Conklin Bueschel Consulting
Executive coaching, advising, and workplace assessment for higher education leaders
SERVICESConklin Bueschel Consulting (CBC) provides custom executive coaching, confidential advising, and tailored workplace assessments to support higher ed leaders.
Coaching—With over three decades of work in and around higher ed, most recently in the president’s suite, Andrea is well-positioned to provide senior higher ed executives with coaching support, whether they are new to the role or farther along in a career. Her candid, constructive feedback facilitates the progress each client makes. The coaching relationship can be as brief as a few hours or take place over months, depending on the needs of the client.
Advising—In some cases leaders seek a trusted thought partner to work through specific challenges confidentially. In many leadership roles it can be challenging to have candid conversations with colleagues in reporting relationships. Advising sessions with Andrea remove that dynamic and allow for complete candor. Unlike the coaching relationship which is guided by the client, an advising situation is a dialogue, and Andrea can bring to bear her extensive experience in higher ed to help think through how best to tackle problems or work through complex situations. In many cases coaching and advising work can coexist, in whatever form is most useful to the client.
Workplace assessment—In addition to the individual expertise Andrea can bring to the consulting relationship, she is certified to administer the DiSC assessment of work styles. This tool can provide valuable information to engage with, whatever the background of the leader. Results are not determinative, but the data encourage consideration for areas to attend to and even improve. These assessments can also be administered to teams to create a vehicle to engage people in conversations that can otherwise be difficult to manage. Andrea is available to facilitate workshops for groups to help make sense of DiSC results and recommend ways to move a team forward.
Please contact us about fees and packages of services.
APPROACH“We think we listen, but very rarely do we listen with real understanding, true empathy. Yet listening, of this very special kind, is one of the most potent forces for change that I know.”
—Carl Rogers
Listening matters. No matter how much experience or expertise one has, there is always more to be gained by listening. Andrea listens for understanding, which helps ensure she centers the coaching and advising work on the client and their needs.Additionally, every interaction begins with the presumption of good intention, good faith, and good humor. Whatever the reason for the consultation, these foundations help build the trust necessary to grow and change. Or to just get to the heart of the matter and tackle it.There’s no single right way to manage whatever challenges come our way. But Andrea is a trusted thought partner who commits to staying focused on you and your priorities in any shared work.After her own successful professional career, nothing makes Andrea happier than to help others have theirs. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to learn more about how she can work with you.
ABOUTAndrea Conklin Bueschel has 35 years of professional experience in and around higher education. She has worked on a liberal arts college campus, at a midsized private university, and in a state public university system. She has also worked as a funder of education research, managing director of an educational consulting business, and a research scholar at a think tank. She brings all of these experiences to bear in her current work as a coach and a teacher.
Specifically, in addition to her consulting work, Andrea serves on the faculty of the School of Education and Social Policy at Northwestern University. In this role, she teaches in the master’s program in higher education administration and policy, teaching courses in research, budget and finance, and policy.Prior to her current positions she was the Senior Vice President for Administration and Chief of Staff at Rutgers University. Earlier, Andrea served as Associate Provost at Northwestern University, and before that, she was Associate Vice President at the Spencer Foundation, a research scholar at the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, and managing director for an educational consulting firm. In addition, she has conducted program evaluations for non-profits and has held various other administrative posts in higher education.Publications include chapters in Changing the Conversation in Higher Education (edited by R. Thompson) and Cases of Teachers’ Data Use (edited by H. Fives and N. Barnes), and special issues on data use for Teachers College Record and American Journal of Education (co-edited with Cynthia Coburn).Andrea has served as a trustee of her undergraduate alma mater, Bates College, for fifteen years. Her other volunteer work has focused on foster children, as a foster parent, CASA (court-appointed special advocate) and CASA county office board member.EDUCATIONPh.D., Stanford University, Stanford, California
Social Sciences, Policy, and Educational PracticeM.A., Stanford University, Stanford, California
SociologyM.A., Stanford University, Stanford, California
Higher Education Administration and Policy AnalysisB.A., Bates College, Lewiston, Maine
PhilosophyADDITIONAL TRAININGExecutive Coaching Certificate,
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PAInstitute for Educational Management,
Harvard University, Cambridge, MACertified DiSC Practitioner
Wiley CompanyFor additional information, click the LinkedIn button on the home page.
PEOPLE WHO KNOW OUR WORK
CONTACTAndrea is based in Chicago, Illinois, but works with clients across the country and the globe. Contact her for information about in person and remote work by using the contact form below or by emailing directly:[email protected]