APU is committed to fostering an atmosphere wherein academics are not simply taught, but lived.

Jillian Gilbert, DSL, specializes in organizational leadership and development, personal leadership development, innovation, and strategy, and has 15 years of international experience, and 10 years of higher education and nonprofit experience. Her published works center around leadership/followership relationships and personal leadership innovation.

Diana Lynn Woods, PhD, is an associate professor in Azusa Pacific University’s School of Nursing, as well as a nurse practitioner, and researcher. Her focus centers on developing and disseminating new knowledge to strengthen humanistic care for persons with dementia. She brings 25 years of experience researching Alzheimer’s Disease, specifically behavioral symptoms of dementia and sleep disturbances, nonpharmacological and interventions, and understanding the biobehavioral factors, genetic, neuroendocrine, and behavioral indices of stress that contribute to BSD.

Mary Rawlings, Ph.D., LCSW, serves as chair and professor of Azusa Pacific’s Master of Social Work program. Her interest lies in competency-based education, entry-level practice skills, social work education outcome assessments, and experiential learning models. She is also a licensed clinical social worker, where her focus is on women’s issues and chronic and persistent mental illness.

Roberta Clarke, Ed.D., is an assistant professor in the Department of School Counseling and School Psychology at Azusa Pacific University. She has an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from California State University, Long Beach, and brings more than 25 years of PreK-12 public school system experience to the classroom.

Susan Shore, PT, Ph.D., serves as chair and professor for the Department of Physical Therapy at Azusa Pacific University. She has a Ph.D. in Exercise Science from the University of Toronto. Shore has extensive work experience as a physical therapist, including patient care in the U.S., Canada, Russia, and Romania. Her research interests include the evaluation of adaptive equipment and provision of services for the disabled in the developing world.

In addition to her roles at Azusa Pacific University, Aimee Vadnais, Psy.D., MFT, has a private practice in San Diego called Carmel Valley Psychological Services, where she specializes in couples, women’s issues, and infertility. Her clinical interests include positive psychology, emotional intelligence, attachment theory, and sensory processing disorders.

Erin Weaver, M.A., brings years of experience working in the public education system teaching high school art in addition to teaching at Azusa Pacific University since 2011. She has taught all levels, including ceramics, beginning art, design, advanced drawing and painting, and art honors. She is passionate about working with educators who want to further advocate for the arts by demonstrating how art education has the power to create empathetic, focused problem-solvers who use these academic life skills in every facet of their lives.

Christopher Leland, Ph.D., is a professor in Azusa Pacific’s Department of Communication Studies and director of the department’s forthcoming graduate program. Leland holds a Ph.D. in political communication from the University of Oklahoma and an M.A. in rhetoric from the University of Arkansas. During his long career in higher education, Leland has taught a variety of communications-related subjects, from persuasion and argumentation to political communication, often through the lens of faith and a Christian worldview. Leland has significant experience in professional communications settings, including serving as a speechwriter for the National Governors’ Association and working as a consultant to local, regional, and national political campaigns. He also presents at major corporations on various topics that include team building through communication, speaking for success, and communicating the corporate image.