Forced Transfer: Students Impacted By College Closure
Have you or someone you know been impacted by a college closure while as a student, forcing a transfer to another college or university? If yes, please share your transfer experience-Let your voice be heard!
Hello! I’m
Dr. Heather
N. Maietta
Educator - Author - Coach - Researcher - Consultant - Stratagist - Innovator - Speaker
I’m thrilled you’re here. Please take a moment to explore my site where you’ll find details on my background, experience, skills and more. To speak with me about consulting, or to learn more about how we can work together or connect on an opportunity, don’t hesitate to reach out.
Bio
I am an Associate Professor in the Higher Education Doctorate Program at Regis College where I coach doctoral students for leadership and research roles directly or indirectly related to higher education. Prior to Regis, I was a senior leader in higher education in career development and student success.
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As a Board Certified Coach, I also founded Career In Progress, an executive coaching and consulting firm dedicated to advancing the goals of business professionals, and helping individuals retool their personal career trajectory or advance within their chosen field.
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My scholarship is guided by the Boyer Model (1990), which is a
4-Pillar Model of Scholarship: Discovery, Application, Teaching, and Integration.
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SCHOLARSHIP OF DISCOVERY
My research portfolio centers around workforce readiness and the T-professional; the role of class in higher education; the impact of self-efficacy on long-term career success; college closure and the forced transfer student; and first-generation doctoral student completion. Click here for details on current and past research.
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SCHOLARSHIP OF APPLICATION
As a consultant in higher education, I work with departments and divisions interested in reimagining or retooling their student success initiatives. As a faculty member for the National Association of Colleges and Employers and a Facilitating Career Developments (FCD) Instructor for the National Career Development Association, I am able to advance career practitioners' knowledge and skills in a variety of settings.
Click here for information on activities related to the scholarship of application.
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SCHOLARSHIP OF TEACHING
As an Associate Professor in the Doctorate of Higher Education program, I educate the current and next generation of scholar-practitioners for our industry. A signature series I developed is a bookend experience to the EdD, focusing on a successful transition in, through, and the culmination of the EdD aimed at increasing the completion rates of the doctoral student through intentional advising and career literacy. The Regis College EdD program currently has a 97% graduate completion rate.
Click here to learn more about my scholarship of teaching.
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SCHOLARSHIP OF INTEGRATION
I'm currently working on a bookend retention effort for EdD students which incorporates a full-suite of transitional support from the start of doctoral experience to post-graduation (orientation to capstone courses). The program is being piloted at Regis College with the EdD in Higher Education Leadership students as a way to understand doctoral attrition and increase graduation rates of EdD students, particularly those who are first-generation.
An early signature program developed during my time in academia, which continues to influence my research, is Generation Merr1mack, an initiative to support the career and professional growth of first-generation college students. In 2013, the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) named Generation Merr1mack a finalist for the Diversity and Inclusion Award and in 2015 a finalist for the Member’s Choice Award.
Click here to learn more about my scholarship of integration.
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My Experience
Background & Expertise

Associate Professor, EdD Higher Education Leadership, Regis College
Courses taught: Doctoral Capstone; Dissertation Proposal; Leadership in Higher Education; Essence of Higher Education: Past, Present, Future; Research Methods II; Organizational Theory, Strategy and Change; Co-Curricular Learning in Higher Education;
Law and Policy in Higher Education
Institutional Review Board Member
Curriculum and Academic Policies Committee
2019: Serve as chair of five dissertation committees

Career In Progress is a consulting and coaching practice that educates career practitioners on all aspects of career literacy and engagement and offer private executive, career and professional coaching to individuals in career transition
Consultant: External Reviews; Strategic Planning
Messiah College: External Review, Career & Professional Development Center
Northeastern University: Strategic Planning, Academic Advising Center, College of Science
Worcester State University: External Review, Career Center
Executive Coaching
Staples: 6-month assignment with 4 executives
Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank: 6-month assignment with 3 executives
Career Coaching
Provide individual, customized coaching services to individuals in career transition or interested in
re-tooling or re-directing their career completely. Worked with hundreds of clients since 2005.

Associate Vice President, Career and Corporate Engagement
2011-2016
Merrimack College
Merrimack College is a private, Augustinian, masters comprehensive institution of approx. 3K students located 20 miles North of Boston.
Earned Exemplary Career Center of Year, National Career Development Association, 2015
Authored $1.7M matching grant from James W. O’Brien Foundation to create and expand wrap-around student success initiatives​
Rebuilt quality recruitment program resulting in a 98% graduate school/job acceptance rate for graduating seniors with an average starting salary of $42.5K for Class of 2015
Created award-winning retention support program for first-generation college students
Education
What I’ve Learned
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December 2009
Doctorate of Higher Educational Leadership
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Central Michigan University
Dissertation Title: Guiding Students From Matriculation to Graduation: Analysis of a Four Year Professional Development Program for Undergraduates
Dissertation of the Year Nomination
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December 2001
Masters of Science, Kinesiology;
Higher Education Administration
James Madison University
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December 2000
Bachelors of Science, Resource Development
Michigan State University
Recognition
"The road to success is always under construction."