Empowering Higher Education. Driving Change. Achieving Success.
Transforming colleges and universities with proven strategies that drive meaningful results.
Kaizen Education Group partners with colleges and universities to drive transformative change, maximize student success, and streamline operations, empowering your campus to thrive.
Led by Dr. Dunning, an expert in student success transformation, our team brings the insight and experience to turn complex challenges into measurable results.
Meet Dr. Lisa Dunning
With three decades of experience in higher education, Dr. Lisa Dunning founded Kaizen Education Group to help colleges and universities turn ambitious goals into measurable outcomes. Her work brings a rare combination of strategic insight and practical implementation experience, particularly in the areas of student success, advising, and institutional transformation. She has consistently demonstrated the ability to work effectively with institutional leaders, faculty, and staff to translate complex ideas into actionable strategies that improve student outcomes.
Discover Our Expertise
Strategic consulting services for higher education institutions ready to transform.
Academic Advising Redesign
Reimagine your advising model with evidence-based approaches and innovative technology — increasing student engagement, improving retention, and supporting long-term achievement.
Strategic Planning for Student Success
Develop actionable, data-driven strategies that advance student success initiatives, foster institutional alignment, and deliver measurable outcomes.
Process Mapping
Comprehensive process mapping that addresses barriers, clarifies roles, and streamlines workflows for stronger institutional performance.
Capacity Building for Process Redesign
Equip your staff with the skills, tools, and structures to lead and sustain process redesign efforts — building institutional capacity for change that lasts beyond the engagement.
Trusted by Institutions and Organizations Across Higher Education
Selected partners and clients from nearly three decades of work in higher education.
University of South Alabama
Center for Innovation and Post-Secondary Success
Technical Assistance Provider
The Lumina Foundation
Adult Learner Initiative Technical Assistance Consultant
Delaware State University
NSF Grant Project Panoramic Institutional Assessments: A Playbook for Advancing Research Capacity
PM Consultant
NASPA — Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education
Advising Success Network (ASN) Consultant
University of Pittsburgh
College of Education
Student Journey Mapping Initiative
Alabama Possible
Author, Case Study Supporting Adult Learners Beyond Enrollment
EDUCAUSE
Course Gateway Digital Learning Strategy Technical Assistance Consultant
ECMC Foundation
Enhancing Advising Technology Integration
Technical Assistance Consultant
American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU)
Author, Senior Leadership Guidebook for Holistic Advising Redesign
Frontier Set (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation)
Technical Assistance Consultant
Advising Success Network
Co-Author, Case Study
Centering
the Role of
Advising Redesign
for Effective
Guided Pathways
Implementation
Every Learner Everywhere
Co-Author, Case Study
How Three HBCUs Drive Student Success through Digital Learning and Innovation
Dr. Dunning is a trusted thought partner, a skilled facilitator, and a leader who effectively navigates the complexities of higher education systems while keeping students at the center of the work. She builds strong relationships, listens carefully, and brings a level of professionalism and integrity that elevates every project she is involved in.
Dr. Dunning's contributions have been especially impactful across several high-profile initiatives, including the Gates Foundation’s Frontier Set, where she supported institutional transformation efforts focused on student success; the Lumina Foundation’s Adult Learner Initiative, where she helped institutions build capacity to serve adult learners; and the Lumina Foundation’s Career-Connected High Impact Practices initiative, where she is currently assisting institutions in integrating career readiness into the curriculum. She is also contributing to the recently funded ECMC Foundation project, Enhancing Advising Technology Integration, where she is helping institutions assess and advance their readiness to strategically incorporate AI and technology into holistic, student-centered advising systems.
Across these initiatives, Dr. Dunning has played a critical role in advancing holistic advising, guided pathways, and workforce-aligned education, particularly within Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs), Four-Year regional universities, and community colleges.
Dr. Dunning brings strong expertise in continuous quality improvement, using data-informed approaches, process mapping, and the refinement of practices and workflows to strengthen institutional effectiveness and drive sustained improvement.
Dr. Kathy H. Thompson, Director
