Three institutes expand reach in the community with new appointees

Three of Lipscomb University’s institutes will expand their community reach this school year with new staff or a re-organized structure.

 

Five institutes have been established at Lipscomb since 2006 to address specific needs in underserved aspects of the community. The institutes work to advance sustainable business practice, conflict resolution processes, corporate integrity, justice and humanitarian issues and personal spiritual growth within the community and region.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lipscomb University has appointed Brad Reid, former professor of business law at Abilene Christian University (ACU) in Abilene, Texas, as the managing director of the Dean Institute for Corporate Governance and Integrity.

 

Reid, who worked for Exxon and in private legal practice before moving into academics, has been published in numerous employment law, property law and marketing law publications. He also won several awards at ACU for research and teaching.

 

Reid earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Oklahoma and his law degree from the University of Texas.

The Dean Institute for Corporate Governance and Integrity is a national forum that integrates best practices in governance with integrity and faith for public and private company executives, board members and other top-tier corporate leaders.

 

The Dean Institute was co-founded by Lipscomb and Nashville law firm Bone McAllester Norton PLLC. Unlike other programs on corporate ethics and regulatory issues, Lipscomb’s Dean Institute will approach governance from a faith-based perspective and address the root issues at play, namely how character and integrity inform the decisions, actions and culture of corporations.

 

In the past two years, the Dean Institute has sponsored several lectures and discussions for local businesspeople and Lipscomb students, featuring business leaders such as Ben Heineman, William Pollard and David Miller.

 

 

 

Jackie Halstead has been appointed associate director of Lipscomb’s Institute for Christian Spirituality (ICS) and associate professor of spiritual formation.

 

She brings to the institute, established in 2009, a background in marriage and family therapy and national and international experience speaking on topics of contemplative prayer, spiritual formation and mental health.

 

Halstead was chair of the department of marriage and family therapy at Abilene Christian University in Abilene, Texas, for the past five years. She is a licensed marriage and family therapist and is completing a term as president of the Texas Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. She is also president of Halstead and Associates, a professional corporation.

 

Halstead holds a doctorate in human development and family studies from Iowa State University, a master’s degree in marriage and family therapy from Abilene Christian University and a bachelor of science degree in psychology from Oklahoma Christian University.

 

The Institute for Christian Spirituality focuses on personal spiritual development through spiritual discipline and mentorships and provides academic programs aimed at deepening spirituality in everyday life. The ICS kicked off its programs in 2009 by hosting John Ortberg, a national spiritual formation leader and best-selling author.

 

"Spiritual formation is a holistic thing. We sometimes tend to departmentalize our faith and it therefore never becomes a real part of who we are. To serve God to our fullest we must let Him shape us. It comes down to us lettering go and letting Him use us. We can't do this by ourselves," said Halstead. "The goal of the ICS is to offer programming and resources to help facilitate an exploration of spiritually forming practices and relationships."

 

 

 

Lipscomb University has named Steve Joiner the new managing director of the Institute for Conflict Management (ICM). Joiner succeeds Larry Bridgesmith, who led the institute for four years as founding executive director. Bridgesmith transitioned from executive director to focus on teaching and promoting the ICM within the legal community in Middle Tennessee and nationally in his new role as senior fellow for conflict management.

 

The ICM provides academic and business-specific resources to equip students, organizations and professionals with skills to minimize the costs of unresolved conflict. It is the second conflict resolution organization established by Lipscomb University President L. Randolph Lowry, a nationally recognized leader in dispute resolution.

 

As the inaugural director of Lipscomb’s first institute, Bridgesmith’s contributions have been significant in establishing the ICM as a leader in conflict resolution. Under his leadership, the ICM has established Lipscomb’s master’s degree in conflict management and built collaborative relationships with the University of Tennessee College of Law, Vanderbilt University Law School and Southern Methodist University Center for Dispute Resolution.

 

Joiner joined the Lipscomb faculty and became associate director of the ICM in 2008. As professor of conflict management, Joiner teaches negotiation, conflict in religious settings and leadership. Joiner has extensive experience conducting management and staff trainings, courses and workshops in conflict management skills throughout business, community and religious settings.

 

He has also served as a university dean and has taught conflict management and leadership skills in Germany, Brazil, Uganda, and throughout the U.S. Joiner has a special interest in generationally generated conflict. Joiner also continues to provide counsel to numerous churches and organizations seeking conflict competency.

 

Bridgesmith serves as president of the Tennessee Association of Professional Mediators and chairman of the board for the Center for the Public Trust. This year Bridgesmith was named one of the top 3,000 lawyers in America by LawDragon through a peer and client based evaluation process.  In October, the International Academy of Mediators will induct him as an honorary designate.