CINDY DAUGHERTY

Cindy Dougherty is Dean of Students at Southwestern Oklahoma State University (SWOSU) where her office serves 5,500 college students and supports 90 on campus clubs and organizations.  She serves as advocate and ombudsman for SWOSU students in every aspect of university life and conflict. Her office coordinates all activities and reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities, in addition to campus discipline, appeals and related community service.  She serves as judicial officer for the campus.

As a “Visiting Executive” since 1999, she serves beyond Oklahoma by annually teaching non-profit management at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire.  As a long time Board member of the Allwin Initiative at Dartmouth, she assists with fundraising, strategic planning and intern placement.

Dean Dougherty has been invited to address universities, businesses, churches and civic groups across the country. She has worked with the Zig Ziglar Corporation, Child Welfare League of America, Aramark Corporation, U.S. Department of Agriculture, federal and state Mental Health Departments and many others. 

From 1996 to 2005, she was president of the National Benevolent Association, a nonprofit corporation, with nearly 100 facilities nationwide serving more than 22,000 people each year.  Prior to that Dr. Dougherty served as dean, vice provost and vice president at Chapman University in Orange, California, and Phillips University in Enid, Oklahoma. As a third generation teacher, she began her career teaching journalism in the Enid Public Schools in Enid, Oklahoma where she was Teacher of the Year in 1982.

She holds a BA in English, a BA in secondary education, and a BA in mass communications, an MLS with a journalism thesis and a Doctorate of Humane Letters.