Department Leadership

Executive Director of Student Success

Karen McGregor, Ph.D., serves as Purdue Global’s executive director of student success. With over 15 years of experience in higher education, McGregor has provided leadership in various areas of student support and the student experience, including academic advising, resident life, institutional effectiveness, and prior learning assessment.

Throughout her career, McGregor has collaborated with faculty, academic leaders, and student support staff to design, implement and assess initiatives and programming to help students achieve success academically and professionally. 

McGregor earned her Doctor of Philosophy from Michigan State University’s Higher, Adult, and Lifelong Education (HALE) Program, where she studied the needs of adult learners. She earned a Master of Arts in student affairs from Eastern Michigan University.

From Midland, Michigan, McGregor enjoys spending time with her husband and daughter and her family’s feisty Boston terrier puppy. She is an avid runner and loves any activity that allows her to be outside.

Manager of Student Success Coaching

Ashley Flood is one of the managers of student success coaching at Purdue Global. An educator at heart, Ashley taught fourth grade after receiving her undergraduate degree from Saginaw Valley State University. From there, Ashley decided that she wanted to get back into the world of higher education and made the switch to student success while receiving her master's degree from SVSU.

With a background as a student success coach, Ashley joined Purdue Global in September of 2022 and is excited to be part of an institution that takes the success of its students so seriously and truly encapsulates what it means to work collaboratively with a team to reach a common goal.

Ashley currently resides in Midland, Michigan with her husband and their fluffy, orange rescue cat. Ashley is a nature lover and enjoys whale watching, having had the opportunity to do so in Massachusetts, Washington, Alaska and most recently, Iceland. 

In November 2022, Ashley had a column published in Inside Higher Ed entitled, “Why I Enrolled in Developmental Math”.

Manager of Student Success Coaching

Ismail Joseph is one of the managers of student success coaching at Purdue Global. A transformative educational leader with over 15 years of experience in secondary, post-secondary and higher education. Ismail has earned a Master’s Degree in Leadership from Nova Southeastern University, a Master's in Higher Education from Purdue University Global, and is a proud alumnus of Florida Memorial University with a Bachelor's in Management Information Systems.

With his extensive experience in college admissions, academic advising, career services, and adjunct teaching with both non-profit and for-profit higher education institutions, he’s passionate about transformational leadership in the world of academics. As a Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach, he’s committed to our mission of supporting working adults.

He resides in South Florida with his beautiful wife Loraine and 3 children. He believes in the life philosophy that “you don’t have to be great to get started but, you have to get started to become great” – Les Brown.

Manager of Student Success Coaching

Justin Thomason is Purdue Global’s manager of student success coaching, where he hopes to challenge and support some of the greatest success coaches out there. With more than ten years of experience in higher education, Justin has used his entrepreneurial spirit to create innovative solutions to various issues in higher education and beyond. While pursuing his undergraduate degree in kinesiology at Saginaw Valley State University, Justin served as a resident assistant, an experience that kick-started his career in higher education.  

As a first-generation college student, Justin truly believes that education is a great equalizer and is proud to be a part of an institution committed to breaking down barriers so that more people can attain their degrees.

Justin resides in Midland, Michigan, with his wife and two precious daughters. Aside from watching in awe of his daughters, Justin loves reading, biking, gardening, video games, woodworking, and legos.