Dr. Brett Whitaker, Chair and Associate Professor of Leadership Programs
Contact Information:
Office: Rarick Hall 119 C
Office Phone: (785) 628-4303
Email: blwhitaker@fhsu.edu
Degrees: Ph.D. in Global Leadership, Indiana Tech, 2015
M.L.S. in Organizational Leadership, Fort Hays State University, 2008
B.S. in Organizational Leadership, Fort Hays State University, 2006
Courses Taught:
LDRS 300: Introduction to Leadership Concepts
LDRS 302: Introduction to Leadership Behavior
LDRS 407: Global Challenges
LDRS 460: Global Leadership
LDRS 493: Capstone in Leadership Studies
Biography
Dr. Whitaker joined Leadership Programs in 2008. Brett was the first faculty member in Leadership Programs to teach full-time within the international partnership programs that FHSU has in China and has been involved in growing and developing that program to a large scale. In 2011, he formally took on administrative responsibilities coordinating the international agenda in day-to-day operations. Brett has served as Chair of the department since 2019.
Dr. Whitaker has done extensive curriculum development at FHSU, and one program he has been mainly involved in at FHSU is the Global Challenges initiative. Brett has worked with developing that program since 2007 and joined the Expert Scholars group in 2009 as the FHSU representative in the national industry. Brett is the lead faculty member for the LDRS 460: Global Leadership course and has published and presented on Global Leadership in various scholarly outlets. Brett is particularly interested in intercultural competence development and cross-cultural leadership effectiveness.
Dr. Whitaker received his B.S. in Organizational Leadership from FHSU in 2006 and his M.L.S. in Organizational Leadership from FHSU in 2008. Brett completed his Ph.D. in Global Leadership from Indiana Tech in 2015, with his dissertation focusing on developing global Leadership degree-granting programs in higher education. His ongoing research interests include leadership theory, global Leadership, higher education, and intercultural competence development.