University of Phoenix faculty spotlight: Dr. Renee Green

University of Phoenix faculty Dr. Renee Green prides herself on holding a wide range of leadership experience. She spent 20 years in the U.S. Army, has worked in corporate America (from startups to leadership training) and is senior associate faculty at University of Phoenix. It was her professional and military experience that led her to higher education: She wanted to understand how leaders are shaped and trained — and she wanted to help them discover unknown talents. The result is a multifaceted UOPX instructor who, in this Q&A, reflects on how students can strike a healthy balance in their lives and why giving up isn’t an option.

A: Being named Woman of the Year when I was working in the private sector and being inducted into both the Sergeant Audie Murphy Club and the Sergeant Morales Club in the military. These accomplishments were not about my resumé, but how I helped others and introduced them to “the new new” in the professional world — how they could use their skills, in other words, to meet current workforce demands and trends.

A: I had a student in a class who had competing priorities and wanted to drop out of school. The person took the time to send me an email, and I took the time to call them. I encouraged the person to stay the course, take personal time and do something every day. The student decided to stay in class and eventually graduated. What a beautiful experience of sharing that you care, and empowering others to never give up on themselves.

Ultimately, students have to strike a balance between themselves, their schoolwork, their careers and their families. While there is a little room to neglect any one area, the key is to think about time as something that gets redistributed. It could look different from week to week or even day to day. This removes those competing priorities so that students can focus on their coursework and perform to their personal best. I provide a platform for students to reach out when they need help. The key is to not give up and to stay in the race.

A: As I respond to discussion questions, I like to share scenarios of how I used or implemented what I learned and provide measures as to how students can do the same.

To further aid my students, I provide supporting documents and encouraging announcements in class. I share personal setbacks, so they know I am human. I check messages and course questions throughout the day, and I share my availability to chat.

All this ties back to my favorite thing about teaching: students who excel in learning especially when they thought they could not or were trying to give up.

A: By far, it is understanding that you oversee your learning, and learning does not stop until you stop.

A: Be a journalist and a comedian.

Dr. Renee Green is a leadership coach, mentor and professor who works across three sectors: the military, corporate America and education. She helps leaders with targeted recruitment, succession planning and talent retention, and has experience with mergers, strategy planning and business startups. In addition to leadership roles in both the private and military sectors, Dr. Green has served as director of Academic Affairs, program chair and faculty mentor for the MBA (Competency-Based) program at University of Phoenix.

Read more University of Phoenix faculty profiles and learn about UOPX real-world faculty.