President

Fielding’s Interim President Announced

We are pleased to announce that Dr. John L. Bennett has been selected to serve as Fielding’s Interim President, effective February 1, 2025.

Many of you know John as a respected scholar-practitioner and experienced change leader. As a Fielding alum (HOD ’06) and former member of the Board of Trustees, John brings a deep passion for and commitment to our university. During his tenure as a trustee (2019–2024), he chaired the Academic Affairs Committee, Alumni and Development Committee, and the Reimagination and Reinvention Task Force, while also serving on the Strategy and Business Development Committee. John will take a leave of absence from the Board during his interim presidency.

About John L. Bennett, Ph.D., M.P.A.

John L. Bennett, Ph.D., M.P.A, will begin as president of Fielding Graduate University on an interim basis on February 1, 2025. He is a scholar-practitioner and change leader. As a Fielding alum and former member of the Board of Trustees, Dr. Bennett brings a deep passion and commitment to the university. As a trustee from 2019 to 2024, he chaired the academic affairs committee, alumni and development committee, and the Reimagination and Reinvention Task Force. He served on the strategy and business development committee. Most recently, he co-chaired the university’s presidential search committee.

During the last 20 years, Dr. Bennett was a business and behavioral science professor and Wayland H. Cato, Jr. Chair of Leadership at the McColl School of Business, Queens University of Charlotte. Dr. Bennett also served as communication department chair, graduate programs director, chair and co-chair of various strategic task forces, and curriculum designer and was the founding director of the first master’s degree in executive coaching in North America.

After 18 years with the American Red Cross, he worked in roles as diverse as human services program management, fundraising, and disaster relief services. His last eight years were as CEO of regional biomedical services divisions, where he led a merger and turnaround. In 1997, he founded Lawton Associates, a consulting and executive coaching firm focused on helping individuals, teams, and organizations prepare for, excel through, and improve from change. For 27 years, he has worked with clients in for-profit, not-for-profit, and government organizations. He was a senior practice leader for a global talent management firm and was the CEO of the Foundation of Coaching, a project of the Harnisch Family Foundation.

Dr. Bennett completed his undergraduate education at Mars Hill University, then earned a Master’s in Public Affairs degree from the University of North Carolina Greensboro. He earned a Master of Arts and Ph.D. in human and organizational systems from Fielding Graduate University. He is a member of several academic and professional associations, including the Academy of Management and the American Psychological Association. Dr. Bennett is the author or co-author of numerous articles and five books, including his most recent, The Manager’s Guide to Coaching for Change. Together with Fielding alum Yabome Gilpin-Jackson, PhD (HOS ’12), he co-edited three special issues of Organization Development Review: Bridging to Equity-Centered Futures in Organization Development (2024), Beyond DEIB: Bridging to an Equity-Centered Future (2023), and Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (JEDI) in Organization Development (2021).

In 2010, Dr. Bennett was named a Charter Fellow in The Lewin Center and a Founding Fellow of the Institute of Coaching affiliated with McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School. In 2023, he was named a Noble Fellow at Queens University of Charlotte. He is a past president of North Carolina Industrial and Organizational Psychology (NCIOP) and the Graduate School Alliance for Educating Coaches (GSAEC). He serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Applied Behavioral Science.

Should you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to communications@fielding.edu.