Executive Delivery Team

Matthew Mitchell is an Associate Professor of International Business and Strategy at Drake University, and founding partner of Bâton Global LLC, a boutique consulting firm in Des Moines, Iowa.  He has led many different programs offered through Drake Executive Education since 2016. 

Matthew is a recipient of Drake University's Madelyn M. Levitt Teacher of the Year Award and is Fellow of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce.  Matthew earned degrees in physics, math and an MBA from Rollins College. He earned his PhD in International Business from the University of South Carolina – the world’s leading program in international business.  His research investigates the relationship between firm strategy, leadership and culture in global markets. Since joining Drake, he has advised Fortune 500 companies, governments, educational institutions and non-profit organizations around the world. He loves travelling with his family and has visited more than 80 countries.

Jeffrey A. Kappen is an Associate Professor of Management and International Business at Drake University.  He has served as a lead facilitator for leadership programs offered through Drake Executive Education since 2018. His research focuses on the impact of socio-cultural differences on organizations including the formation of new transnational partnerships, social perceptions of sustainability, and linguistic diversity in the workforce. In 2022, he published his first best seller Am I Doing This Right? Foundations for a Successful Life and a Fulfilling Career with Tony Thelen and Matthew Mitchell. A founding partner at Bâton Global, Jeff has twenty years of experience working with companies from start-ups to the Fortune 250, including over three years in Europe and South America.

He holds degrees with honors in International Relations, French, and Russian from Beloit College, an MBA in International Marketing from the University of Wisconsin, and a PhD in Management from the University of Massachusetts.

Dr Sheila Grebert is the Director of Learning and Development at Principal. She has 20+ years of learning and development experience and leads a team of 40+ learning and development specialists who design, develop, and facilitate training across the insurance division of the company. Along with leadership,  her role involves creating the learning and development strategy for the insurance division and partnering with other learning and development leaders to establish the enterprise-wide learning strategy. She also consults with business leaders across the company to identify the root cause of a problem and identify the best intervention to solve the problem.

She has taught multiple classes in the Master of Science and Leadership Development program as an adjunct professor at Drake University. These classes include: Designing, Developing and Facilitating Learning, Performance Consulting, Office Politics and Influence, Understanding Self and Others, and Technology in Learning.

Sheila holds a BA in Interdisciplinary Studies from Central College, a Masters in Higher Education, a Masters in Adult Learning and Organizational Performance, and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership all from Drake University.

Angela Gallagher, Director of Executive Education at the Drake University Zimpleman College of Business, is a dedicated leader that uses her skills to coach others to unlock their leadership potential, to aim high setting their career goals, and to intentionally plan to give back in ways that align to their purpose. She is known for her ability to implement sustainable change, increase organizational impact, and strengthen processes so that individuals, teams, and businesses can achieve strategic goals and business results.

A seasoned strategic advisor, Angela Gallagher has a wealth of knowledge in the communication and marketing fields. Angela’s career has included corporate and leadership communication, leading company culture transformations, team building and staff development. Through her unique roles at John Deere, she gained a global perspective and cross-cultural understanding in the workplace.

Angela’s role at Drake is rooted in her beliefs that strong leaders build strong organizations and strong organizations build strong communities and that transformational learning experiences are pivotal to the journey. Angela achieved her coach certification through the International Coaching Federation (ICF) and is a Women Unlimited LEAD graduate. Angela received her MBA from Drake University and her BBA from Iowa State University. 

Culminating as President of John Deere Financial Canada, Phil has over 20 years of progressive leadership and management experience. During his career with John Deere, he served in roles ranging from being part of a business startup team, marketing, credit operations, customer management, public affairs, data management, and business unit leadership. As a result of his assignments, Phil learned to accelerate role transitions successfully and quickly assess and engage teams by focusing on people first, process second, and then everything else.

Throughout his leadership roles with John Deere, he focused on coaching and developing the leaders on his team to deliver business results in a collaborative environment. Phil’s assignments in Bangkok, Thailand, and Oakville, Canada, provided meaningful insights into leading business units in multicultural environments. Phil has public sector experience, working in economic development in city and state government organizations. Complementing his business background, Phil has served on numerous boards of directors for nonprofit organizations.

Phil enjoys cycling, physical fitness, traveling, and reading.

Clients move forward and accelerate their leadership impact by focusing on strengths and self-reflection. Coaching built on mutual trust and insights will help clients thrive in their targeted areas.

Holly M. Dierks is retired after a 37-year career with John Deere where she most recently served as Vice President, Human Resources for John Deere Financial (JDF).   As a member of the senior leadership team at JDF’s worldwide headquarters located in Johnston, Iowa, Holly was responsible for HR globally across its 18 countries’ operations.  Key areas of her responsibilities included leadership development, succession planning, coaching and key talent identification and development.  In retirement, Holly is active in the Des Moines community, serving on the Board of Directors for Living History Farms and Drake University Bulldog Club, is a member of the Income Cabinet for United Way and is a volunteer for PREP workshops for the Evelyn K. Davis Center and Dress for Success which help unemployed and underemployed women build resume and interview skills.  Holly also is happy to be able to provide weekly care for her two grandsons (age 2 and 6 months) and her father who recently celebrated his 100th birthday and is fondly known as “Mr. Drake”.  Holly earned a degree in Psychology from Drake University, and has been active in Drake alumni leadership roles for many years.

Julie McCarty built her career leading organizational change, coaching executives, and spearheading employee relations for several large financial services organizations.  Julie recently retired as the Vice President of Human Resources for the Global Atlantic Financial Company.  While at companies like Wells Fargo, Aviva and Global Atlantic, Julie led the Human Resources Business Partner team, created organization change and reorganization development, and coached executives and leaders in all function areas. While at Wells Fargo, Julie led the HR team dedicated to mergers and acquisitions, and also managed the Diversity and Affirmative Action function.  Julie leads with strength, integrity and compassion.  She is known for her ability to think strategically for the business, with people strategy in the center of her decision making to create empowered working environments.   She earned degrees from the University of Iowa.  Julie is a huge Hawkeye fan and has season football tickets.