I met Salisha as a member of our First-Year Learning Community for select students entering BYUH. After a few semesters, we hired her as mentor for the Learning Community. For about two years, each semester (for 5 or 6 semesters), she mentored about 20 new students from all over the world, helping them negotiate university social, work, academic, and spiritual life. Each cohort included at least 10 international students (besides U.S. students), leading her students, working across and through cultures and languages. In this area especially, she was the best mentor in the program, the area most valuable and necessary for her new endeavor and most valuable for our country now at a time of such great cultural division. After this, she served as service director for the student government of the university, leading several activities, but especially being recognized by the American Red Cross for her work organizing and facilitating university blood drives. During that time, she also worked as English department student secretary, one of the best we have had.

More impressive, though, was Salisha’s academic progress. She was woefully underprepared for university work, coming from miserable poverty and an education system that discriminated against her at times because she couldn’t dress “cleanly” enough since she was living in the streets, caring for her sister. She worked incredibly hard here, ending up graduating in English, though it may have been the hardest major for her to complete. No student I’ve taught was more dedicated or consistent. And her progress amazed me, especially considering the service she was doing outside of class.

I have met very few people—doctoral students or professionals—in the field who possess the combination and quality of attributes that Dr. Allard-Blaisdell exhibits. Among her many strengths, the following stand out:

• Deep passion for and expertise in supporting and equipping young people
• Keen intellectual, social, ethical, and cultural curiosity
• Extraordinary commitment to her own and others’ learning and growth
• Compassion, empathy, and beneficial concern for all people
• Personal warmth, common sense, and sense of humor
• Compelling sense of purpose, drive, and tenacity

Ms. Allard- Blaisdell is cooperative and assistive with anything the team needs, and she is passionate about youth development in the community. She's organized, detail-oriented, effective, and committed. Ms. Allard-Blaisdell excels at supervising, guiding, and motivating others around her. She is a natural leader, and problem solver, efficiently identifying and proposing solutions to any road bumps the team hits. Ms. Allard-Blaisdell is also great at staying on task. She's also a quick learner who quickly picks up new technology.

I first met Dr. Allard-Blaisdell in 2019 when she and my wife both entered a Ph.D. program (Organizational Leadership) at Northwest University in Bothell, WA. She and my wife spent much time collaborating and leading their cohort through the doctoral process. They established an accountability team to support each other and other students. They sought leadership opportunities and began attending and presenting at the International Leadership Association (ILA) in 2020. On weekends we would spend time with Dr. Allard-Blaisdell on outdoor outings where we would hike, bike, climb and talk and get to know each other. I was very much a part of the outings.

During my career, I have been involved with many humanitarian assistance missions. Dr. Allard-Blaisdell reached out to me to help secure donations for at-risk youth in an under-resourced school system in Grenada. I worked with a number of my contacts, and we were able to provide ten new laptops and shipping costs for her cause. Working with Dr. Allard-Blaisdell reminded me of how much I enjoy helping people in need, and since I recently retired, I appreciated her example that anyone could help humans in need; you simply have to do something. Dr. Allard-Blaisdell's words and actions helped me in my transition into retirement.

She is very caring and passionate, making it easy for her to connect to people and attract followers. Dr. Allard-Blaisdell is a force multiplier and a strong leader with vision. She switches rapidly between followership and leadership depending on the need and always has the ultimate goals of the big picture and team success in mind. She is an inspiring leader and friend.

l met Salisha at the local Chick-Fil-a almost five years ago. She was well dressed, and her hair was beautifully done. As a black woman in Utah, that is something that always catches my attention and is a great conversation starter. I always try to compliment other women who take pride in themselves. Salisha was the "one," that cold winter evening. When she responded to my I compliment, I recognized a hint of an accent and stuck up a conversation with her, only to find she was from the same area in which I grew up in. We exchanged phone numbers, and an instant friendship developed between us which has endured to this day. When she decided to pursue a PhD in Organizational Leadership, I could not have been happier, knowing that this educational accomplishment would greatly complement her life experiences, and allow her to do better in whichever community can ultimately claim her. From the beginning of her doctoral journey, I have dedicated time in support of her endeavor, as a mentor, friend, and a shoulder, for those occasions where she needed one.

For her PhD field research, Salisha needed to collect data on Grenada. Our small island does not have much statistical data readily available online, so I was more than happy to assist, by connecting her with people of influence. Those individuals were able to assist her with pertinent documentation for her research. Their invaluable support and the body of work produced by Salisha, allowed her to be the first, woman of color to defend a thesis at Northwest University's Center for Leadership.

She is a delight to all who know her and is an amazing mom to her beautiful daughter Kaelyn. She is a diligent and driven individual, who is also leader and a mentor to young people here in Salt Lake City.

In 2020, I met Dr. Allard-Blaisdell during COVID at an online networking event with PNODN— the Pacific Northwest Organizational Development Network. At that time, Salisha was a doctoral student. She shared about her university and passionately spoke about her dissertation studies on at-risk youth. I immediately related to her commitment to making a difference in this vulnerable population.

I spent three years as a volunteer delivering transformational work inside correctional institutions with a small team. I was enlivened by the difference that got made, reducing violent incidents from 60 per month to less than 1 per month within the first six months. As these men transformed their mindsets and shifted their behavior, I often wondered how society and those men’s life would have been had they received this intervention during their youth. Dr. Allard-Blaisdell’s work is doing just that, interrupting the ‘school-to-prison’ pipeline.

By the time I met, Salisha, I had started and stopped pursuing my doctoral degree. I had only completed one quarter before life got in the way, and I stopped. I had given up that dream and moved on. However, when she learned about it, Salisha was very encouraging and supportive. She immediately took steps to introduce me to her cohort. The next thing I knew, I completed the application she had sent me, interviewed with the Dean of the Center for Leadership Studies, and was accepted into the doctoral program.

Throughout my first year of the program, I wanted to quit at least once a week, but Salisha always had something positive to share that left me inspired and enabled with the ability to keep going. Today, I am in my final year of the program because of her. She is an amazing coach and still influences my remaining in the program. I was very proud to see her graduate last year as Dr. Salisha Allard-Blaisdell and to complete a rigorous 4-year Ph.D. program in 3 years.

Salisha is tenacious. She has grit—the stuff that the American dream is made of. Moreover, she is very supportive, persistent, determined, and committed. Once she puts her mind to something, she gets it done. Salisha is hard-working and generous of heart. She sees your potential, even when you cannot see it for yourself, and knows how to bring it out. Salisha does not give up on you. She is both resilient and relentless in her stand for others.

I met Dr. Salisha Allard-Blaisdell while she was working on her doctoral degree in Organizational leadership in April 2019. I was serving as the Dean of her program and CFLS. During this time, I noticed Salisha’s professionalism and dedication to leadership training, so I asked her to serve as one of the CFLS Ambassadors, a group that reaches out to our students.

Salisha has played a crucial role while serving as a Student Ambassador of CFLS. First, she worked closely with me and other faculty members to ensure doctoral program design was promoting academic and career success of all students. She also shared her experience at Northwest University on a video which was used to market and recruit students to our program. Additionally, she created a high-quality video presentation on the subject of her dissertation that is currently being used as a guide and a template for current doctoral students who are sitting CFLS’s Comprehensive Examination. The Comprehensive Examination is a 3-month qualifying exam that assesses a student’s mastery of program competencies and is required for advancement to the doctoral field research phase of the program.

Her grasp of the key concepts of organizational leadership is truly impressive and she can effectively communicate her ideas to all audiences. Her passion and dedication to the field is evident in her career and in the attitudes of her fellow students who regard her as a leader in our program. They are not wrong. Working with Salisha for several years has shown me that she is on track to professional and academic success.

I am familiar with Salisha’s work because she was one of my students at Northwest University between 2019 and 2022. To this day I have been amazed at her accomplishments and dedication to the field of education and organizational leadership. Her work is indeed exemplary, and I use her dissertation as a sample work for my other doctoral students at Northwest University.

Salisha was hard working and reliable as a student and was always trustworthy and of high reputation in her personal interactions.

I met Ms. Allard-Blaisdell in 2018 when she worked with the college’s Chief Diversity Officer, Dr. Roderic Land. I was asked to represent the Associate Dean’s Council on the Diversity Committee which Dr. Land chaired. I was so impressed with her intelligence, warmth, commitment to serve those in need, and her impeccable character and incredibly strong work ethic that when I found out about her academic background in public administration, I began the process of hiring her to teach within the Political Science Department. I knew our students would benefit by being taught by her and seeing her as a role model. Students of color need to see themselves in their teachers and leaders. Salt Lake Community College is the most ethnically, racially, and socio-economically diverse institution of higher education in the State of Utah and I had no doubt that she would be an asset to both students, the institution, and the community we serve.

When she decided to pursue a PhD. I was disappointed to lose her but thrilled for her because I knew it would move her closer to her non-profit goals. I have personally and professionally grown from my association with Ms. Allard-Blaisdell.

She never gives up. Some might say that I was in the position to mentor her, but the truth is, I feel she has mentored me. Her passion is matched by her strong work ethic, integrity, love of humanity, great intellectual capacity, extraordinary problem-solving skills, and the ability to communicate with and across a wide expanse of backgrounds and personalities. She meets people where they are at and brings them together.

I met Salisha in the summer of 2019 when she enrolled as a student in my critical inquiry course at Northwest University. From my first encounter with Salisha, I was impressed with her commitment to educational leadership. As she progressed through the program, she demonstrated a genuine interest in and a commitment to the research of her classmates. She co-formed and co-led a peer support group intended to help students complete their dissertations. Every student in her group completed their dissertation on time. They all recognized Salisha’s efforts as instrumental in their success.

Salisha served as my teaching assistant in the dissertation proposal class where she demonstrated her abilities as a lecturer and content expert. By the end of the course, she was co-teaching with me. I served as a member of her dissertation committee. She collected and analyzed an impressive sample from secondary schools in Grenada. This made her dissertation stand out among those of her classmates.

I came to know Dr. Allard-Blaisdell when she enrolled at Rutgers for her MPA program. Salisha took my Strategic Planning course in September 2014 and immediately stood out as a student who was always prepared for our interactive class discussions. Her level of excellence was such that I was surprised to learn that my class was her first class in the MPA program. Dr. Allard-Blaisdell presented herself as a hard-working, determined individual in my class, and throughout her time at Rutgers University-Newark.

I have previously written a letter of recommendation for her doctorate program, and I continue to recommend her as an expert of nonprofit organization management and leadership skills without reservation. In the time I have gotten to know Dr. Allard-Blaisdell, she has obtained many accomplishments. For example, while at Rutgers University, Dr. Allard-Blaisdell was selected to receive the Annette McIntyre Fellowship award. This award recognized her excellence in her academic performance and commitment to the university's core values: diversity, knowledge, competency, and service. Dr. Allard-Blaisdell was also selected for this award because of her noticeable ability to make meaningful contributions in the public and nonprofit sectors.

In addition, as a recipient of the Annette McIntyre Fellowship award, Dr. Allard-Blaisdell was featured in an Annual Scholarship Dinner Video, thanking donors, and supporting the University’s Advancement Team in building solid and lasting relationships with their donors.

I had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Allard-Blaisdell in January 2018 when I served as the keynote speaker for a mentoring event at Salt Lake Community College. Shortly thereafter, she reached out to inquire if I would serve as her mentor, and I could not say no. After much discussion and guidance, Dr. Allard-Blaisdell moved to Kirkland, WA, to complete her doctoral studies at Northwest University.

I served on her research committee and was a part of her comprehensive exam board, responsible for judging her work and mentoring her throughout the Ph.D. program. As Dr. Allard-Blaisdell’s professor, I was impressed with her resilience and commitment to her own learning. She is a transformational leader, critical thinker, and great communicator. She shined among her peers and always used assignments to leverage learning. Drawing from my mentorship and employing hard work and determination, Dr. Allard-Blaisdell was the first in her cohort to complete the Ph.D. program. In addition, she set an example to many by becoming the first woman of color to defend a Ph.D. dissertation at Northwest University.