Brian Raison, PhD

Specializations: Leadership Development (mentoring focus); Instructional Strategies; Capacity Building; Strategic Alignment & Planning. I have a significant focus in higher education, nonprofits, and local government, as well as agriculture and food systems

Biographical Narrative:
I serve The Ohio State University as a Professor in the Department of Extension (100%) and hold a courtesy appointment in Agricultural Communication, Education, and Leadership (ACEL), where I teach graduate level courses. Both departments are housed in OSU’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences. I also serve as a faculty affiliate with the OSU Michael V. Drake Institute for Teaching and Learning. As a field specialist, my teaching, research, and service focus on community and organizational leadership development.

The majority of my teaching is not end-user content. Instead, I most often teach, coach, or consult with educators, faculty members, nonprofit leaders, local government directors, and other managers and administrators to equip them with process skills. Examples include mentoring, coaching, facilitation, strategic thinking, formal and non-formal instructional strategies, online engagement, and other critical leadership skill sets. My goal is to build capacity in these leaders so they can better reach, teach, and lead an exponential number of end-users, clients, and students.

Throughout my 40+ year professional career, I have seen real-world examples of how diversifying inputs can lead to discoveries, new knowledge, and learning transfer. This broad, inclusive approach has led to breakthrough conversations, new clients, and positive impact for communities and individuals we serve through our Land-Grant institution.