W. Benjamin Myers - A Chair Who Gets It
Being a department chair is unlike any other managerial role.
You need insight from someone who both intellectually and experientially understands the complexities, challenges, and unique balancing act that chairs navigate every day.
What I Bring to the Room
12 years as a department chair at 3 different universities
Full professor and current chair of Department of Communication and Media at the University of Toledo
PhD in Communication and MBA in Human Resources
Author of The New Department Chair: 100 Reflections for Mindfully Designing Your Term
Co-Editor of Critical Administration in Higher Education: Negotiating Political Commitment and Managerial Practice
Teaches courses such as Organizational Communication, Small Group Communication, Professional Business Communication, Communication Theory, public Speaking and Leadership Communication
Why Me for This Workshop?
Comprehensive Expertise: In writing The New Department Chair, I researched 100 different facets of academic middle management, connecting scholarly insights with the everyday realities of the role.
Broad Perspective: Having served as chair at three different institutions, I have experienced firsthand how the role varies across different structures, cultures and expectations-positioning me to connect with and support chairs in a wide range of academic settings
Disciplinary Expertise: I study and teach about structure and problem solving in organizations. Given that I graduated with my MBA in 2021, I have recently formally studied managerial practice and organizational optimization
Research-Driven Insights: I am able to seamlessly blend academic research and practical leadership lessons.
Engaging & Interactive: I teach public speaking and have been a teacher for over 20 years. I build workshop experiences on discussion, storytelling and reflection rather than on lecture.
Real World Experience: I have served as chair for over 60 full-time faculty , 20 staff and thousands of students over my past 12 years. There are few experiences as a chair that I cannot relate to.
Samples of My Work