Leadership

Arthur T. Matthews J.D. is a Teaching Professor at Penn State University School of Labor and Employment Relations. He teaches a signature course in Race, Gender and Employment which is cross listed in Women Studies and Labor and Human Resources. Moreover, he teaches courses in the Law of Labor-Management Relations, Dispute Resolution, Leadership, and a Graduate course in Employment Law.  

He is also the COO, partner, and Chief Playmaker of Matthews & Matthews Consulting (conscioustrainers.com) which is a boutique firm specializing in divergent aspects of human resources and the workforce. His areas of expertise include, but are not limited to, diversity & inclusion, cultural humility, leadership, conflict resolution, sexual harassment awareness, and organizational change. His clients are primarily government agencies, unions, corporations and 501 C 3 organizations. Some of his clients include but are not limited to Johns Hopkins University, Con Edison, 1199SEIU, Dare2Dream Leaders Inc and the EEOC. He started his teaching career in 1987 first at Medgar Evers College/CUNY and served on the faculty at NYU and Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations for 32 years and the University of Arkansas as a Visiting Professor for 25 years. in 2016 and 2017 he lectured at the Clinton School of Public Service and Harvard University School of Law respectively. 

Arthur earned his Juris Doctor degree from Howard University School of Law where he served as President of the Student Bar Association. It was in this capacity that he led hundreds of law students in the march that helped enact MLK Day as a national holiday. Moreover, he proudly hosted one of the last public appearances of Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. The CEO of his firm is his wife Evelyne R. Matthews who is also a lecturer and part time actress. 

Brian Redmond, Ph.D. is a Teaching Professor at Penn State’s School of Labor and Employment Relations and has been teaching on-line since 2004.He is also currently the Online Education Lead as well, and has been an academic administrator since 2016. At Penn State, he has innovated new opportunities in the virtual space such as the first online psychology club in the nation. Additionally, he has been an advocate for those who are underrepresented in higher education. He served as the chair for the Commission for Adult Learners and was a founder and educator in a diversity and inclusion certificate offered at a low cost to online students. Additionally, he has consulted in a variety of organizations regarding their organizational processes and leadership over the years. He currently owns and operates a leadership consulting company called People Lever that serves a variety of leadership needs in organizations.  

Brian received his Ph.D. in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from the City University of New York and his M.A. in the same from New York University. He has published articles in Basic and Applied Psychology, Journal of Asynchronous Learning, Encyclopedia of Industrial/Organizational, and internationally in Revista Española de Pedagogía. Additionally, he has given dozens of talks on leadership and online education at academic and professional conferences.

Kim Trahan, Ph.D., is an Associate Teaching Professor in the Organizational Leadership (OLEAD) Program and has been teaching online since 2011. She joined the School of Labor and Employment Relations in 2017. She also has over 20 years of combined experience serving as an administrator, consultant, and career counselor. At Penn State, Kim teaches and designs online undergraduate organizational leadership courses for the B.S. and B.A. degree programs in the OLEAD curriculum. She serves as the lead Instructor for the Introduction to Leadership course. She also teaches other online undergraduate courses in the OLEAD curriculum, including Emotional, Social, and Cultural Intelligence and Implications for Leadership as well as Leadership Development. Her interests focus on humanistic and innovative approaches to organizational leadership that help students to build capacity to be effective as leaders in the global workplace with specific focus on self-knowledge, skill development, and real-world application. She has previously served as a consultant in the areas of career management, mindful leadership, diversity and more to major telecommunications, pharmaceutical, and healthcare organizations. Kim has an extensive background in program development related to career and leadership development. She has an extensive background providing career counseling and coaching to university students and in private practice as a licensed professional counselor. She is in the process of completing the International Coaching Federation coaching certification to obtain the Associate Certified Coach credential. 

She received her doctoral degree in Organizational Systems from Saybrook University, integrating organizational psychology and organizational development from a systems theory perspective. Her master’s degree is in Counseling and Human Development from the University of Rochester. She has presented at professional conferences on topics related to emotional, social, and cultural intelligence and leadership; leadership assessment; enhancing online student learning through embedded librarianship, and more.