“Dr. Phillips served as the founding Director of Antioch Santa Barbara from 1977-1988. I understand that it was through her insights, energy, and dedication that the campus was conceived, created, and sustained. Under her direction, the campus fostered strong academic programs, service to students, and respect for adult learners.”
“There are many reasons that Lois was such a success: most significant is her intelligence, her insight into people, her incredible interpersonal skills and her communication and promotional skills. She exudes enthusiasm and optimism and engenders in others a sense of confidence in her abilities.
Because she works so effectively with others and is a good, thoughtful planner, Lois is able to get things accomplished better than most people I know… I’ve always attributed her success at being influential to her personal style and ease of relating to other colleagues; she has a wonderful sense of humor, is able to deal with issues on their merits, and has a well developed collaborative style of working with others. She works extremely well under pressure and is able to manage herself and others in settings of ambiguity and conflict…. “I have a great deal of respect for her abilities and would love to hire her in a number of different capacities.” Alan E. Guskin, Chancellor, Antioch University (Yellow Springs Ohio)
“There are a multitude of Dr. Phillips’ strengths about which I could write: I will particularly emphasize her strengths in administration of the Antioch University Santa Barbara campus and of the Region, in staff and faculty training, in program and curriculum development, and in community relations and public relations. Dr. Phillips successfully demonstrated the wide range of management skills necessary in a small and under-staffed setting: planning and goal setting; problem-solving; personnel selection, management, and discipline; budget planning and monitoring; and networking, public relations, and recruiting. She is creative, has many ideas of how programs can be established, marketed, and successfully managed. She sees unique possibilities in situations where others do not. Probably Dr. Phillips’ single most outstanding set of skills lies in the cluster of skills and knowledge, which are variously known as corporate communications, public relations, or institutional advancement.Kenneth E. Smith, Ph.D., Provost, Antioch University, Southern California Region
“Consistently I have experienced Lois as a colleague with clarity of vision, impeccable integrity, creativity, and commitment to see things through….The quality academic programs that she designed and managed along with student achievement matched the University’s best.
“As a leader in a market-sensitive institution, Lois developed (perhaps just refined) an entrepreneurial spirit and the competencies of an entrepreneur…She captured the essence of the educational program and communicated it artfully and forcefully. She mobilized resources beyond money—goodwill, cooperative efforts, an image within the community—true to her institution’s intention. She demonstrated the capacity to tolerate ambiguity—and in a way that remained true to her vision and values. Remarkably, during the turbulence Lois remained a creative leader and productive unit manager. Personally, Lois is a pleasure to work with. She is empathic, exudes genuine warmth, is willing to confront others, moves many discussions by gently reframing issues with humor, and consistently is a creative force. Clearly I value her work as an educator, a leader, and in the area of development. Perhaps most I value her quality as a person.” Dean G. Elias, Former Provost, Antioch University, San Francisco
“Lois was an articulate, creative and powerful participant in the Board’s meetings, sharing ideas for corporate partners and alumni networks on a regional scale. She is a ‘big picture’ thinker who can think on her feet and engage in strategic planning discussions with enthusiasm.”
“Lois was immensely helpful, above and beyond, recently. When a meeting facilitator had to cancel at the last moment, she agreed to step in and facilitated a productive Board meeting. With little notice, she prepared professional materials that kept us on track and we efficiently completed our meeting earlier than expected. This experience demonstrated to me how valuable Lois’s presence has been on our board—not to mention her ability to be resourceful under duress!” Mark Schulman, Ph.D., President, Antioch University, Southern California
“An amazing presentation, awesome with a knowledgeable presenter”
“Lois was clear in delivering the course content.”
“In terms of her delivery style, she used a multi-faceted instructional approach to keep it lively and engage us.”
“Lois used real-world and concrete examples as well as personal experiences to demonstrate different kinds of negotiations.”
“The time flew by and I would love it to continue…” Testimonials from Negotiation Skills for Professional Women at UCSB, 2013
“Over the decade of her service to Antioch University, Lois consistently and effectively created the mutual connections between Antioch University and the Santa Barbara community which has born the fruit of a healthy Santa Barbara campus. It is from her base of practical experience and achievement that Dr. Phillips has developed her strategic planning and institutional advancement expertise. Coupled with her ongoing professional accomplishments and her enormously creative mind, Lois has chosen to broaden her arena of effective action and serve as a consultant. I recommend her to you for creative problem solving in all areas of advancement and development. She has a proven track record of success here at Antioch University.” Terrence J. Keeney, Ph.D. Chair, M.A. Psychology Program
HIGHER EDUCATION CONSULTATION CLIENTS
“…She builds trust and cultivates positive working relationships with the client in order to ensure that time lines are met and, where appropriate, institutionalization occurs….She is skilled at planning and facilitating meetings and developing action plans later to pursue the ideas that emerge…“I have found her to be creative, energetic, and willing to take that extra step to ensue a successful outcome….I would be pleased to speak with any potential client in greater detail about her strengths, and I would recommend Dr. Phillips, without hesitation, as a positive resource to your organization in facilitation, designing, planning, implementing, and evaluating new projects and programs.” James W. Walker, President, Moorpark College
“Dr. Phillips was well organized, motivational and effectively facilitated meetings.” The resulting plan was ambitious and reflected consensus around a vision, mission, and strategic goals.”…“The program was implemented successfully through a curriculum planning process and teacher-training institute that aligned with the strategic plan. Dr. Phillips always approaches her work in a very professional manner, produces on time and under pressure, and is a very collaborative team-oriented person. She has good public communication skills that allow meetings to run smoothly and be purposeful. I would recommend her to any group seeking an experienced professional to facilitate a planning process involving diverse stakeholders.” Jules Zimmer, Dean, Gevirtz Graduate School of Education, UCSB
““…I have found Dr. Phillips to be a divergent thinker, a highly skilled planner, an effective problem-solver, and a great communicator.” Lois made the UCSB Youth Enrichment Program a wonderful success. I am thankful for all her hard work and dedication to the students and teachers….She demonstrated the utmost professionalism in dealing with a diverse group of stakeholders representing higher education, school districts, community based organizations, business, and the private sector.”
All of the complex responsibilities (of start-up) required extensive strategic planning to ensure that the students, teachers, and partners would make a long-term commitment to participate in the program and that the goals would be achieved. As a result of her excellent curriculum planning and group facilitation skills, the YEA program successfully achieved all of its goals during the first year of program implementation.”Vishna A. Herrity, Ph.D., Executive Director, Gevirtz Research Center, UCSB
“She is an articulate institutional spokesperson and is effective in getting the job done. Through her participation in the mediation group’s planning meetings, she facilitated our progress through insightful observations and summaries. I consider Lois an able leader, who has the talent for knowing what needs to be done and for helping people do it. I recommend her to you without reservation. Anna DiStefano, Ed.D., Vice President, Fielding Graduate University
“…Dr. Phillips was effective in energizing the managers around the task at hand….I wholeheartedly recommend her to any institution or organization that seeks to achieve a successful ‘change process’, one that will play to the strengths of the team members and keep people motivated, productive, and clear about accountability. Kay A. Faulconer, Ed.D., Dean, Economic and Community Development, Ventura College
“I personally wish to thank you for the outstanding work you have done this past year in helping to make this Telecommuter project successful. Without question, we would not have accomplished our funding goals without your extensive hands-on involvement and leadership. I know that your interest and effort exceeded the consultant-client relationship expectations.” Jeff Marsee, Ph.D., Vice Chancellor, Administrative Services/ Instruction, Ventura County Community College District
“Lois’s work led to the completion of a thorough analysis and substantive report that was very well received by the campus executives and technology leaders.”…“As a colleague, Lois is a creative and conceptual thinker, very competent researcher and writer, well organized, responsible in addressing client concerns and meeting deadlines. She enjoys client contact and thoughtfully conducts interviews and meetings.” George Tamas, CEO, Governet
“Thank you for your year of hard work as an evaluator on the ITEMS project (to help teachers understand statistics with regard to standardized testing scores. I’ve appreciated all your hard work and professionalism.” Rebecca Zwick, Project Director, Department of Education, UCSB
“The program evaluation that Lois produced was clear and concise, and contained graphs, charts and tables to support the narrative portion of the report. Her recommendations were most helpful in preparing the final report to the state, and for further program improvement. Lois was always totally professional, yet personal and pleasant to work with (as our evaluator). She was always at the end of the telephone if and when I needed assistance, allowing us to meet critical deadlines.” Andi Mallen, M.A., Principal, The High School at Moorpark College
“Lois was resourceful and quickly assessed the situation within our department. Lois conducted a department retreat, which was very successful and well received by the Human Resources department staff. She was prepared, had appropriate materials and presented with a high energy level. It’s a pleasure to work with Lois. She is competent, has a good sense of humor and accomplishes what she sets out to do. She is goal oriented, stays focused on the task and has superb interpersonal skills.” Cynthia Cronk, Director, Human Resources, UCSB
“Lois is familiar with how to increase institutional and programmatic visibility within the state-wide context of community college workforce development initiatives. She understands organizational protocols as well as the political aspects of a change process. I found her very client-friendly. She took my feedback seriously and modified the documents as we went along in order to adapt our strategy to attract the target audiences. I would be enthusiastic about referring her to prospective clients.” Carole Purdie, Director, STEP Program, Santa Barbara City College, Continuing Education Division
STRATEGIC PLANNING FACILITATION
“Lois’s sense of humor, redirections on the focus, fresh insights, and openness to our feedback on her input provided an excellent climate for completing our task effectively…One of our main goals achieved by this careful planning was the creation of a sense of common values and direction, comfort with each other, and appreciation of the diversity of the group. In oral evaluations of both days of the retreat, the staff expressed a high degree of satisfaction with the processes and outcome. Their individual sharing made clear our goals for the retreat were met.” Maureen Earls, Administrator, Child Development Program, Santa Barbara School Districts
“I feel very strongly that the success of these Ventura College Telecommuter Centers is directly related to her original marketing plan and the identified strategies which I have diligently followed.” Candace Robinson, Telecenter Site Administrator, Ventura College
I wish to extend my gratitude for your flexibility, knowledge of and expertise in the field of leadership growth and strategic planning.; you helped us gain closure on the work of the BASICO (Commission). We’ve all benefited from your guidance and expertise. Patricia Contini, Director-Ventura County Child and Health Programs, VCOE.
Lois is an outstanding consultant who helped me to organize my work and think through complex tasks. She is highly responsible, reliable, and thorough. She is pleasant to work with as she maintains a sense of humor and is able to rally different work groups to successful completion of complex tasks…such as the Vision Statement and Strategic Goals to guide the campus …on a range of exciting initiatives. Michael Mulnix, PhD., President Antioch University Santa Barbara
Training and Staff Development
“Your preparation and participation in making this a successful event is much appreciated. Overall, the participants found the course to be a valuable and worthwhile experience. Your presentation on ‘Creativity’ was very well organized. It provided useful insight and good group interaction.” Susan Chao, Program Director, School of Business Administration, University of Southern California
“The professional development training was entirely successful, even with the most reticent medical personnel, since it is so ‘trainee-friendly’, and provided the staff with a common vernacular and frame of reference with which to build collaborative relationships. Lois handled the group with warmth, humor and respect. In terms of style, Lois is a poised, articulate public speaker with an excellent reputation in our community. Lois’ experience as a college administrator is a great strength to her training work as she is able to have respect for the complexity of challenging human relationships that one faces as a manager in a culturally diverse workplace. “As a result of her empathy for trainees, she can quickly build rapport with a group. She is quick witted and creative.” Cynthia Bowers, M.D., Director, Student Health Service, UCSB
“The reaction to the very first day of staff development for Executive Managers was settled with comments like ‘Let’s try running our meetings using what we learned yesterday from Lois!’ The time was well spent and I’m sure will help us immensely in the future. You definitely gave us a ‘Kick Start’!” Don Vasconcellos, Executive Dean of Instruction, Mendocino College
“Dr. Phillips is an excellent presenter with excellent communication skills and the ability to adapt material to meet the needs of a particular audience…She kept our discussion lively, pacing the speakers well, appearing comfortable and conversational, and focusing them on the key issues that needed to be addressed. She is a conceptual thinker, is well-read, and brings her years of college administration to bear in analyzing and questioning policy and programmatic strategies for coping with change. I highly recommend her to you as a project consultant with diverse research, training, and evaluation skills. She is a pleasure to work with.” Joan Ganapes, Coordinator, Careers 2000, Santa Barbara City College
“Lois did an excellent job of moving the group through the material, keeping the presentation focused, but also allowing group feedback to influence the direction of the seminar. “People came away saying not only had they greatly enjoyed the process, but they also acquired new information—particularly in the area of persuasive communication. All-in-all, I would say that Lois is a well-prepared, dynamic seminar leader who kept the group alert and on their toes for the entire session.
Lois has a sense of humor, an ease of presentation style and comfortable manner that make groups responsive to her. I would recommend her without qualification as a seminar leader. In the evaluations that were completed by participants of her workshops, she really received top marks about how the training provided skills that helped participants communicate with difficult people and difficult situations more effectively in their workplace settings! Sharon McCuen, Dean, Research and Development, American River College
“Contributing to the conference’s success was your willingness to share of your time, and identifying for us your belief in our endeavors. Your presentation provided some wonderful thoughts to help synopsize much of the information gained during conference sessions. Your warmth and delight in being part of our conference and sharing your views was greatly appreciated.” Marjorie Chitwood, Chair, Home Economics Professional Development Committee, Mt. San Antonio Community College District