Contact Us

Carol Blackshire-Belay , PhD
Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
cblackshire-belay@naropa.edu; 303-546-3588

Carol A. Blackshire-Belay, PhD has joined the Naropa University community as interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. She also serves as Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies. She has most recently served Onward Education and Training (Cherry Hill, NJ) as Higher Education Consultant and Facilitator to Colleges and Universities, businesses and corporations across the US. She joined Onward Education after having served in senior-level administrative and faculty positions at Fayetteville State University, Sonoma State University, the University of Wisconsin (Madison and Green Bay campuses), Indiana State University, Temple University, and The Ohio State University; she also served as Post-Doctoral Research and Teaching Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, PA.  Dr. Blackshire-Belay received her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, completing the degree with concentrations in German Language, Linguistics, and African American Studies. She received her MA and PhD from Princeton University, Princeton, NJ and the Magister Artium from the Universität München in Munich, Germany in Germanic Languages and Linguistics, with a specialization in Germanic Linguistics. Dr. Blackshire-Belay is the author of a number of book volumes, published articles and book chapters, including, The Germanic Mosaic: Cultural and Linguistic Diversity in Society; Language and Literature in the African American Imagination; Political Strategies of Democracy and Health Issues and Concerns in Global Africa; and Language and Literature in the African American Imagination.

Judith Sumner
Assistant Dean for Business & Academic Support
judith@naropa.edu; 303-546-3516

Judith serves as the liaison to academic departments for budget development, financial management, and enrollment management and planning. Her work includes providing financial projections, needs assessments and other research and data to support new program development and assess the financial health of existing programs and departments. Prior to joining Academic Affairs, she served Naropa through positions in the Finance Department and the Office of Undergraduate Education. She brings a systems view and a commitment to working collaboratively with departments to build strong, sustainable academic programs for Naropa students.

Gloria Nouel
Assistant Dean for Program Development and Strategic Initiatives
gnouel@naropa.edu; 303-245-4687

Gloria Nouel joined Academic Affairs in August 2009. She also has an appointment with Naropa’s Transpersonal Counseling Psychology Master’s program. For the last 10 years Gloria served as full-time faculty and director of the Master of Science in Counseling Psychology and the founding director of the Master of Arts in Leadership and Organizational Transformation at Chatham University. Prior to that, Gloria worked in the non-profit world as a director and psychotherapist for the Women’s Counseling Center of the YWCA of Greater Pittsburgh, where she also worked in program development. Gloria has a PhD in Clinical Psychology with an existential-phenomenological approach from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA. Her MA is from the Humanistic Psychology department at West Georgia College, where she explored social phenomenology and the intersection of spirituality and psychology. In her community work Gloria has been involved in diversity initiatives, women’s empowerment issues and organizational change. Her research has focused on the transformation of maternal bereavement in its social, symbolic and spiritual dimensions and women’s positive aging. She brings a commitment and aspiration to an integrated vision of organizational life where dialogue, reflection and joyful action co-exist and are an impetus to a better society. 

Jirka Hladiš
Director of Online Curriculum Development
Jirka@naropa.edu; 303-245-4702

Jirka is responsible for the distance learning division at Naropa University. He carries on development of the online curriculum, does the assessment of the online campus, analyzes trends in online environment and supports online faculty and their training. His passions are bringing the unique Naropa education to students who cannot move to Boulder and delivering genuine contemplative education in the online medium. Jirka has been with Naropa since 1996 as a student, adjunct faculty and a staff member. He holds MA degrees both in Mechanical Engineering and Buddhist Studies.

Janine Ibbotson
Executive Assistant to the Provost & Vice President for Academic Affairs
jibbotson@naropa.edu; 303-546-3588

Janine assists the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs with project management, coordination of faculty promotion and sabbatical applications, scheduling and office budgeting. Before joining Academic Affairs, Janine served for almost 4 years as an administrative assistant in the Office of the President at Naropa University. A Speech Communications graduate of the University of Illinois, Janine holds a MA in Education, Instructional Technology from San Jose State University and brings a unique blend of talents combining service orientation, technical and instructional design skills with a passion for creating efficient, organized executive office environments.

Susan Martich
Administrative Coordinator
smartich@naropa.edu; 303-245-4677

Susan has been at Naropa since 2002. Before joining Academic Affairs, she served as administrative director in the departments of Religious Studies and Environmental Studies. A graduate of Indiana University, Susan also holds a MS in human resources management and development from National-Louis University. She brings strong organizational and administrative skills gained from numerous years in human resources management and development, and is responsible for overseeing the standardized instructor evaluation process and annual contract issuance.