Clinton D. Gardner, PhD
President, Northcentral University
Dr. Clinton Gardner came to Northcentral University in 2007, following a five-year tenure as president of Argosy University, Phoenix Campus. At Argosy, he played an integral role in helping the campus obtain five-year re-accreditation status from the American Psychological Association for the Doctoral program in Clinical Psychology, and was instrumental in bringing to Argosy new Undergraduate and Graduate programs in Business, Education and Psychology. His other achievements at Argosy included leading the drive to gain re-accreditation by the Higher Learning Commission, and implementing new academic programs at the Master’s and Doctoral level in School Psychology and Industrial/Organizational Psychology.
Dr. Gardner earned his PhD in Higher Education Administration from Michigan State University, and held numerous leadership positions at Michigan State University and Olivet College in Olivet, Michigan. Throughout his 25-year career, Dr. Gardner has held several positions in higher education, such as University President, Senior Vice President for Management, Vice President for Finance and Administration, and Vice President for Enrollment Management.
In addition to his extensive background in Administration, Dr. Gardner has taught Economics and Education courses at at Davenport University and Argosy University, respectively, and has served on numerous dissertation committees in Business and Education. He is a former president of Data Point Research Consultants, a private higher education consulting firm, and has also consulted with numerous colleges and universities in areas of Admissions, Academic Program Planning, and Enrollment Management.
Dr. Gardner, a board member and past President of the Arizona Private School Association, serves as a Consultant-Evaluator for the Higher Learning Commission, and has membership in numerous organizations/associations, including the Detroit Economic Club. His areas of scholarly research and interest include Enrollment Management, Financial Management, Strategic Planning, Organizational Leadership, College/University Administration, and For-Profit Postsecondary Education.
Barnaby B. Barratt, PhD, DHS
Provost, Northcentral University
“Education is social process. Education is growth. Education is not a preparation for life, education is life itself.” — John Dewey, American educator and philosopher.
Dr. Barnaby B. Barratt’s favorite quote reflects his life’s philosophy and indicates his passion for education and its long-range benefits. Barratt graduated with first-class honours in Social Psychology with a minor in Asian and African Studies from the University of Sussex (UK), earned his first doctorate in Psychology and Social Relations from Harvard University, and his second doctorate from the Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality. In addition to his U.S. academic training, Dr. Barratt lived in India teaching high school and was a student in Thailand; and has travelled through Tibet, China, Laos, South Africa, and throughout Europe. For these reasons and more, Northcentral University was proud to appoint Dr. Barratt to the office of Provost in April 2009.
Dr. Barratt is a certified psychoanalyst, sexuality educator, sex therapist and somatic psychotherapist. He trained clinically at Harvard Medical School, the University of Michigan’s Neuropsychiatric Institute and the Michigan Psychoanalytic Institute. He has held professorial appointments both in psychology and in the humanities at the University of Michigan, University of Detroit, and Oakland University. For much of his career, he was Professor of Family Medicine, Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences at Wayne State University (Detroit). Dr. Barratt is the author of seven books and about seventy scientific and professional articles. His eighth book on somatic psychology and the future of the discipline will be published in April 2010 by Palgrave Macmillan.
Dr. Barratt understands the difficulties that Learners have as they pursue their studies, but advocates persistence and a sense of purpose as he shares the happiest and unhappiest moment of his educational career: “My undergraduate paper on Freudian hermeneutics was returned with corrections, comments and criticisms written by my professor in red ink on almost every single line of my paper! Subsequently, I entirely rewrote that paper five times and it was eventually published in a peer-reviewed anthology.”
Dr. Barratt has this suggestion for all Northcentral Learners: “Please use our services to the fullest. We have outstanding mentors and core faculty ─ make the most of your educational experiences with us. And, if you are in a Doctoral program, know that your achievements will need patience and a willingness to receive constructive criticism ─ but we will do everything we can to support your success.”
Heather Frederick, PhD
Dean, School of Behavioral and Health Sciences
“Never look back unless you are planning to go that way.” — Henry David Thoreau, American author.
Heather Frederick looks for the positive and believes that even though life can be tough at times, “you can find something meaningful in just about any situation.” Dr. Frederick received her BA in Psychology from San Diego State University, and both her MA in General Psychology and her PhD in Social/Developmental Psychology from Brandeis University (with concentrations in quantitative methods in psychology and lifespan development).
Prior to joining the online learning community, Dr. Frederick taught Statistics, Social Psychology and Independent Research at San Diego State University. Most recently she served as an Associate Director for the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences at Walden University, an online graduate institution. During her time there she developed a deep passion for assisting graduate Learners in completing their degree. She studied barriers to degree completion and launched initiatives to remove or lessen common reasons Learners sometimes become “stuck” at the dissertation stage of graduate education.
One of Dr. Frederick’s favorite quotes is “Never look back unless you are planning to go that way.” by American author Henry David Thoreau. Dr. Frederick impresses upon her twin daughters that having goals, a passion for what you are doing, and a real ambition to improve your life will get you where you want to be. It’s all up to you.
She has been involved in community-based interventions for over 16 years. Her research interests include chronic pain, social support, control beliefs, exercise behavior, ethnic disparities in health, successful aging, and online learning. Her suggestion for Northcentral Learners is this: “Decide what you want to ‘do with your life,’ then interview people who actually do this for a living and get their opinion on the type of academic experience you need. Then go searching for the program that will help you reach this goal. If it is related to the field of Psychology, we likely have a program for you here at Northcentral.”
Dr. Frederick joined the Northcentral team in 2008. A native Southern Californian, she currently resides in Prescott Valley, Arizona. Her daughters — who share her love of music — keep her busy. When time allows, she hopes to one day rekindle hobbies that include swing dancing, inline skating, and reading entire books in one sitting.
Dennis Lessard, PhD
Dean, School of Education
“It ain’t over until it’s over.” — Yogi Berra
Dr. Dennis Lessard comes from a family with a four-generation tradition of teaching. He believes that “as one lives and learns, ‘Life’ represents the sum of all of your choices and hopefully the sum of those choices is greater than the expected whole.” Dr. Lessard’s many interests include genealogical research, and documenting and recording family history. He has had the pleasure of two careers in military and commercial aviation where he was able to fly, visit over 80 countries, fly over every ocean and sea, fly completely around the world one way, and land on EVERY continent in the world — including Antarctica, covered in snow and ice. His happiest moment in education was the day he was able to present his first high school biology class lesson as the teacher.
Dr. Lessard holds a Bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education from Arizona State University, and taught Biology at Arcadia High School in Scottsdale, Arizona before entering military service. Dr. Lessard received his PhD in Business Administration and Management from Northcentral University and also holds a Master’s degree in Management and Supervision Administration from Central Michigan University. As a former Northcentral Learner, Dr. Lessard has this advice for new Learners: “Enter your learning experience with a completely open mind to accepting a new learning and writing methodology, where hard work and perseverance result in success.”
Dr. Lessard joins Northcentral after previously serving as Chair of the Aeronautical Science Department and Interim Chair of the Safety Science Department at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Dr. Lessard’s accomplishments include a rewarding career in the United States Air Force, and then in the corporate world of air transportation where he held senior-level positions during his tenure with United Airlines. Dr. Lessard brings to Northcentral his extensive experience in management, administration, accreditation issues, program development, and teaching.
Lynn Payne, PhD
Dean, School of Business and Technology Management
“I took the road less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” — Robert Frost, American poet.
Dr. Payne’s favorite quote underscores her thinking that we do not always have to follow the same path, that we must choose our own way to accomplish our life’s goals. When it comes to education, not all plans fit. You must learn the way you learn best. Dr. Payne has always lived her life to the fullest, reflecting her positive philosophy: “Open the door. You can step into a new adventure, and/or you can invite others in. Either way, you both win.” With this in mind, Dr. Payne created a varied and exciting life for herself, which she believes you can accomplish as well — with the right amount of initiative and perseverance. “The harder you work, the stronger you get. If it was easy, it wouldn’t be special. Just do it. Then you can look back on your accomplishment with pride.”
Dr. Payne’s hard work resulted in her unique experience in research, publication, design, and management of programs in the fields of organizational development, adult education and distance learning. Dr. Payne received her PhD in Adult and Higher Education from the University of Oklahoma; a PhD in Management from La Salle University; an MBA in Management from Golden Gate University; and a BS in Business Administration from James Madison University.
As Executive Director for Renaissance Strategies, Dr. Payne has worked with colleges and universities in preparing for accreditation and developing processes and policies for compliance and continuous improvement. Previously, as Vice President of Education for Career Education Corporation’s (CEC) University Group, she managed course development, instructional design and multimedia production of interactive online courses for CEC University Group students, staff and faculty. While a faculty member at Langston University, Dr. Payne was Chairman of the Executive Board for USANet, a consortium of government, private industry and academic institutions to deliver distance learning via satellite from universities to governmental installations. She was Project Administrator for GE's Government Engineering & Management Services, and served the United States Army as a Finance Officer and Chief of Resource Management for the Army’s Training Technology Agency.
Dr. Payne’s passion for quality education moves her to help people reach their education goals whenever possible. Her happiest moment in education came years ago when, in full academic regalia, she personally handed a diploma to her administrative assistant who graduated with honors — the first in her family to earn a college degree. Dr. Payne’s several hobbies, including international travel, landscape design, interior design and culinary arts, emphasize her theory that the ability to learn something new is always within reach. It is up to you to attain your education goals, and Northcentral is proud to have people like Dr. Payne on staff to help you.
