Kristine Southard
Director of Education
Dr. Kristine Southard is the lead Educational Consultant for Third Act Development. She is a distinguished leader in higher education with over 30 years of academic and operational experience across both Non-Profit and For-Profit colleges and universities. As a former President, Chief Academic Officer, Academic Dean, and faculty member, Dr. Southard brings deep expertise in institutional management, strategic academic planning, and regulatory compliance.
Dr. Southard began her academic career as a faculty member in Letters at the College of New Rochelle’s School of New Resources, a pioneering baccalaureate program designed for adult learners. After eight years as a faculty member and academic advisor, including work across institutional and school shared governance committees, Dr. Southard went on to leadership positions in the School of New Resources, managing campuses in the South Bronx, Harlem, Wall Street, Brooklyn, Co-op City, Westchester, and opening an annex in Yonkers, New York in partnership with the HUD initiative Choice Neighborhoods.
Throughout her career, Dr. Southard has remained deeply committed to expanding access to higher education, particularly within urban communities. Her work has focused on supporting adult learners in overcoming financial barriers and balancing personal responsibilities, enabling them to persist and succeed through graduation.
Dr. Southard is a proven academic leader with an extensive background in university academic models, programmatic and institutional accreditation (Middle States, ACEN, CAAHEP, CODA), and regulatory oversight from NYSED, OSHE, the U.S. Department of Education, and State Boards of Nursing. As an approved Middle States peer reviewer, Dr. Southard has been trained to lead institutions through successful accreditation, compliance, and restructuring initiatives.
In executive roles, Dr. Southard has provided critical advice to institutions facing academic and financial challenges, including at-risk and closing schools, overseeing wind-downs, consolidations, and bankruptcy processes with precision and integrity.
As Chief of Staff and academic strategist, Dr. Southard is highly skilled in talent cultivation, stakeholder communication, and leadership development—building strategic pathways for administrators, faculty, and staff. Dr. Southard delivers measurable value by designing strategic retention frameworks, planning and revising academic programs based on labor market trends, and leading professional growth initiatives. She also helps propel academic endeavors by optimizing enrollment strategies, streamlining multi-campus academic delivery models, and crafting sustainable academic and operational budgets.
With a strong commitment to academic excellence and institutional growth, Dr. Southard drives success across Liberal Arts, General Education, Professional, and Allied Health programs. As a consultant, Dr. Southard is a collaborative team leader, mission-driven, and consistently achieves defined deliverables in a timely and judicious manner.
Dr. Southard graduated from Mount Vernon High School in 1985 and was a dedicated Humanities program student in the school district. She went on to pursue a double major in English and Political Science at Fordham University. Following her undergraduate studies, she earned a Master of Arts in English and later a Doctorate in Literature from New York University.
A recognized strategic retention expert, Dr. Southard has helped thousands of students achieve their academic goals. Her unwavering dedication to equity and opportunity continues to inspire her mission: to transform lives through education and increase access across underserved communities.