Dr. Cristina Gordon

ABOUT ME

My career in education started very early in Brazil, where I grew up. At 17 years old I was hired for my first teaching job at Yazigi International, a language school in Brazil, teaching English as a Second Language. That job was defining in my career, as it provided me with an entirely novel experience when I was told by my students that I was a terrible teacher. In that moment, wanting desperately to flee, I made the choice to stay and have an open conversation with my students. The feedback I received that day designed my approach to teaching as student- centered, transforming my students’ experiences from unpleasant to engaging and quite extraordinary at a time when innovation in the classroom was unusual. Today, I still approach teaching and learning in much the same way. Both student and faculty engagement are crucial to student success. Teaching, as I learned at 17, is an exchange between teacher and students in which both sides learn from each other.

My degree in Psychology allowed me to expand my teaching to high school and eventually college. Finding my passion in collaboration, moving onto administration was a natural progression for me. My career in higher education has been extremely rewarding. The continuous improvement of faculty in the classroom and student success through lifelong learning became the central focus of my work. My hope is to positively impact faculty, staff, students and communities in ways they never thought possible through innovation and the courage to experience something new.

In the future, when I look back at my time in higher education, I would like to see a legacy of success and improvement that has touched lives in transformative ways.

Leadership Statement

Personal Mission Statement:

In the future, when I look back at my time in higher education, I will see a legacy of success and improvement that has touched lives in transformative ways.

Leadership Philosophy:

I believe that a team works better with a leader, rather than under one. The leader should value the team’s expertise and opinions on anything that will affect it, whether individually or as a group. A climate of excellence and strong relationships within the organization can be achieved through the following:

· Setting goals as a team and working together to achieve these goals, as well as working toward the mission and goals of the institution.

· Providing direction, such as a team action plan, and listening to the faculty and staff needs leads to trust.

· Being available to the faculty members and staff whenever they need it and being willing to step in to help when necessary builds relationships.

· Supporting faculty and staff on decisions, goals, and tasks provides them with a comfortable framework and the needed trust to approach me for assistance.

· Shared governance and an open-door policy.

· Cultivating a climate of collaboration.

The team members need to have a clear understanding of the leader’s expectations of them. Setting goals together and establishing tasks and outcomes as a team will ensure clarification of the tasks and what is expected from their accomplishment. I believe the team should be part of the development of the expectations, including what is expected of the leader. Upholding all the values important for a leader to possess will create an environment within the team where the development and follow through of expectations will become an easy task to accomplish for both leader and team members.

“The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality.

The last is to say thank you. In between, the leader is a servant.” (Max DePree)