The Office of the Provost is pleased to offer professional coaching for faculty transformational leadership institute graduates and department chairs and directors to help them develop and reach their academic and professional goals.
Each participant will be entitled to 3 professional coaching sessions per semester, with an optional 4th session. A limited number of spots will be available each semester.
About Coaching
What is Coaching?[i]
Coaching has been defined in many ways. The essence of coaching is:
- Helping a person change in the ways they wish and helping them go in the direction they want to go.
- Supporting a person at every level in becoming who they want to be.
- Building awareness, empowering choice, and leading to change.
Coaching unlocks a person’s potential to maximize their performance. Coaching helps them to learn rather than teaching them.
Coaching is a partnership between coach and coachee.
The coach helps the coachee to achieve their personal best and to produce the results they want in their personal and professional lives. Coaching ensures the coachee can give their best, learn, and develop in the way they wish.
The coach need not be an expert in their coachees’ field of work.
What Coaching is Not:
Mentoring: A mentor is generally someone who has extensive expertise in your field who gives wise advice related to work achievements. Coaching may involve work- and non-work-related discussions.
Therapy: Therapy deals with a client’s mental health; coaching deals with a coachee’s mental growth. Coachees generally seek therapy to get away from pain or discomfort; coaching assists coachees in moving towards desired goals. Coaching is not remedial; it is generative. It is focused on the present-day rather than on the past.
Teaching: Teaching passes knowledge from teacher to student. The teacher knows something the student does not. The opposite is true in coaching. The coachee is the expert and the coachee has the answers, not the coach
Coaching Process:
All faculty Coaches have received certified coach training.
Sessions will be held in-person or virtually with your Coach.
Coachee’s current needs will be addressed, and the Coachee will work with the Coach to develop and work toward established goals.
Confidentiality:
The Coach and Coachee recognize that the conversations occurring during the course of this arrangement are confidential to the extent allowable by law. The Coach will not disclose the content of the communications to anyone else without specific approval of the Coachee, unless required to by law or the communications reveal illegal or unethical activities or threats to oneself or others. The communications are not privileged in a court of law.
Our Coaches:
Amy Gais
Amy Gais (she/her) is a Lecturer in the Department of Political Science and Comparative Literature and Thought at Washington University in St. Louis. She is looking forward to working with faculty on their personal and professional goals, as well as strategies to overcome the challenges that they are facing in their work and lives. On the weekends, you may see Amy on adventures in Forest Park with her two children, working out at Burn Bootcamp in Kirkwood, or in line for bagels at Bagel Union.
Sunghei Han
Sunghei Han (she/her) serves as an Associate Dean for Administration at School of Public Health. She has experienced WashU from all angles – as a student, alum, staff member and faculty. With nearly nine years at WashU and as an ICF-ACC certified coach, she is passionate about partnering with faculty to navigate challenges and achieve their goals. Outside of work, Sunghei builds intricate miniature houses as a mindfulness practice, reflecting her focus on intentional and thoughtful work. She is excited to support faculty with personalized guidance and a holistic perspective.
Rebecca Lester
Rebecca Lester(she/her) serves as Assistant Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs and Professor in the Department of Anthropology at Washington University in St. Louis, where she previously served as department chair. She has been a dedicated member of the university community for 23 years. Rebecca brings a deeply collaborative approach to faculty coaching. She specializes in empowering faculty to achieve their goals in productivity, interpersonal effectiveness, job satisfaction, and work-life integration—helping them thrive both professionally and personally. She is certified by the Spiro Coaching Institute and is in the process of earning her ICF Coaching Certification.
Atia Thurman
Atia Thurman is a full-time lecturer and skilled facilitator of processes that advance personal development, community-building, and social change. She has more than 22 years of experience collaborating on initiatives in the areas of higher education, health and human services, mindfulness, and social impact leadership. She is certified by the SPIRO Coaching Institute.
Amy VanEssendelft
Amy VanEssendelft is the Program Manager for the Olin Business School’s Bauer Leadership Center. She is skilled at engaging with diverse groups, conveying information clearly, and building positive relationships.Her purpose is to lead a life anchored in faith, defined by integrity, and dedicated to empowering others to achieve their goals. She is certified by the SPIRO Coaching Institute and is in the process of earning her ICF Coaching Certification.
