Despite more than 20 years in higher education, I felt stuck. After countless conferences, webinars, and recommended books, I still felt like I didn’t know what career advancement could look like for me or how to begin. Once you’ve gathered the knowledge and connections, you need someone who's successfully traveled the higher education leadership path to guide you through making a plan to get you where you want to go.

Dr. Vickie Shields’ coaching style makes it clear from the beginning that she’s here to help you discern the right path for you. Partnering with you, she quickly identifies your strengths, areas for growth, along with concrete actions that move you closer to your goals and eventual success. Vickie Shields helps you build a plan that leverages your strengths in a way that is also a match for the life you want to live.

- Angela M. Brommel, MFA, MA, CFRM, Poet Laureate |Writer I Editor I Curator

When I began my deanship under Dr. Vickie Shields’ supervision, her mentorship was invaluable as I onboarded at a new institution during the pandemic. An accomplished leader and scholar with an impressive depth and breadth of experience in higher education, Dr. Shields both shared insight from her own rich journey and listened closely as I sought her perspective. Complementing her distinguished professional trajectory, Dr. Shields brings lightness and laughter to her work, qualities whose positive impact cannot be overstated. During our time working together and beyond, her guidance consistently focused on my own professional growth, and she opened doors for my career. I am pleased to highly recommend her as a career and executive coach for those ascending to leadership positions in higher education and beyond.

- Dr. Elizabeth Gunn, Dean of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Nevada State University

Dr. Vickie Shields has an impressive record in higher education and a long list of achievements as a leader. After working with her for over six years, I highly recommend her to anyone seeking to grow as a leader in a college or university setting. While there is much that can be said about her many accomplishments, I am most impressed by her ability to listen, reflect, and turn ideas into positive actions. Through our many conversations (including those at the retreats that she led), Dr. Shields helped me grow as a professional and a person. I’m fortunate to have met her and enthusiastic to endorse her as a career and executive coach.

- Dr. Gregory Robinson, Vice Provost for Student Success, Nevada State University

If you are looking for a supportive career and executive coach to help you achieve your goals in Higher Ed administration, I highly recommend Dr. Vickie Shields.

I was fortunate to have Vickie as a mentor and advisor. She is able to translate the wisdom she has gained from years of experience in a variety of leadership positions in a way that is relevant to your needs and situation. She will walk you through your goals, help you interrogate them, and lead you through the development of a strategy that works for you.

She is incredibly enthusiastic about the business of administration but also grounded and honest about its challenges and pitfalls. Vickie possesses other essential qualities in a mentor that are important to me: she is authentic, trustworthy, encouraging, and a good listener.

In short, she is a gem and because of her, I have a solid plan for my future.

- Jo Daugherty Bailey, Ph.D., MSW, Metropolitan State University of Denver, College of Health and Human Sciences, Associate Dean

I highly recommend Dr. Vickie Shields as a career and executive coach for those building a career in Higher Education. Dr. Shields provided support when I made an unplanned move into an Interim Dean position. My personal experience of her as a mentor and advisor has been nothing short of transformative. She possesses a unique ability to deeply understand the complexities of academia and the nuanced challenges that come with leadership roles, and I discovered that I enjoyed leadership. Her insightful guidance helped me navigate pivotal moments in my career, offering strategies that were not only practical but also profoundly aligned with my personal values. She brings a wealth of experience, empathy, and a results-oriented approach that makes her an invaluable resource for anyone looking to advance their career in Higher Ed.

- Dr. June Eastridge, Dean of Nursing, Nevada State University

I want to give huge recognition to Dr. Vickie Rutledge shields, retiring from her Executive Vice President and Provost position at Nevada State University. Hiring Vickie in 2017 was one of my best decisions. She led the College through its amazing growth, built important new academic programs, including the first master’s degree in Speech Language Pathology, led the creation of the first comprehensive strategic plan, hired deans, started the Common Read, led the college through the challenging academic environment during the pandemic, and so much more. She was awarded an Iconic Woman of Distinction Award from the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO), and a Woman to Watch award by Vegas, Inc. She’s definitely a talented, genuine, and fun colleague. Thank you, Vickie, for all you did to impact students and build a college.

- Bart Patterson, JD President of Nevada State University, retired Principal, Summit Consulting