Our Team

Dr. Keeling leads K&A and is the senior executive consultant on many of the Company’s projects. At the heart of his leadership of K&A are these beliefs and commitments: that learning should be transformative, that learning must be at the core of the mission of colleges and universities, and that sound processes of institutional renewal can enable campuses to improve learning in its broadest sense. Since founding K&A, Dr. Keeling has worked with more than 500 institutions and organizations over nearly 25 years of practice.

Dr. Keeling serves on the Board of Directors of the Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS) and has been president of four professional organizations in higher education. He edited three sequential publications that focus on improving learning: Learning Reconsidered, Learning Reconsidered II, and Assessment Reconsidered. He has published more than 125 articles, monographs, and books, and served as Editor, for two terms, of the Journal of American College Health. He has received the highest awards of both the American College Health Association (ACHA) and the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA).

Before creating K&A, Dr. Keeling was both a tenured faculty member and a senior student affairs administrator at the University of Virginia and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. During more than 20 years on campus, Dr. Keeling taught and practiced medicine, directed comprehensive health programs and services, developed collaborative programs in undergraduate education with academic departments and faculty, and explored innovative, cross-institutional approaches to advancing student learning.

Dr. Keeling took his bachelor's degree in English with highest honors from the University of Virginia and received his MD from Tufts University School of Medicine; he completed residency in internal medicine and fellowship in hematology. He is the proud father of three liberally educated children and the grandfather of four future college students.

Dick Hersh, a Senior Consultant with K&A since 2006, has served as President of Hobart and William Smith Colleges and Trinity College, Hartford; Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at The University of New Hampshire and at Drake University; and Vice President for Research and Dean of the Graduate School at the University of Oregon. Earlier in his career, Dr. Hersh also served as Director of The Center for Moral Education at Harvard University, was a professor and dean in teacher education, and taught high school.

He was a member of the Association of American Colleges & Universities’ Greater Expectations national advisory panel and served as Co-Director of the Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA) and College and Work Readiness Assessment (CWRA). Those projects created an innovative approach to measuring and assessing net gains in student learning at the college and high school levels.

Dr. Hersh’s has written much about the importance of a liberal arts education in the 21^st century. His 1999 Daedalus article, “Generating Ideals and Transforming Lives” and his book “Promoting Moral Growth” are in use on many campuses. Dr. Hersh worked on and appeared in the two-hour PBS documentary “Declining by Degrees: Higher Education at Risk” and co-edited the accompanying book by the same title (Palgrave Macmillan, publishers). The November 2005 issue of The Atlantic Monthly featured an article by Dr. Hersh, “What Do Colleges Teach?” about measuring student learning.

Dr. Hersh received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in engineering and education from Syracuse University and his doctorate in education from Boston University. When not engaged with academic and institutional strategy, learning assessment and faculty development projects with K&A, Dr. Hersh enjoys sailing, travel, and a never ending search for the world’s best pizza.

Eric L. Engstrom, M.P.H., President and Executive Consultant, joined Dr. Keeling in 1989 to form K&A. As the Company’s President, he has primary responsibility for organizational leadership and management, strategy and business development, innovation in technology and communications, and quality assurance. Mr. Engstrom provides direct consultation, technical assistance, and training programs in key areas for K&A's clients. He is an experienced and skilled facilitator in strategic analysis and planning for organizations.

As the first Executive Director of the Minnesota AIDS Project, he directed planning and implementation of state-wide HIV prevention and direct care and service programs, and later collaborated with other leaders of HIV-related service agencies on national boards, government agencies, and consensus conferences. Throughout the first decade of the AIDS epidemic, he provided national leadership in HIV prevention, care, services, and advocacy. His ability to understand the relationships between the parts of complex organizations and to think systemically, which were essential features of his success in Minnesota, are now essential elements of his work at K&A as well.

Mr. Engstrom received his bachelor's degree in Psychology from the College of Liberal Arts and a Master's degree in Public Health from the School of Public Health, both at the University of Minnesota.

Kyle Hutchison, the longest serving employee of K&A, joined the company in 2000 and has been, since 2007, Chief of Staff; in 2010, he assumed additional responsibilities as Senior Vice President. The broad scope of his current role embraces Company strategy, priorities, coordination of our internal and external projects and activities, resource allocation, and oversight of our client relationships. As Chief of Staff, he serves as senior project manager, leading and managing K&A’s project teams; he supervises and mentors the consulting associates and is responsible for guiding and integrating the company’s work on all client projects. He works closely with the principals, senior consultants, project staff, and clients to ensure quality and effectiveness in K&A’s services. Mr. Hutchison is directly responsible for what many clients call the “K&A experience” -- the particular quality of engagement and collaboration that defines our working relationships.

A Colorado native, Mr. Hutchison took his Bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Colorado in Boulder. The roots of his work with K&A extend back to earlier roles in public, community, and college health. As a devoted uncle, Kyle enjoys his nieces and nephews; as a loyal son of Colorado, he cheers for the Buffaloes.

Dr. Scott retired as Vice President for Student Services at Georgia State University in 2006 to join K&A. She also served as the senior student affairs officer at both Occidental College and California Polytechnic Institute at San Luis Obispo. Throughout her distinguished career in student affairs, Dr. Scott has consistently provided leadership and direction to the profession through her advocacy, service, and consistent focus on student learning and the quality of the student experience.

During her tenure at Georgia State, Dr. Scott initiated a comprehensive, division-wide process of developing and documenting student learning outcomes and indicators of institutional effectiveness as a core element of divisional strategy. She created both internal divisional structures and systems to support assessment and linkages to early efforts at assessment that were being developed in other sectors of the institution. Under her leadership, assessment at Georgia State became an institutional norm through a multi-year process of capacity-building, continuous improvement, and transformation of organizational culture.

Dr. Scott works with K&A on projects focused on senior institutional leadership, student affairs organizations, student programs and services, assessment of learning, divisional strategy, and diversity.

Keeling & Associates,  LLC (K&A) is excited to announce an expansion of our team of Senior Consultants,  with the addition of Dr. Almeda Rogers Jacks — and the inauguration of a significant new service: executive searches for Senior Officers (Vice Presidents or Vice Chancellors) in Student Affairs and/or Enrollment Management,  and for Student Affairs development officers. Dr. Jacks will lead this new service,  which augments K&A’s established program of assistance to institutions searching for new directors for student health and counseling services.

Dr. Jacks retired from Clemson University in 2006 after 31 years of service, including 14 years as Vice President for Student Affairs and several years teaching in the College of Education. She is a member of Blue Key, Golden Key, and other honorary societies, clubs, and organizations and has won numerous awards from Clemson and from state, regional, and national groups and organizations.  Dr. Jacks has one child (Errett) who has just completed his sophomore year at her alma mater, Clemson University.

Dr. Dickson joined K&A in 2008 after an academic career in public health research. As Director of Research and Intellectual Capital, she manages the Company’s academic writing projects, which include journal articles, book chapters, and whole texts. In addition, she oversees the qualitative components of K&A’s many strategic planning and assessment projects and collaborates with senior consultants and the project teams to ensure high quality in our proposals, reports, and presentations.

Dr. Dickson maintains her position on the faculty of the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University in New York and teaches in the Department of Narrative Medicine at Columbia’s College of Physicians & Surgeons. Her work has included a number of qualitative studies looking at disparities in health outcomes along socioeconomic and geographic lines, including: the needs of minority women living with HIV/AIDS in American cities; the consequences of urban renewal on inner-city populations; community based recovery from upheaval post 9/11; and community building and empowerment of families struggling with HIV/AIDS and substance abuse.

In 2007, Dr. Dickson edited and published her late husband’s memoir, Leukemia for Chickens, which recounts their experiences living with cancer. She is an active member of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and is a director of the Roger Madoff Journalism Scholarship, a collaboration between Duke University and Bloomberg News.

Dr. Dickson received her Bachelor of Science from Cornell University in 1995, and her Master’s and doctorate in public health from the Department of Sociomedical Sciences at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia in 1999 and 2002, respectively.

Dr. Harry B. Shucker, Consultant, served Furman University for 40 years, including 22 as Vice President for Student Services.

Throughout his career, Harry has demonstrated tireless commitment to the core roles and functions of Student Affairs -- advocacy for students, leadership development, student retention and the education and preparation of the whole student. His servant-leader approach involved providing the necessary resources to help students and professional colleagues attain their own successes and leadership positions in campus life and in the work place.

Harry is well known for his long service and contributions to the profession of student affairs, most notably in SACSA and NASPA Region III. Since retiring from Furman, he has remained active with NASPA and works with K&A on projects concerning the structure, organization, roles/responsibilities, operations of programs and services in Student Affairs.

Margaret “Peg” Spear, M.D., Consultant, has served as the Senior Director of University Health Services at Penn State for the last 18 years. Her long experience in college health and role as a surveyor for the Association for the Accreditation of Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC) provide great strength in consultations concerning student health services. Throughout her distinguished career, Peg has contributed greatly, both in thought and advocacy, for excellent health education and health promotion programs as key, integrated components of college health programs.

Dustin Sonneborn, our fourth consulting associate, joined K&A in 2010. He serves on project teams, collects and reports data, manages client relationships, and supports key internal projects. A native of Evanston, Illinois, Dustin received a Bachelor of Arts with a major in sociology from the University of Wisconsin - Madison. He comes to K&A after working as a renewable energy consultant in Chicago and for a member of the Wisconsin State Legislature. Dustin brings a passion for education policy, a unique perspective on higher education, and an undying commitment to the Badgers...go Bucky!

Gordon Winsor oversees the execution of projects, from proposal development, implementation planning, and research design through data analysis and report writing. With more than eight years of experience conducting social and market research before joining the Company, he manages the survey research required for many K&A projects. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a concentration in research methods from the University of Rhode Island. Gordon also manages K&A’s recruiting activities and has completed more than 15 successful searches. He lives in Newport, Rhode Island, where he shares his new home with his faithful canine companion, Roy.

Cherington Shucker joined K&A in 2008 after working on the client service team of Eagle Capital Management, LLC, as a manager of institutional and private wealth. As Director of Operations, she has responsibility for human resources, professional development and training, budget and financial management, office administration, and many elements of infrastructure. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Mass Communications from Samford University and a Master of Science in Public Policy and Management from the H. John Heinz III College at Carnegie Mellon University. Cherington has both experience and honors; the Coro Center for Civic Leadership in Pittsburgh, PA named her a Fellow in Public Affairs (2001) and, as a Henry Luce Scholar (2003), she lived and taught in Guangzhou, China. She now serves on the New York City Coro Alumni Association Board. Her commitment to higher education began early; her parents were university employees.

Linda, a native New Yorker, joined K&A in 2008. As Accounting Manager, she is responsible for proper maintenance and integrity of our financial activities and records -- tasks for which she was very well prepared by her diverse bookkeeping experience in businesses as varied as lace trim, lumber yards, auto leasing, heating oil, and construction.

Linda attended Baruch College of the City University of New York, where she attained her formal accounting and business education. Linda is the mother of three daughters and enjoys many adventures with her three grandchildren.

Ronald “Ronnie” Gallant, Jr. joined K&A as Administrative Assistant in 2011. A former human resources manager and recruiter for GUESS Inc., he now provides logistical and office support in addition to project and client assistance. His work facilitates all of our traveling projects, and he troubleshoots travel problems in this era of frequent flight delays and changing conditions. Ronnie received a Bachelor of Arts in business management from Elmira College in Elmira, New York and is currently pursuing an additional degree in graphic design from the International Academy of Design and Technology. He volunteers with several community organizations in New York City.

For almost 5 years, Cooper D. Airedale has served the corporate headquarters of K&A with loyalty and distinction. Whether offering opportunities for a calming interlude of petting or announcing the need for playtime with an unmistakable bark, Cooper has proved himself to be an expert at stress management, reality-testing, and causing smiles and laughter. As several of our clients know, Cooper has also been invaluable in providing explanatory metaphors and demonstrating complex abstract concepts through canine behavioral representations in the development and application of effective rubrics for the assessment of learning. He is the perfect antidote for taking things too seriously.