Leading Together — July 26, 2026

Dr. Mel Rutherford is a transgender professor of psychology with a B.A. from Yale University and a doctorate from UC Santa Barbara. He stepped into a Glass Cliff opportunity as department chair during a time of crisis, drawing on lived experience of deep listening and perspective‑taking to guide his department into resilience and growth. Mel’s story, told in The Glass Cliff: One Transman's Leadership Odyssey, highlights how identity and values‑based governance intersect to create courageous, inclusive leadership. Led by Dr. Mel Rutherford, Pulpit Guest.