Dr. Drumm McNaughton is a higher education innovator with deep knowledge of governance, accreditation, and strategic management. He has revamped higher ed boards governance, guided institutions through removal of accreditation sanctions, and developed stakeholder-based strategic plans for multiple institutions. Leveraging his international experience (lived overseas 19 years and worked/traveled in 50+ countries), his counsel has resulted in over $500 million to organizations’ bottom line.
Dr. McNaughton serves as Chair & CEO of The Change Leader, a management consultancy specializing in higher ed governance, accreditation, strategic management (planning, and implementation/change management), turnarounds, and mergers and partnerships. TCL’s sample engagement roster includes public, private, and international universities, including the University of South Carolina System, Western Michigan, Southeast Missouri State, Elmezzi Graduate School, California Intercontinental, King Abdulaziz, King Saud, King Abdullah Science and Technology, Southern California University of Health Sciences, and Chapman University. He also serves as a senior consultant for the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges (AGB).
TCL also has consulted with Fortune 500 companies, including Applied Materials and CSC; Los Angeles Unified School District; US Air Force and Navy; and the Research Triangle Park Foundation of North Carolina and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. The firm is designated a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Dr. McNaughton is an experienced board member (15+ years), including having served on multiple for and nonprofit boards in roles that include Chair, Lead Director, Nom/Gov Chair, Secretary, and Operations Committee Chair. As testament to his governance expertise, he was named a Board Leadership Fellow from the National Association of Corporate Directors, and a member of the International Advisory Board of Dokuz Eylul University in Izmir, Turkey.
He has been recognized for excellence throughout his career, including Chair Emeritus, Fellow, Life Member and Certified Management Consultant® of the Institute of Management Consultants USA.
Dr. McNaughton earned his PhD and MA in Human & Organizational Systems from the Fielding Graduate Institute and a BS in Physics from the US Naval Academy. He and his wife live in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and he enjoys golf, traveling (especially to Hawaii), reading, and working out.
