Jennifer Mitchell
Coach Overview:
Jennifer Mitchell is a consultant, coach, and facilitator with two decades of experience working in higher education, finance, and privately owned companies. During her time at George Washington University, Drexel University, and Arcadia University, she coached vice presidents, vice provosts, deans, and administrative staff. Jennifer has an established track record of quickly creating trusted relationships as a thought partner and turning around bleak situations. Jennifer has a diverse background that includes operations and budget management, executive searches, communications, executive support, conflict resolution, and change management.
Jennifer served on the board of the National Association of Provost’s and Academic Affairs Assistants in Higher Education and The George Washington University Museums. She has presented at national conferences on Transitioning Teams and Virtual Onboarding and Leadership Development in Academic Affairs.
Statement of Coaching Philosophy:
Jennifer specializes in burnout recovery, leadership development, and emotional regulation to help clients get clear, be sharp, and integrate their personal and professional identities. She combines traditional coaching methods, productivity techniques, and wellness habits. Prioritizing client’s overall health to enforce realistic boundaries and develop tools for building resilience. Jennifer helps clients move from competing priorities to a clear connection of goals, actions steps, and quick impacts.
Jennifer is passionate about helping clients shift from surviving to thriving. Following ICF and BCC ethical practices, Jennifer cultivates a safe and brave space for clients to recharge their careers, refresh their energy, and reclaim their lives.
Coaching Expertise:
- individual coaching focused on recovering from burnout and balancing a demanding career with life responsibilities
- guiding new executive support staff in deepening relationships with principals, establishing connections with internal/external stakeholders, and managing competing priorities to own and embrace their role
- helping new/established university-level administrators navigate organizational challenges, high-stakes relationships, and change
- developing new/emerging leaders and supporting their transition from faculty or non-academic staff positions into leadership or supervisory roles
Experience with Higher Education and/or Academic Medical Centers:
- administrative expertise in higher education in private institutions; leading change initiatives during leadership turnover and financial challenges while forging strong connections with non-academic units
- specializes in special projects, large-scale event management, executive support, and developing high-performance teams
- served on advisory boards, search committees, and planning committees; enhanced the reputation of provosts’ offices while influencing operational and leadership decisions
- led university crisis management, crisis communications, and overhauled communications strategy of academic affairs
- responsible for non-academic units, including military programming, museum, and auxiliary campus
Representative Coaching Engagements:
- coached new deans in transition from external institutions to new universities; focused on adapting to a new environment, articulating client’s leadership philosophy and strategy, including team building, hiring and training their support staff, and aligning to university leadership’s vision; established leaders’ reputation and enhanced relationships, clarified leadership style, and weathered distressed budget challenges.
- coached non-academic leaders recovering from burnout, developing their professional brands, rehabilitating relationships with supervisors, establishing executive presence, and negotiating salaries; these leaders were promoted to vice president at significantly higher salaries, assumed new responsibilities, and became sought-after speakers on the national level.
Certifications and Trainings:
- Board Certified Coach (BCC), Center for Credentialing and Education
- Certified Trauma-Informed Coach, Coach Training World
- Certified Executive Coach & Career Coach, (ICF-ACTP) Center for Executive Education
- Certified Restoration Coach, Restoration Therapy Training
Education:
- Master’s, International Public Relations, Arcadia University
- Strategies for Leading Successful Change Initiatives, Mastery Session, Harvard University