been an educator and senior executive in higher education and the corporate sector and has been a member of executive management teams for over 20 years.

Linda has held leadership roles as Chief Academic Officer and Chief Student Affairs Officer at several institutions. Her responsibilities have included oversight of academic programs, faculty, academic support, advising, student development, career planning, health and counseling services, residential life, campus safety, athletics and related departmental functions as well as budget development and management. Linda held various positions at Dean College, Newbury College, Babson College and Bridgewater State University. She has most recently been engaged as a consultant by numerous colleges and universities on a range of management projects and staff development initiatives.

Linda has effectively led academic, student affairs and institutional strategic planning initiatives, NECHE and specialized accreditation and compliance processes that resulted in progressive institutional accomplishments. These included developing and implementing new baccalaureate degree programs, redesigning organizational structures and reinvigorating the general education core with the support of grants from the Davis Educational Foundation. Additional areas of expertise include: change management, faculty management, program and departmental assessment, program planning and management, Board of Trustees involvement, alumni and donor relations.

Linda has been an evaluator for the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE). She held leadership roles in regional and national professional associations, including the Academic Affairs Think Tank of the New England Resource Center for Higher Education (NERCHE), National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA), and the University Risk Management and Insurance Association (URMIA). Linda has presented at professional conferences on topics including; Retention Strategies, Change Planning, Institutional Policy Development, Creativity and Management, Leadership Development, Effective Communication and Team Building, Trends in Student Culture and Behavioral Health and College Students.

Contact Linda Ragosta by email or phone.

Ellen Heffernan

President - Spelman Johnson

Ellen Heffernan graduated from Smith College with a B.A. in economics and government. She joined Spelman Johnson in 1996, after a ten-year career in higher education that included positions at Smith College and the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She is also a national speaker and writer on topics related to recruiting and professional development in higher education and serves as faculty for several national higher education association professional development programs. Ellen also currently serves on the executive board of the National Association of Executive Recruiters.