Lisa DeFrank-Cole

Dr. Lisa DeFrank-Cole is Professor and Director of Leadership Studies at West Virginia University (WVU).  Her research agenda is focused on women and leadership as well as followership.  She is an inaugural member of the Women’s Leadership Initiative at WVU where she serves on the steering committee.  DeFrank-Cole was recognized as the 2017 Mary Catherine Buswell award recipient at WVU and a 2019 West Virginia Wonder Woman for excellence and women’s advocacy.  She currently holds the Harriet E. Lyon Endowed Professorship in Women’s and Gender Studies.

Studying and writing about women and leadership for 20 years, she was a Fulbright Specialist Scholar in the Kingdom of Bahrain where she taught leadership classes to women.  She has led multiple leadership workshops for women in the Middle East, most recently in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.  She is an active member of the International Leadership Association and the Women and Leadership Member Community, of which she was chair in 2015, and remains an emerita member of the executive team.  Author of numerous articles, chapters, and case studies, her recent co-edited book with Sherylle Tan, Women’s Leadership Journeys: Stories, Research, and Novel Perspectives, was published in 2019.

Avid about exercise and a healthy lifestyle, she resides in Morgantown, West Virginia with her husband and their two orange tabby cats.