Dr. Judy Touchton, president of TOUCHTON PARTNERS LLC and founder of WOMENLEADERSMOVE.com ™, has been identifying, promoting, and helping academic women leaders advance for over 30 years. She is an executive coach, candidate consultant, and a nationally recognized expert on women in academic leadership. Prior to launching TOUCHTON PARTNERS LLC she served as Deputy Director of the American Council on Education’s Office of Women in Higher Education and as Director of its hallmark National Network for Women Leaders. At ACE she also chaired its Roundtable of Executive Search Firms and managed the Office of Women’s Senior Executive Leadership Service. Through coaching and consulting Dr. Touchton continues to help women move into senior leadership positions, especially presidencies and vice-presidencies.
Dr. Touchton is a noted speaker, consultant, and writer on women’s issues, academic career transitions, and practical applications of positive psychology. Her latest book--Women's Paths to Happiness (Xlibris, 2009), for which she served as senior co-editor and contributing author--is a “self-help” book featuring essays by 12 women coaches who share some of the ways they use positive psychology in their lives and work. Her other publications and speeches have an academic focus, addressing such issues as the status of women in higher education, gender equity, leadership development, career transitions, mentoring, and presidential career patterns. Another recent publication, A Measure of Equity: Women’s Progress in Higher Education (Association of American Colleges and Universities, 2008) for which she served as senior author, filled a ten-year vacuum in synthesizing current and historical trends related to women’s participation in higher education.