Contact Us

Carol A. 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. 

Ted Lamb, PhD
Asst. Dean for Curriculum and Assessment
tlamb@naropa.edu; 303-245-4617 

Ted Lamb, PhD joined Naropa University in August, 2012. He has recently worked as a senior consultant for Peak Research in assisting various universities deal with higher education assessment and evaluation plans and programs. Other recent work has included evaluation of the Veterans Trauma Court in Colorado Springs, CO. He has taught at Wofford College, Wittenberg University, Antioch College, and the University of Texas at San Antonio. He was Co-Director of Research and Evaluation at Biological Sciences Curriculum Study in Colorado Springs. He received his Bachelor's and Master's degree from the University of Alabama-Tuscaloosa and a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. His professional activities include many conference presentations at the American Sociological Association, American Evaluation Association, and the American Psychological Association meetings in addition to publications in Social Psychology Quarterly, the Journal of Applied Social Psychology, The Evaluation Exchange, Journal of Research on Professional Learning, Educational Technology, Journal of Universal Computer Science, Schizophrenia Bulletin, The American Sociologist, Sociological Practice Review, Hormones and Behavior, and Social Behavior and Personality.

Janine Ibbotson
Asst. Dean, Academic Programming & Accreditation
jibbotson@naropa.edu; 303-245-4813

Janine assists the university with project management and the development of new academic programs. She also assists with university accreditation efforts. 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, instructional design skills and a passion for collaborative teamwork. Janine has been at Naropa since 2006 and during that time she has served and worked closely with staff members in both Academic Affairs and the President's Office.

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.

Amelia Yeager
Associate Director of Institutional Research
ayeager@naropa.edu; 303-245-4687

Amelia Yeager is our new Associate Director of Institutional Research. She comes from Durango where she was in charge of Institutional Research at Fort Lewis College for eleven years. Amelia last lived in Boulder in 1980 when she graduated from CU, cum laude in Anthropology. She received her Master of Public Health degree from Columbia University in the City Of New York. She has worked in health and education research and reporting throughout her career, including four years in the Environmental Epidemiology division at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. She hopes to coordinate the University's data and reporting functions within an IR clearinghouse structure. This will include all required reports from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), the Common Data Set, Higher Learning Commission Annual data report, as well as internal reports and studies.

Amy Gup                    
Executive Assistant to the Provost & Vice President for Academic Affairs
agup@naropa.edu;  303-546-3588

Amy assists the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs with scheduling, correspondence, office budgeting, general administrative support and special projects.  Before joining Academic Affairs, Amy spent many years working in the non-profit world gathering extensive experience in an administrative, project management and executive assistant capacity, particularly in the area of Disability Policy and Independent Living.  She is also a certified practitioner of Rosen Method Bodywork and Reiki Energywork having worked with seniors, youth, trauma survivors and hospice.  In addition, Amy has worked as a homecare provider and also spent a year living and working at Lama Foundation, an intentional spiritual community and retreat center in Northern New Mexico that embraces all spiritual traditions.   She holds a BA in Sociology from Washington University in St. Louis.

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.

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