On July 1st, 2010, Lisa Schmidt joined the staff of The Xenia Institute as its director of community of engagement.  We are extremely excited about Lisa’s appointment and the work she will do to help Xenia connect various segments of our community.

Lisa Schmidt is a doctoral candidate in adult and higher education at the University of Oklahoma with more than thirty years of higher education administration and university teaching experience. She is currently serving her fourth term on the Norman Human Rights Commission and is an active and engaged member of St. Thomas More University Parish. Her dissertation topic is academic service-learning, exploring how engaging in deliberate, meaningful and reflective service as an undergraduate might impact professional commitment as well as degree completion, especially among women in engineering and science. As Director of Community Engagement, Lisa is responsible for identifying and developing ways for Xenia to be involved in addressing critical community issues through dialogue, partnerships, and public events.  Of particular interest to her are issues related to social and economic justice and inclusiveness.  She is a Norman native and her doctorate will be her third degree from the University of Oklahoma.

In addition to her work in the field, Lisa will also be contributing regular blog posts on community engagement and civic participation to The Xenia Institute’s Web site and to Dialogic, the online magazine of The Xenia Institute.