Mel Dowdy

Dr. Melvin Dowdy serves as program faculty for Executive Education in the Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame. Dr. Dowdy joined Executive Education’s faculty in 2009 and is an experienced leadership development specialist whose consulting career spans more than 30 years. He serves as faculty for Executive Education’s signature program, Executive Integral Leadership, a week-long program designed to develop values-based leaders, and for Unleashing Your Leadership Potential, a program tailored to junior executives. Mel’s areas of expertise and experience include executive coaching, team building, workshop facilitation, leadership development training and organizational change consulting. Dr. Dowdy was awarded the Mendoza College of Business, Executive Education Inspiring Educator Award for 2011.

Prior to Notre Dame, Dr. Dowdy served in numerous positions at Bon Secours Healthcare System, Inc. Mel spent about fifteen years as an internal consultant with the company, including five years as a bioethics consultant. In 2009, he retired from Bon Secours as their Executive Director for the Center for Organizational Excellence.

For 40 years Mel has been a practicing clinical and counseling psychologist providing psychotherapy services to adults and their families. Over the years, he has developed particular interest in valuesbased leadership, the integral approach to leadership development, leadership spirituality, and the leader’s role in cultivating organizational conditions for ethical integrity. He has coached senior leaders from a range of industries including banking, financial management, human resources, and healthcare. Mel’s coaching clients include Fortune 500 companies, family-owned businesses, political and educational leaders, law firms and medical practices.

Mel earned his Ph.D. in Counseling from Duke University, his M.A. in Clinical Ethics from the University of Virginia, his Masters of Divinity in Pastoral Counseling from Duke Divinity School, and his B.A. in Philosophy and Theology from North Carolina Wesleyan. After his graduate work at Duke University, he later attended the Organization System Development certificate program at the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland. At the Institute, he trained with John Carter, Carolyn Lukensmeyer, Jono Hanafin, Francis Baldwin, and the late Ed Nevis. Mel has completed additional studies and 360º certifications with the Center for Creative Leadership and The Leadership Circle.