Fall Meeting Keynote Speakers
Dr. Chris Jochum
Dr. Chris Jochum is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Teacher Education at Fort Hays State University, where he leads a teacher preparation program serving over 1,000 students. His career, spanning more than two decades in K-12 and higher education, began in the public schools teaching Spanish and English as a Second Language before holding faculty appointments at the University of Central Missouri and the University of Nebraska at Kearney. His research focuses on leadership development in both K-12 and higher education, as well as the value of study abroad. As the founder and CEO of CJ Leadership Solutions, LLC, Chris translates his research into practice and is a sought-after speaker, trainer, and coach in the United States and abroad. He hosts The Department Chair Leadership Podcast and is the author of The Department Chair: A Practical Guide to Effective Leadership, You Don’t Have to Leave to Lead: A Practical Guide to Teacher Leadership, and co-editor of the forthcoming book, Profiles in Educational Leadership: A Practical Approach.
Dr. Allison Rank
Dr. Allison Rank is the inaugural director of the Center for Civic Education and professor of Political Science at the University of Northern Iowa. Her current research examines career competencies and learning outcomes associated with participation in campus-based voter engagement programs. She serves as the principal investigator for the Iowa Civic Educators Institute which offers professional development for K-12 pre-service and in-service teachers across Iowa. Rank’s work in higher education has been recognized with the Barbara Burch Award for Faculty Leadership in Civic Engagement from the Association of State Colleges and Universities’ American Democracy Project (2024), the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching (2024), and the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge’s Stand Out Faculty Award (2019). Along with Carah Ong Whaley and Lauren C. Bell, she is the co-editor of Civic Pedagogy: Teaching Engagement in an Era of Divisive Politics, which is part of Palgrave’s Political Pedagogies series