Home Programs & Services Women in Higher Education

Judy Touchton:
Helped Women Leaders Succeed

For 22 years Judy worked at the American Council on Education (ACE), where she identified, promoted, and helped women leaders advance. For five of those years she was Deputy Director of ACE's Office of Women in Higher Education and Director of its 50-state National Network for Women Leaders; she served as Interim Director of the Office for one year.

Over the years she has advised hundreds of women leaders in their job searches and transitions, primarily to deanships, vice-presidencies, and presidencies. Judy states, "My colleagues and I contributed to the dramatic increase in the total number of women CEOs in US colleges and universities—from 150 to over 500—over 20+ years, between 1977–1998, and documented these increases for the public."

Judy also worked throughout these years with ACE's other premier leadership and advancement programs, e.g., the ACE Fellows Program and the Office of Minorities (currently the Center for Advancement of Racial and Ethnic Equity) Programs. She worked closely with search consultants, chaired the ACE Roundtable of Executive Search Firms, and served as director of ACE's Senior Executive Leadership Service.

Judy was the co-author of Women College and University Presidents: A Comprehensive Study and co-editor of The Fact Book on Women in Higher Education, a special edition that focused on gender. She also co-authored Educating the Majority: Women Challenge Tradition in Higher Education, and has written numerous articles on leadership development, advancement, women's career paths and mentoring.

Judy is a frequent keynote speaker and workshop presenter on women's issues and leadership, nationwide. She is the founder of WomenLeadersMove.com and is also the consultant and executive coach at Touchton Partners LLC, where she continues providing coaching and resources for women leaders in higher education. Thank you for your talent, energy, and continuous efforts to help women become leaders. 

   —Sincerely, the staff of ACE's Office of Women in Higher Education
      Donna Burns Phillips, Director
      Gloria Thomas, Associate Director
      Debra Louallen-Cole, Program Associate
      Siobhan DeLoatch, Program Coordinator
      Connie Banks, Administrative Assistant