Dr. Michael Davis currently serves as the Vice President of Global Safety and Chief of Police for Northeastern. Mike began his public service in 1992 with the City of Minneapolis. In 2008, Mike became the Chief of Police for the City of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota’s 6th largest and second most diverse city. During his nearly six-year tenure, Mike led the City of Brooklyn Park to the lowest levels of crime experienced in 22 years. In addition, an over 10 percentage point increase in community confidence in police service from 85% to over 95%. Mike has served as a police practice and leadership consultant since 2012 and founded MBD Innovation, a consulting consortium which serves cities, communities and public safety organizations throughout the United States. As a researcher, Mike is an authority in the dynamics of occupational stress.

Jared Auclair serves as the Dean of the College of Professional Studies. With more than a decade of experience at Northeastern, starting first as a post-doc and most recently, Vice Provost Research Economic Development and Director of Bioinnovation, Jared is a champion of innovation and collaboration. Dr. Auclair directs the Biopharmaceutical Analysis Training Laboratory and oversees the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Center of Regulatory Excellence in Biotherapeutics. His research expertise includes analytical chemistry, protein biochemistry, and regulatory science, with a focus on biopharmaceutical development and analysis. He holds a bachelor’s degree in biotechnology from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and a PhD in Biomedical Science from the University of Massachusetts Medical.

Mark joined Northeastern University in January 2016. His primary role is to oversee the Office for University Equity and Compliance, which is responsible for keeping the university within compliance of federal law, coordinating the investigation and resolution of all reports of discrimination and spearheading prevention, training and education initiatives across the university. Mark has over 24 years of higher education experience and has overseen all facets of Student Affairs, including Residence Life, Student Conduct, Health and Counseling Services, New Student and Family Programs and Student Engagement.

Lisa Macedo (she/her) is a Senior HR Learning Partner at Northeastern University, where she has supported leadership development since 2017. In her role, she designs, facilitates, and evaluates impactful learning programs focused on managerial skill-building, coaching, and feedback. With a strong foundation as a former HR Business Partner, Lisa brings a strategic lens to her work, partnering with leaders to ensure learning initiatives align with organizational goals. She is especially passionate about creating practical, inclusive experiences and takes a collaborative approach to help managers grow in confidence and capability.

Mika Morikawa-Zhou (pronounced: Mee-kah Moh-ree-kah-wah Joe), is a specialist in organizational learning, development, and employee engagement. She is driven by the belief that organizations should work FOR people. At Northeastern, she developed the employee engagement core philosophy, spearheaded the reimagination and execution of the 2025 Staff Excellence Awards, and leads the Nourish Engagement initiative.

Mika holds a Master of Science in Corporate and Organizational Communication, with a focus in cross-cultural communication, and a Bachelor of Arts from Wellesley College. She identifies as Japanese/Asian American and a neurodiverse woman of color.

Dr. Constance M. Yowell is a nationally recognized leader in education innovation, with a career spanning research, philanthropy, technology, and higher education. She currently serves as a Researcher of Practice and Executive Director of the Center on the Future of Higher Education and Talent Strategy at Northeastern University. She previously served as Northeastern’s Senior Vice Chancellor for Education Innovation, leading a university-wide transformation of experiential learning, global programs, and career pathways.

Before joining Northeastern, Dr. Yowell was Executive Vice President at Southern New Hampshire University, where she helped pioneer a stackable, personalized learning system to increase access for first-generation and low-income learners. She was the founder and CEO of LRNG, a national nonprofit and digital platform that connected youth to learning and workforce opportunities through local ecosystems.

Earlier in her career, she directed the $250 million Digital Media and Learning initiative at the MacArthur Foundation, catalyzing a new field of connected learning and launching influential efforts such as the Open Badge movement, game-based learning, and 21st-century library and museum transformations.

Dr. Romi Singh is a highly accomplished thought leader in global drug development, multiregional clinical trials, and the application of AI/ML in regulatory sciences. Dr. Singh was appointed Professor of Practice at Northeastern University after a successful career at leading biopharmaceutical companies, including Pfizer, Amgen, Merck, and GSK. He has successfully bridged the interfaces between drug discovery, development, manufacturing, medical & commercial. He is frequently sought out to facilitate policy discussions and drive effective interactions with health authorities to achieve positive outcomes. He founded GRA Advisors to advise on global regulatory strategies. Dr. Singh obtained his BSc (Hons) from St. Stephen’s College, a doctorate from the University of Kansas, and postdoctoral training from the University of Washington. He completed his certification from MIT in Artificial Intelligence and Business Strategy.

John Wilder is an assistant teaching professor of Analytics and Applied AI. His favorite course to teach is ALY6070 – Communication and Visualization for Data Analytics. In addition to teaching, John enjoys finding opportunities for students to practice their data analysis skills on real-world problems. For example, in Fall 2024 he helped run a data hackathon where students used cell phone mobility data to predict the flow of traffic in and around Toronto during large events, such as pop music concerts. John previously taught computer science with Khoury College and has worked as an independent contractor developing virtual-reality software. As a research associate at the University of Toronto, and before that as a postdoctoral fellow at York University, he conducted research at the intersection of human perception, cognitive neuroscience, and computer vision. John earned a PhD in Cognitive Psychology and an MS in Computer Science from Rutgers University.

Originally from Bermuda, Lesley is an accomplished professional who has spent most of her career in both the hospitaliy and destination marketing industries. In 2022, she joined The Partnership as the Sr Manager, Leadership Development Programs and is responsible for the entire lifecycle of their signature leadership development programs.

Lesley’s interests include cooking, reading, wine tasting, and community service. She served Big Sister of Greater Boston for 10 years as a mentor and founding member of the organization’s Diversity Board, ending her service as Vice President. Lesley is a proud member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and the Board of Directors of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Bermuda. Lesley is an alumna of the University of New Haven and holds a Certificate in Women’s Entrepreneurship at Cornell University in conjuction with Bank of America. Lesley’s greatest passion is travel to destinations like Morocco and South Africa.

Heidi Happonen is a seasoned strategic marketing and communications leader with over two decades of experience spanning academic, nonprofit, and corporate sectors. Recognized for her purpose-driven approach, Heidi excels in building and guiding diverse teams to deliver creative strategies that advance institutional goals, foster stakeholder relationships, and enhance organizational reputations. Currently serving as Senior Director of Communications at Northeastern University’s College of Professional Studies, Heidi has previously led award-winning campaigns at Oregon State University and held leadership roles in both agency and corporate environments. As the founder of StoryForce, she has empowered Fortune 500 companies, NGOs, and academic institutions to harness the power of storytelling for impactful change. Heidi holds an MBA from Washington State University and a BA in English from Temple University.

Originally from Detroit, MI, David is a graduate of Indiana University-Bloomington (BA English) and Northeastern University (MEd Higher Education Administration, MS Organizational Communication) and career academic and student affairs employee in higher education. He is currently Associate Director for PhD Programs at the College of Arts, Media, and Design.

David enjoys supporting his colleagues in addition to his primary job responsibilities, having facilitated multiple professional development groups, and co-chairing the launch of an employee professional development affinity group (Northeastern University Future Leaders). He is pursuing a Doctorate of Education focused on identifying new ways to measure the mutual return on investment for employee participation in professional development.

David is a CPS alum (MEd ’18, MS ’20) and The Partnership fellow (’21).