My Journey

My name is Jadwiga A. Carlson and I am a Teaching Professor in the Computer Science Department with over ten years of industry experience, 20 years of progressively increasing leadership experience in the academy, with effective leadership roles at the department and college level at Bowling Green State University (BGSU). A seasoned project manager led the CS Department through its initial ABET accreditation and served as a director of Agile Software Factory. I am passionate about creating equitable experiences with a 15-year sustained dedication to DEI initiatives. I am an experienced entrepreneur who, in 2005, responded to the industry's need for accessible websites by creating a Web consultancy, Accessible Web Studio, Ltd., that specialized in developing websites accessible to people with disabilities. My passion for diversity and, in particular, the under-representation of women in CS motivated me to develop a community outreach program, the CODE4her® CS Mentorship Program for Girls. My desire to meaningfully contribute and my passion for diversity and inclusion work led me to assume the leadership role as the first Diversity and Inclusion Faculty Fellow (DIFF) in the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), where I currently lead the diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility initiatives.

Over the last 30 years, various experiences in industry and academia have shaped my leadership philosophy and its cornerstone of treating followers with dignity and respect regardless of position, rank, gender, or other differentiating characteristics. I believe that leaders are in a relationship with the followers, no better than them, together forming a leadership process. My leadership philosophy, prior emergent leadership experiences, formal leadership studies, and Professional Scrum Master certifications shaped my definition of leadership. Specifically, I am drawn to the theoretical, normative ethics, including virtue ethics tracing back to Aristotle, servant leadership of Greenleaf, the transformational leadership theory of Burns, grounded in the leader-follower relationship and its appeal to moral and ethical values, Kouzes and Posner's exemplary leadership model, as well as the practices of inclusive leadership.

My Education

2023
DOCTOR OF EDUCATION in Leadership Studies
Female CODE4her™ mentor experiences and perceptions of sense of belonging in computer science:
A transcendental phenomenological embedded single-case study
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green, OH

2016
MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green, OH

2003
MASTER OF SCIENCE IN COMPUTER SCIENCE
Implemented MIPS R2000/R3000 RISC virtual machine as a Java applet
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green, OH

1988
BACHELOR OF ARTS IN COMPUTER SCIENCE
Minor in Mathematics
Summa cum Laude
Southern Illinois University at Carbondale
Carbondale, IL

My Professional Certifications

Scrum Master PSM I, PSM II

2017
Professional Scrum Master I Certification
PSM I is earned by examination. Achieving PSM I certification demonstrates a fundamental level of Scrum mastery, leadership, and understanding of Scrum as described in the Scrum Guide (developed by Ken Schwaber and Jeff Sutherland).

2019
Professional Scrum Master II Certification
PSM II is earned by examination. The industry-recognized PSM II Certification indicates advanced knowledge and abilities pertaining to the Scrum competencies and framework and the role of the leadership of a Scrum Master. Professional Scrum competencies include understanding and applying the Scrum framework, developing people and teams, managing agility, developing and delivering products professionally, and evolving agile organizations. Scrum values of focus, respect, openness, commitment, and courage facilitate creating an environment where empirical process, self-organization, and continual improvement can succeed. The certification is earned by demonstrating an ability to apply the Scrum framework to solving advanced, complex problems in the real world. Of those who hold the PSM I certification, only 4% hold the PSM II certification.

My Leadership Experience

Diversity & Inclusion Faculty Fellow

2019 to 2023
As DIFF I chaired the College of Arts and Sciences Diversity and Inclusion Committee (D&IC) and worked with College executive staff and other offices on campus. We strived to implement initiatives that enhanced faculty and staff diversity and supported a welcoming and diverse community. My responsibilities included the development of the Dean's Diversity Action Plan for CAS and representing CAS at the BGSU Diversity and Belonging Council. Under my leadership, the D&IC committee oversaw various initiatives such as the Faculty Mentoring Program, Brown Bag Speaker Series events, faculty forums, search committee implicit bias training, and other projects to implement the Dean's Diversity Action Plan goals.

Director of the Agile Software Factory

2016 to 2019
The Agile Software Factory (ASF) is a program within the Department of Computer Science at BGSU. ASF was created to provide computer science students with a hands-on learning experience, serve community partners, and promote Agile software development and service-learning methods. The Director of ASF is responsible for hiring students, supervising students' software development work, seeking corporate sponsors, soliciting software engineering projects, and organizing mock-interview sessions and professional development events for students. In addition to those responsibilities, under my leadership, the ASF sponsored and coordinated an academic year-long programming competition.

ABET Accreditation Lead

2014 to 2017
In the fall of 2014, I volunteered to serve as the accreditation lead to secure the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) accreditation for the BS in Computer Science (BS-CS) degree. This role necessitated gaining knowledge of accreditation requirements and acquiring essential leadership skills. Preparation and training for this role included participating in ABET workshops, an ABET symposium, and a week-long Institute for Development of Excellence in Accreditation Leadership (IDEAL). Under my leadership, the department established continuous improvement processes, formed the Continuous Improvement Committee, which I chaired, created the self-study report, and hosted the accreditation team on campus during the fall of 2016. Ultimately my leadership led to successful accreditation of the BS-CS degree for the maximum period of six years. My leadership was successful and effective as I established continuous development processes that are used to this day.

My Entrepreneurial Experience

Accessible Web Studio™, Ltd.

2005 to present
Founder, President & CEO, and principal developer of Accessible Web Studio™, Ltd. specializing in developing websites in accordance with World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) standards, Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and accessible to people with disabilities. Responsible for designing, developing, and hosting websites for small to medium-sized businesses (PHP scripting, MySQL, XHTML, XML, Cascading Style Sheets on an Apache server platform).

CODE4her® CS Mentorship Program for Girls

2016 to present
Founder and Coordinator of the CODE4her® CS Mentorship Program for Girls (CODE4her). The CODE4her program was one of only two programs funded by Google's IgniteCS initiative in Ohio. Creating the program included pitching the idea to undergraduate students and potential donors, ideating the program name and goals, developing the curriculum, designing the logo and graphics, and building the code4her.org website. Ongoing program coordination involves marketing, registrations, vetting and hiring student mentors, updating social media, and supervising each mentoring meeting. To date, over 200 girls have registered for the mentoring sessions, 56 undergraduate students (primarily female CS majors) were hired as mentors, and 36 communities in Northwest Ohio benefited from this rare opportunity for girls to learn about computer science. CODE4her was developed to spark interest in computer science for girl participants and contribute to the retention of female undergraduate students in CS and other STEM disciplines at BGSU.

My Leadership Development

MAC Academic Leadership Development Program

2021 to 2022
The BGSU MAC ALDP cohort member Participants of MAC Academic Leadership Development Program (ALDP) are competitively selected. My participation in the ALDP allowed me to hone my leadership skills, learn the best practices of academic leadership, and gain familiarity with the complexities of higher education institution structure and operations. As a member of a four-person cohort, I participated in academic year-long professional development events, designed a service project, and identified potential leadership pathways in the academy.

NADOHE Standards of Professional Practice Institute

2019
The NADOHE Standards of Professional Practice (SPPI) cohort 3 member. Among its many goals, the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education (NADOHE) serves as the model for diversity officers in higher education. NADOHE supports collective efforts to lead institutions, inform diversity initiatives, identify and disseminate best inclusion practices, and provide professional development for current and aspiring diversity officers. The SPPI program is an intensive four-day program designed to prepare higher education leaders to become proficient in the NADOHE Standards of Professional Practice.

HERS Leadership Development Institute

2018
Member of Bryn Mawr cohort. The Higher Education Resource Services (HERS) Institute participants are competitively selected. Since 1976, the curriculum has introduced higher education trends, change management, leadership principles, career planning, legal issues, inclusive excellence, budgets, financial statements, and fundraising. Administrators and professional practitioners teach various program sessions. HERS Institute participants must have the support of their Institution's administration, propose a capstone leadership project related to their role at the Institution, and engage in skill development related to their leadership roles.

ABET Institute for Development of Excellence in Assessment Leadership

2015
The ABET Institute for Development of Excellence in Assessment Leadership (IDEAL) offers training to those who will lead program accreditation. During this 36-hour, highly intensive professional development program, I gained an understanding of the principles of program assessment and application. I acquired the skills to lead faculty in developing and implementing a program assessment plan. Furthermore, I learned about tools to facilitate efficient and productive meetings and gained skills to create a sustainable culture of assessment and practical methods of mitigating resistance and managing change.

My Awards

Institutional Winner of the 2024 MAC Outstanding Faculty Award for Student Success

2021 Inspiring Programs in STEM Award - CODE4her®

2018 Women of Distinction Award

2017 College of Arts and Science Distinguished Instructor Award

My Teaching

Teaching Experience