Name: Heather M. Annulis, Ph.D., CPLP

Professional Title: Director & Professor of Human Capital Development | School of Leadership | College of Business and Economic Development | The University of Southern Mississippi

Bio: Dr. Heather Annulis serves as Director of the School of Leadership and Professor of Human Capital Development at The University of Southern Mississippi. She holds a doctorate from Southern Miss in International Development with a concentration in Workforce Training and Development and a master’s degree in Organizational Communication from The University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Heather has been instrumental, in generating over $12 million in external funding for USM.

Associated with this funding was research conducted through NASA to help develop a well-trained geospatial workforce. Heather’s work has also been funded through the U.S. Department of Labor and the MS Department of Employment Security. Heather’s research interests include creating change readiness and implementing successful change in organizations. Her research has been published in the International Journal of Workforce Development, Performance Improvement Journal, Change Management Journal, Conference Board, and Human Resource Development International.

Awards recognizing her professional efforts and research include the American Society for Training and Development Award of Meritorious Service; Distinguished Professor of e-Learning, USM; Innovator in Workforce Development, Southern Growth Policies Board at the Governor’s Association; The Best Published Case Study Award, ROI Institute; Mississippi Business Journal’s Top 40 Under 40; and the Gulf Coast Woman of the Year, Lighthouse Group, and the Women in Higher Education Mississippi Network Leadership Award.