Chris Cavanaugh

Dr. Chris Cavanaugh is President and Certified Executive Coach for Pathseekers II, Inc., a consulting and executive coaching company. Her expertise includes women’s executive leadership in higher education and personal and career development, especially at pivotal times of personal and professional growth, within corporate and nonprofit settings.

Dr. Cavanaugh received a BS degree in business management from the University of Maryland, an MBA (specialization in organizational development) and EdD (specialization in virtual learning environments) from the University of West Florida. She has worked extensively in both the corporate and non-profit sectors, including over sixteen years at IBM (where she specialized in the higher education, healthcare, non-profit, and public sectors). She has been certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) since 1996, SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP), a Certified Performance

Technologist (CPT), and a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC) and by the International

Coaching Federation as an Associate Certified Coach (ACC) and with Hogan Assessments and with the Center for Creative Leadership. She was an American Council on Education Fellow, serving as past chair of the Professional Development Committee, and currently serves as past chair of the AAUA Board of Directors.

She currently instructs at Immaculata University (Doctoral EdD Program in research, administration, and ethics) and for UMGC (Business Program in Leadership and Human Resources). Additionally, she has written and presented nationally and internationally. She is married to Dr. John C. Cavanaugh with whom she collaborates on topics of leadership, higher education, and aging. They co-edited a three-volume series entitled Aging in America (2010). Dr. Cavanaugh edited a special issue of AAUA’s Journal of Higher Education Management (Vol. 35, No. 1) on Women’s Leadership in Higher Education (https://issuu.com/aaua10/docs/final_jhem_35_1__2020_), as well as numerous other papers on women’s leadership.