Faculty & Staff
All bios are sorted alphabetically.
Faculty
Phyllis Hildreth
Associate Professor
Phyllis Hildreth joined the Institute for Conflict Management in May 2010 and now serves as Academic Director and Adjunct Professor, as well as Adjunct Professor for Lipscomb’s Institute for Law, Justice & Society. Her experience includes serving as a Chief Counsel in the Office of the Public Defender for the... [More]
Contact via email
615.966.5695 (ext. 5695)
Steve Joiner
Dean, College of Leadership and Public Service
Director, Institute for Conflict Management
Steve Joiner is the Dean of the College of Leadership & Public Service and also Managing Director of the Institute for Conflict Management. He is a professor in areas of systems design, negotiation, conflict in religious settings, and leadership. Joiner has extensive experience conducting management and staff trainings, courses, and... [More]
Contact via email
615.966.7141 (ext. 7141)
Emily Jones
Academic Director for the Institute for Sustainable Practice
Assistant Professor of Sustainable Practice
Contact via email
615.966.5076 (ext. 5076)
Matt Milligan
Academic Director, Institute for Conflict Management
Assistant Professor of Conflict Management
Contact via email
615.966.2502 (ext. 2502)
Linda Schacht
Associate Professor
Strategic Advisor to the Dean
For over thirty years Schacht has advised government, business, and non-profit leaders on communication and strategy. A veteran of the Carter White House press office, she has held the top communication positions for a national Presidential campaign, the Majority Leader of the U.S. Senate and the Senate Democratic Policy Committee.... [More]
Contact via email
615.966.1341 (ext. 1341)
Michelle Steele
Academic Director, Leadership and Public Service
Co-Director, Andrews Institute
Associate Professor
Academic Director at the institute is Michelle D. Steele. With more than 15 years experience working with governmental agencies, Steele served as director of Nashville’s Mayor’s Office of Neighborhoods for four years during the Purcell administration, is a former case manager for the Mid-Cumberland Community Services Agency, and most recently,... [More]
Contact via email
615.966.5181 (ext. 5181)
Staff
Cathy Cate
Executive Director, Leadership Tennessee
Cathy Cate serves as the institute's Director of Community Leadership programs and the Executive Director of Leadership Tennessee, the only statewide leadership education program in Tennessee. She served as Executive Director of Leadership Blount County for six years and has worked with higher education and corporate groups for more than... [More]
Contact via email
615.966.5196 (ext. 5196)
Sara Oeser
Director of ICM Events, Partnerships, Alumni and Rule 31
Contact via email
615.966.5085 (ext. 5085)
Adjunct Faculty
Tracy Allen
Tracy Allen is an international professional mediator, arbitrator and ADR trainer. As a litigator and business tax attorney for many years, she now specializes in conflict resolution and ADR. Allen acts as a neutral service provider in other ADR areas such as early neutral evaluation, summary jury trials, special master,... [More]
Larry Bridgesmith
Larry Bridgesmith serves as a Senior Fellow and associate professor at the Institute for Conflict Management at Lipscomb University. He is the President of Creative Collaborations LLC a consulting and training organization. He is also Of counsel with Miller & Martin, PLLC. In these roles, Bridgesmith brings over 30 years... [More]
