Our Team
Nicholas Brake, PhD
Instructor/Facilitator
Dr. Nick Brake, a native of the Cincinnati area, is an Assistant Professor of Education Administration for the School of Leadership and Professional Studies at Western Kentucky University. In addition to his role at WKU, Dr. Brake serves as the senior consultant of the Civic Innovation Group, a consulting firm that assists communities with civic engagement, adaptive leadership, and placemaking strategies.
Dr. Brake holds a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy from the University of Louisville. His bachelor’s and master’s degrees are both in history. He has completed post-doctoral study at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and Johns Hopkins University. He teaches doctoral level courses in educational policy and politics, leadership and ethics, as well as courses for aspiring superintendents.
Prior to joining the faculty at WKU, Dr. Brake served as the superintendent of the Owensboro Independent School District. Under his leadership, the district was recognized as one of the 25 most innovative districts in the US by the American Association of School Administrators.
Dr. Brake has held administrative leadership positions at the high school, community college, school district, and university levels. He spent seven years in community development as President and CEO of the Greater Owensboro Economic Development Corporation. While in this role, Dr. Brake played a leading role in the Placemaking project that transformed downtown Owensboro.
He and his wife Candance have two children, Nicholas, who lives in Nashville, and Anna Caroline, who lives in Washington DC.
Trevor Clark
Intern
Trevor Clark is an intern at Kentucky Center For Leadership and is currently getting his undergraduate degree in business administration from Western Kentucky University. Trevor plays an important role in the Organization, supporting with the facilitation of the workshops and training sessions, helping on the development of projects, coordinating the communication within the office, as well as providing a fresh perspective on what needs the young generation/workforce has on leadership development and training topics.
Trevor grew up in Louisville, Kentucky and graduated from Eastern High school where he played Lacrosse. He is involved in many on campus activities. One of them is the Young Adaptive Leaders where he serves as the President which is heavily focused on
Leadership. Its main purpose is to organize a community where students can learn how to resolve problems by developing activities such as networking, mentorship, adaptive workshops, projects within the community and individuals.
Trevor is also part of Sigma Nu on WKU’s campus and Senator at large in the Student Government Association. Trevor has a huge passion for health and leadership and wants to mobilize other people’s lives by the principles and understandings he has learned and used. For the future Trevor wants to transform lives holistically so people understand that absolutely everything is connected, such as health is to leadership.
Pamela Decker, EDD, MBA
Instructor/Facilitator
Pamela brings value to the team with her wealth of knowledge in the financial services industry. She has served in numerous leadership roles, including EVP & COO of a community bank which she helped form in 2000 as well as a VP of Education & Training for a publicly traded FinTech company.
She understands the importance of leadership within an organization and how individuals at every level contribute to its overall success. She has vast experience in building teams and helping them understand how to become more efficient, better communicators, and learn to collaborate. Pamela has a desire to not only help leaders at all levels work together to achieve corporate goals, but also helping individuals to grow and achieve personal goals. She has a passion for rural economic development and developing women leaders.
Pamela has a Doctorate in Organizational Leadership and an MBA from Western Kentucky University and is an adjunct faculty member in the Professional Studies Department. Pamela has attended multiple banking schools including the Kentucky Bankers Association where she has served as a faculty member and the Graduate School of Banking at Louisiana State University where she has served as a faculty member and a Trustee.
Bart Fleener
Instructor/Facilitator
Bio Coming Soon!
Jim Flynn
Instructor/Facilitator
A veteran educator and leader with over 30 years of experience, Dr. Jim Flynn serves as Executive Director of the Kentucky Association of School Superintendents where he provides professional assistance and leadership for the 171 superintendents in Kentucky, supports their professional learning, and leads the advocacy efforts of KASS.
Dr. Flynn served 16 years as superintendent of Simpson County Schools where he instilled a common vision for empowering all students to graduate life ready – prepared both academically and socially for college and careers. Recipient of the 2015 Kentucky Superintendent of the Year Award, Dr. Flynn is a statewide leader having served as President of the KASS and appointed by the
Kentucky General Assembly to the Local Superintendents Advisory Council (LSAC). Dr. Flynn’s national leadership experiences includes AASA, NSBA, the National Superintendents Leadership Institute and the BellSouth Superintendents Leadership Network to name a few. Additionally, he has presented to international audiences in Finland and China where he shared Kentucky’s educational achievements and benchmarked best practices.
At Western Kentucky University, Dr. Flynn continues to serve in the Department of Educational Administration, Research and Leadership in the College of Education and Behavioral Sciences.
He is a graduate of Bowling Green High School, where he was inducted into the BGHS Hall of Honor in 2014. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree along with his Rank I in School Administration and superintendent certification from Western Kentucky University. He received his Master of Science degree from Texas A&M University at Corpus Christi and his Doctoral degree from Northern Kentucky University.
He is married to Natalie, who is a teacher at Briarwood Elementary. They have three children, Bracken (Rice University graduate), Hunter (Western Kentucky University graduate), and Bretton (12th grade). He resides in Franklin, Kentucky with his wife and daughter.
Cecile Garmon, PhD
Vice President
Cecile Garmon serves as the Vice President of the Kentucky Center for Leadership which has the goal of helping citizens and organizations mobilize colleagues to identify and resolve community issues. In this role she helps develop the adaptive leadership courses which she also teaches.
Cecile considers the Kentucky Center for Leadership to be a valuable avenue for people to gain skills that enable them to participate more effectively in leading toward understanding and managing the issues they face in community and personal lives. Her experiences and background have given her access to many leadership sources, and she feels fortunate to have the opportunity to promote leadership development among her fellow citizens and enable them to bring healthy change to their communities.
Cecile’s background includes 59 years of teaching and administration at the university and high school levels. After serving as Director of Budget and Planning at Western Kentucky University and creating the first strategic plan, she created and directed the Center for Leadership Excellence and the academic leadership program while teaching leadership and intercultural communication. As part of the CLE she and Sabina Hasic developed a program to assist organizations with developing strategic plans.
She lives in Glasgow, Kentucky, where she chairs the board of the local library and participates in other community nonprofit activities.
Sabina Hasic, MBA
Instructor/Facilitator
Sabina Hasic is an entrepreneur who works with Kentucky Center for Leadership to provide leadership training, content development and organizational growth.
Sabina is one of the seven core members of Kentucky Center for Leadership who wanted to be part of the new center to empower community members with leadership training for a healthy change.
Currently she serves as the Adaptive Leadership training instructor. Previously she has worked with the Center for Leadership Excellence at WKU to help empower non-profit organizations.
With her entrepreneurship skills, Sabina has helped firms get started. She applies expert knowledge, industry experience, and enjoys the challenge of identifying and solving problems, listening to the needs of clients and accomplishing client goals.
Sabina holds a Master of Business Administration from Western Kentucky University and her mottos in life are “do what is right, not what is easy” and “only by giving and helping others do we truly gain.”
Cindy Hines, MBA, SPHR, SHRM-SCP
Instructor/Facilitator
Cindy’s extensive experience as a Coach, Trainer, Human Resources, Talent Development, Performance Management and Organizational Development leader includes the fast-moving consumer goods industry, banking, manufacturing and health care. She has domestic multi-state and international experience focused on shaping the HR agenda that supports key organizational goals. She has experience collaborating with manufacturing facilities as well as corporate locations. She has recently conducted training sessions on communications, goal setting, and motivating self and others.
Cindy has overseen the talent acquisition and talent management strategies as well as several corporate and sales department
restructurings and Mergers and Acquisitions. She has led assessment centers across the US that resulted in quality hires and increased retention through selectively hiring and implementing an onboarding process that doesn’t stop after 90 days. Her experience includes culminating HQ offices while executing layoffs and location wind down, while keeping respect and concern for the employees as her primary driver.
She has an MBA from Western Kentucky University and is an adjunct faculty member in the Management Department. Cindy has authored a chapter in the professional book “What’s Next in Human Resources” and is also published in “Cultivating Culture.”
Jackie Pope-Terrence, PhD
Instructor/Facilitator
With a strong background in clinical and social psychology, Jackie recognizes the importance of quality leadership to effectively empower every employee in an organization. She has long experience instructing diverse groups of professionals in the areas of interpersonal skills, verbal and nonverbal communication, as well as how to work effectively with others. She has provided extensive training in the area of equity and inclusion to professionals from the demanding P-12 and postsecondary education, helping leaders address the challenges impacting an organization’s success.
Having served successfully in leadership positions as an associate dean, a local school board member, and a member of the
state school board’s association, Jackie recognizes that quality leadership skills is a catalyst for organizational effectiveness. Her work with leaders in healthcare, law enforcement, and P-12 education speaks to the importance of helping businesses foster strategic partnerships in order to grow their business.
Jackie currently co-teaches clinical interviewing courses for first-year medical students at the UK College of Medicine Bowling Green Campus, as well as serves as a senior fellow with the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence overseeing the equity coalition. She has also spent the last three years serving as an educational consultant in the Bowling Green City School district.
Troy Robertson, EDD, MSETM, CSWP
Instructor/Facilitator
Troy has worked in industry from the plant floor to corporate headquarters, education, and several non-profits. His passions guide him to help individuals and organizations strengthen their leadership and capabilities.
Troy has educated engineering student teams and taught engineering courses in a project-based engineering department at Western Kentucky University. He has led research projects and guided teams through complex projects. Throughout Troy’s career he has worked with top management and focused on business success and improvement efforts. Troy has advised and led broad ranges of project teams including a range of participants from students to company owners and founders. He is Lean Sigma Certified with a strong understanding of industrial needs in these areas.
Troy has a master’s degree in engineering technology management that followed his extensive technical education, training, and experience. His education and training have positioned him with a valuable understanding of manufacturing and technical operations. He serves on non-profit boards and provides advisement for several others. His work in engineering departments has involved collaboration with external suppliers and customers all over the world. Troy’s greatest personal successes have been helping owners and top management grow their opportunities by further developing their skills, technologies, and areas of the markets.
Troy holds an Educational Doctoral Degree in Organizational Leadership from Western Kentucky University.
Michael Trivizadakis, PhD, MBA
President
Michael is the founding president of Kentucky Center For Leadership and has been working in the area of organizational leadership development as a consultant, facilitator and executive coach. He has an international background and sharp skills in understanding cultural diversity and its impact on leadership development and team dynamics. He works with clients in the areas of strategy and leadership development.
He has collaborated with manufacturing companies, healthcare providers, government agencies, service and non-profit organizations, experiencing first-hand the unique challenges of a demanding environment. He has been a coach for executives, facilitator on strategic planning and team building sessions as well as trainer for professionals, helping them reach higher levels of
performance. He has also extensive experience in the academic field, collaborating with institutions in Europe and the United States, teaching Leadership, Management, and Consulting.
With a vast exposure to professionals from team based organizations, particularly from diverse ethnic backgrounds, Michael can identify the core underlying elements that directly impact their success. He can be a valuable asset in improving their leadership skills and advancing their careers.
Michael holds an MBA from Western Kentucky University and a PhD in Chemical Engineering from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, in Greece. He has done postdoctoral work for UPenn/Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Drexel University in Philadelphia.