Dr. Shana Garrett is a respected educator, licensed professional counselor, and higher education leader with over 25 years of experience in program development, administration, and faculty roles across both online and traditional platforms. As Dean of the College of Psychology and Community Services at Walden University, she leads innovative programs that advance adult learning, instructional design, and organizational effectiveness. Shana is recognized for her mentorship and commitment to educational transformation, excelling in team building, executive coaching, change management, and leadership development. Her career highlights include launching online graduate programs at Pepperdine University, serving as faculty for the North Texas Council of Governments-Regional Police Academy, and over 30 years in program management.
She currently serves as the 2025-2026 President of the United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA), where she promotes distance education. She was recently featured in Higher Ed Digest: Advancing Authentic Leaders within the Higher Education Community. Her presentations include Pure Heart Leadership at the 3rd International Women Influencers Network and Women’s Leadership Congress, as well as at the Mindful Leader conference in Washington, D.C. She received the Outstanding Leadership Award from Ed 2.0, participated as a panelist in Leadership Journey: Women Executives Share Their Paths to Success, and served as the keynote speaker for The Complex Community of Higher Education at the University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley.
Dr. Garrett developed the Pure Heart Leadership approach, which integrates psychological principles with practical strategies to help leaders foster trust, respect, and productivity. She is the author of Pure Heart Thoughts: An Approach to Authentic Leadership (2014) and Pure Heart Leadership (2019), and has published extensively on professional development. Dr. Garrett holds a Ph.D. in Psychology from Saybrook University, an MBA from Walden University, an MA in Clinical Psychology from Pepperdine University, and a BA in Counseling Psychology from the University of North Texas. She is licensed as a Professional Counselor (LPC) in Texas and as a National Certified Counselor (NCC), with expertise in crisis intervention, family dynamics, and relationship counseling.