faculty
(USA, Retired, USMA 1983)
Expertise:
Leader development, resilience, leadership and leadership coaching
Experience
Dr. Brazil retired from the United States Army as a Colonel with over 31 years of leadership experience. She served in wide variety of leadership assignments to include executive officer and operations officer for a 1000-person logistics unit, commander of a transportation company, and director of Leadership and Psychology Programs at the United States Military Academy (USMA). Donna concluded her service as the Deputy Head of the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership at USMA. She served with the Office of Military Cooperation – Afghanistan assisting the Afghan Ministry of Defense in establishing the Afghan Military Academy and collaborated with the Los Angeles police department and the New Jersey Chiefs of Police in designing a Command and Leadership course for their officers. Dedicated to improving the wellbeing of Soldiers and their families, Donna is certified as a trainer for the US Army’s Master Resilience Trainer Course. She is a Professional Coach, trained at Duquesne University, and certified through the International Coaching Federation. Donna works as a coach with leaders at all organizational levels to become more self-aware, work toward sustainable change, and improve their personal and professional effectiveness. In 2020, Donna served as the Interim Headmaster of Admiral Farragut Academy, leading the organization through the COVID-19 pandemic in safely continuing its mission and reorganizing it for success under a new leader.
An experienced teacher and lecturer, Donna has taught leadership and psychology courses at the graduate and undergraduate level. She has presented and facilitated discussions with business and community groups ranging in size from 10 to 200 on a wide variety of topics including Leader Development, Resilient Leadership, Organizational Teams, Transforming Organizational Culture and Leadership in In Extremis Conditions.
Scholarly Work/Publications/Awards
Dr. Brazil has authored, or co-authored scholarly works published across an array of publications. Works include Leadership Skills Development for Engineers (Engineering Management Journal, 2009); Authentic Leadership in In Extremis Settings: A Concept for Extraordinary Leaders in Exceptional Situations (Authentic Leadership Theory and Practice, 2005); Leading Individuals and Project Management Teams (The Engineering Management Handbook, 2010); and Comprehensive Soldier Fitness (The Military Psychologist’s Desk Reference, 2013).
Education:
PhD, Social Psychology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
MA, Social Psychology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
BS, United States Military Academy, West Point, NY
