Dr. Brett Whitaker, Chair and Professor of Leadership Programs
Contact Information:
Office: Rarick Hall 119 C
Office Phone: (785) 628-4303
Email: blwhitaker@fhsu.edu
Degrees:
Ph.D. in Global Leadership, Indiana Tech, 2015M.L.S. in Organizational Leadership, Fort Hays State University, 2008
B.S. in Organizational Leadership, Fort Hays State University, 2006
Courses Taught:
LDRS 300: Introduction to Leadership Concepts
LDRS 302: Introduction to Leadership Behavior
LDRS 407: Global Challenges
LDRS 660: Global Leadership
LDRS 493: Capstone in Leadership Studies
Publications
Whitaker, B. L. & Whitaker, W. (2025). Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes: Using gamification of cognitive overload to teach leadership and psychology concepts. Journal of Leadership Education 24(3). Read Here
Whitaker, B. L. & Greenleaf, J. P. (2017). Using a cultural intelligence assessment to teach global leadership. Journal of Leadership Education 16(1). Read Here
Biography
Dr. Whitaker joined the Leadership Program in 2008. Brett was the first faculty member in Leadership Programs to teach full-time within the international partnership programs that FHSU has in China and has been involved in growing and developing that program to a large scale. In 2011, he formally took on administrative responsibilities coordinating the international agenda in day-to-day operations. Brett has served as Chair of the Leadership Program since 2019, and currently spends a lot of his time doing administrative work.
Much of Dr. Whitaker's effort at FHSU has been focused on curriculum development, including course design work for a variety of classes, and designing and coordinating the Global Leadership Certificate. Brett is the lead faculty member for the LDRS 660: Global Leadership course and has published and presented on Global Leadership in various scholarly outlets. Brett is particularly interested in intercultural competence development, cross-cultural leadership effectiveness, and cross-cultural values orientation.
Dr. Whitaker received his B.S. in Organizational Leadership from FHSU in 2006 and his M.L.S. in Organizational Leadership from FHSU in 2008. Brett completed his Ph.D. in Global Leadership from Indiana Tech in 2015, with his dissertation focusing on developing global Leadership degree-granting programs in higher education. He was promoted from Instructor to Assistant Professor in 2016, to Associate Professor and achieved tenure in 2020, and again to Professor in 2026.