Rhonda Sutton, PhD

Bio

Rhonda Sutton currently serves as the director of leadership programs for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at North Carolina State University. She is also an Extension Assistant Professor (adjunct) in the Department of Agricultural and Human Sciences. Dr. Sutton has over 19 years of experience as an administrator within a university setting and has taught for 17 years as an adjunct professor. Much of her career has been at NC State, serving as: the second director of the university’s women’s center, the first director of the university’s postdoc office, an organizational development leader for Extension, and an assistant vice provost in the former Office for Equal Opportunity.

In her current role, Dr. Sutton develops and delivers leadership programs for graduate students, undergraduate students, faculty, staff and external stakeholders. She provides tailored trainings, as requested, on team building, communication, work/life balance, and other topics related to professional and leadership skills. Dr. Sutton is certified to administer a variety of assessments that help build self-awareness such as the Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-i), DISC, Gallup Strengths, Crucial Conversations, Influencer, Working Genius, Change Style Indicator, and FIRO-B. In addition to training and development, Dr. Sutton is a certified mediator and a licensed professional counselor. In all of her professional roles, Dr. Sutton has provided professional and personal development training with the overarching goal of helping people develop their talents and realize their potential. Dr. Sutton received her B.S. in business administration from Appalachian State University, and her M.Ed. and Ph.D. in counselor education from North Carolina State University.

More information about Dr. Sutton’s work and professional experience can be found on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rhondasutton

Programs and Initiatives

• Agricultural Leadership Learning Institute (ALLI)
• Learn to Lead (L2L)
• Individual to Leadership (i2L) 
• Academy to Advance Leadership within Extension (AALE) 

Primary Teaching Responsibilities

• AEE 565: Community Leadership

Contributing Websites

• https://cals.ncsu.edu/initiatives/leadership

Professional Honors/Offices/Recognitions

• 2005 – Distinguished Performance Award Nominee, NC State University
• 1990 – Distinguished Performance Award for Outstanding Service to the University Community, NC State University

Selected Publications

• An Inquiry into the Professional and Leadership Skills that Employers in Agricultural Private and Public Sectors Value in New Graduates, NACTA, Volume 65, Nov 2020-Oct 2021, p. 74-82: https://www.nactateachers.org/index.php/volume-65-november-2020-october-2021/3072-an-inquiry-into-the-professional-and-leadership-skills-that-employers-in-agricultural-private-and-public-sectors-value-in-new-graduates

Area(s) of Expertise

• Leadership
• Team Building
• Self-Awareness
• Communication

Groups

• Adjunct Faculty

News

• Learning to Lead – Even During a Pandemic
• NC State Pioneer Rhonda Sutton: Serving, Advocating, Leading
• Sutton Named to Leadership Post