ACHS Welcomes New Leadership
The American College of Healthcare Sciences (ACHS, Portland, OR) has announced the addition of key leaders at the institution:
Hill Taylor, PhD has been named the college’s new chief academic officer. As chief academic officer, Dr. Hill will work in collaboration with the Board of Directors, president, chief operating officer, Center for Excellence in Teaching, Technology and Assessment (CETTA) Team, program chairs and other stakeholders across the institution to support ACHS’s culture of commitment to student retention and success, academic integrity, curriculum development and implementation, and all aspects of higher education compliance.
“Hill is an extremely accomplished educator and researcher. He brings a unique and diverse perspective and skill set that aligns with our college mission and vision and will contribute to the success of our future strategic initiatives and continued growth of our innovative and experiential educational programs,” shared ACHS President Dorene Petersen.
Natalie DeWitt, PhD, has been appointed the college’s new dean of students. Dr. DeWitt brings 15 years of experience in higher education in both traditional learning environments and online classrooms. She specializes in health behavior, public health, community health education, health care administration, and organizational behavior and leadership.
In her new role, Dr. DeWitt will act as an advocate for students and help ACHS’s online students succeed and achieve their academic goals. She will be responsible for data-driven strategic planning in student affairs and the management of all aspects of the student experience and student retention including first-year experience, academic advising, student retention, student conduct and student and alumni engagement. Dr. DeWitt’s role at ACHS contributes to the institution’s culture of assessment, quality improvement and retention initiatives.
Professor Dr. Nicole Betschman is now the college’s new integrative health and wellness program chair. As integrative health and wellness program chair, Dr. Betschman will continue to teach undergraduate and graduate courses in integrative health and wellness. She will also work with CETTA to conduct integrative health and wellness program reviews, research collaborations with industry credentialing organizations, and develop new course offerings.
“ACHS is thrilled to announce the appointment of Professor Dr. Nicole Betschman as the ACHS integrative health and wellness program chair,” said Petersen.“Dr. Betschman brings a unique combination of skills and experience to her role, including expertise in health education and health promotion, clinical experience in community and personal health, and experience working with diverse communities. Nicole brings passion and enthusiasm to her work across campus at ACHS, and we are excited to have her leadership for our Integrative Health and Wellness Department.”
In addition, Lori Holdren, BS, MA, PhD has been named as ACHS’ new general education program chair. ACHS offers a wide range of general education including mathematics, English, sociology, general sciences such as chemistry and biology, and other humanities. As general education program chair, Dr. Holdren will continue to teach undergraduate courses in math. She will also work with the CETTA to conduct general education program reviews, research collaborations with industry credentialing organizations, and develop new course offerings.
“I am excited to be working with such a talented group of instructors. Each brings a unique perspective in their area to give our students a broad skill set that will help them as they pursue their degree program,” Dr. Holdren said.
For more information, visit https://achs.edu.
