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Edward Leach

Edward Leach

National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD)

Career Roadmap

Edward's work combines: Education, Non-Profit Organizations, and Upholding a Cause and Belief

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Day In The Life

Executive Director

I lead an organization (www.nisod.org) that promotes and celebrates excellence in community and technical colleges.

Skills & Education

Here's the path I took:

  • High School

    Pavilion Central School

  • Bachelor's Degree

    Athletic Training/Trainer

    Genesee Community College

  • Bachelor's Degree

    Secondary Education and Teaching

    Eastern Kentucky University

  • Graduate Degree

    Health Occupations Teacher Education

    Miami University-Oxford

  • Doctorate

    Higher Education/Higher Education Administration

    The University of Texas at Austin

Here's the path I recommend for someone who wants to be a Chief Executives:

Bachelor's Degree: Non-Profit/Public/Organizational Management

Certification: Executive Assistant/Executive Secretary

Learn more about different paths to this career

Life & Career Milestones

My path in life took a while to figure out

  • 1.

    Graduated high school and worked in various factories and other non-skilled jobs for 8 years.

  • 2.

    Got laid off and started community college with the goal of opening a gym because I lifted weights.

  • 3.

    Took an athletic training class, fell in love with sports medicine, and decided to become an ATC.

  • 4.

    Followed a girl to EKU, became a certified athletic trainer, awarded a GA to attend MU; graduated.

  • 5.

    Worked as a ATC for several years, got interested in ed admin, and returned to grad school for PhD.

  • 6.

    Intended to become an athletic director, but was persuaded to pursue higher-level goal/position.

  • 7.

    Worked at 2 comm colleges, offered job and worked 13 yrs at comm college non-profit until laid off.

  • 8.

    Being laid off after 13 years led to becoming the executive director of international organization!

Defining Moments

How I responded to discouragement

  • THE NOISE

    Messages from Friends:

    You're too old to start college at 26 years old. I worked for eight years after high school prior to starting at a community college after being laid off from a factory job.

  • How I responded:

    I dealt with the negative noise by remaining laser focused on what I wanted to accomplish, surrounding myself with other people who were equally focused on achieving their goals, and taking advantage of the support systems available at the college.

Experiences and challenges that shaped me

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  • You don't know what you don't know. I overcame my lack of knowledge about college by surrounding myself with people more knowledgeable than me and by exploring what resources are available on campus.