About Kaizen Education Group
Three decades guiding institutional transformation in higher education.
Meet Dr. Lisa Dunning
Dr. Lisa Dunning is the founder and principal of Kaizen Education Group, where she partners with colleges and universities to advance student success, redesign academic advising, and build institutional capacity for transformation. With nearly three decades of experience in higher education — spanning institutional leadership, technical assistance, and grant-funded consulting — she brings a deep working understanding of what it actually takes to move an institution forward.
Her work has supported organizations including the Lumina Foundation, ECMC Foundation, NASPA's Advising Success Network, EDUCAUSE, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Frontier Set, and the American Association of State Colleges and Universities. She has also served institutions directly — from the University of South Alabama’s Center for Innovation and Post-Secondary Success to Delaware State, Fayetteville State, and the University of Pittsburgh — and previously held institutional leadership as Associate Vice President for Student Success.
Dr. Dunning founded Kaizen on a simple belief: lasting change in higher education is achieved by aligning people, processes, technology, and purpose. Whether the work involves rebuilding an advising model, mapping a tangled administrative process, or developing a campus-wide student success strategy, the goal is the same — transformation that’s actionable, measurable, and sustained long after the engagement ends.
Why Institutions Choose Kaizen
Three decades in higher education
Kaizen delivers solutions shaped by real institutional experience, not generic theories or one-size-fits-all playbooks from unrelated industries.
Built for institutional reality
Higher education moves at its own pace, shaped by unique politics and diverse stakeholders. We tailor our approach to fit your institution’s real needs—delivering solutions that work, right where you are.
Outcomes that outlast the engagement
Capacity building is at the heart of our approach—empowering your staff with the tools and confidence to sustain progress long after our engagement ends.
Strategic and operational
We work the strategic plan and the workflow that delivers on it — not one without the other.
Our Approach
At Kaizen Education Group, we are a collaborative partner to your institution, driving transformational change through innovative organizational improvement. We build strong relationships, listen carefully, and engage diverse stakeholders to align bold ideas with measurable goals—delivering sustainable strategies that elevate organizational outcomes and foster lasting impact in the shifting landscape of higher education.
