Kelly Coker, PhD, LCMHC, BC-TMHC | Assistant Provost for Faculty Success
Dr. Kelly Coker is the Assistant Provost for Faculty Success and a Full Professor in the Counseling Department at Palo Alto University. She has been a faculty member at PAU since 2017. She holds a PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and has held faculty and leadership roles in higher education since 1998. She is also a licensed clinical mental health counselor (LCMHC) in North Carolina and maintains a small counseling practice. When not working, Kelly enjoys crocheting, watching feathered friends in her backyard, and playing racquetball with her husband Bill and son Liam.
Contact Dr. Coker
Email: facultysuccess@paloaltou.edu, cee@paloaltou.edu
-1.jpg?width=320&height=480&name=CWATHEN%20Headshot%20(8)-1.jpg)
Cristen Wathen, PhD, LCPC, NCC | Director of the Maureen O’Connor Center for Teaching and Learning
Dr. Wathen is an Associate Professor in the Counseling Department at Palo Alto University and the director of the Maureen O’Connor Center for Teaching and Learning. Her research and writing center on innovative pedagogy and andragogy, both online and in person, Group Counseling, and mental wellness needs for those with chronic illnesses and organ transplantation. She has a background in working with survivors of trauma and child sexual abuse. She also has experience counseling and advising college students, as well as working with underserved populations in educational settings. Cristen attended Baylor University for her master’s and Idaho State University for her PhD. Before joining PAU, she was an Assistant Professor at Montana State University for four years. She has served as president of the Rocky Mountain Association for Counselor Education and Supervision and as secretary of the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision, among other professional service positions. She is a licensed counselor in California and Montana and is Board Certified in Telemental Health. She currently serves on the Polycystic Kidney Disease Foundation’s National Board and is a member of UCSF’s PKD Center of Excellence’s Advisory Board. She loves Broadway musicals, making learning fun, and spending time with her friends and family all over the country and the world!
Contact Dr. Wathen
Email: ctl@paloaltou.edu
Shanique Broom, PhD | Instructional Design Manager
Dr. Shaniquè Jazmine Broom serves as the Instructional Design Manager in the Office of Faculty Success at Palo Alto University, where she builds the infrastructure, frameworks, and training systems that support faculty across the institution’s programs. Her work spans faculty onboarding design, Canvas course architecture, and the development of scalable, discipline-responsive teaching resources.
Dr. Broom holds a Ph.D. in Higher Education from the University of Denver, where her dissertation examined institutional theory and organizational behavior through the lens of racialized labor. She also serves as adjunct faculty at DU’s Morgridge College of Education and the College of Professional Studies. Her scholarship sits at the intersection of institutional design, authority psychology, and trauma-informed systems thinking.
Contact Dr. Broom
Email: ctl@paloaltou.edu, canvashelp@paloaltou.edu
Glenn Saito, MEd | Assistant Director of Academic Technology
Glenn Saito is the Assistant Director of Academic Technology and the Canvas LMS administrator at Palo Alto University. He has been a staff member at PAU since 2011. He holds a Master's in Education with an emphasis in Educational Technology. When not working, Glenn enjoys spending time with his children, playing Pickleball, practicing Jiu-Jitsu, and practicing Yoga.
Contact Glen
Email: canvashelp@paloaltou.edu
Ann Marie Stratton | Administrative Assistant
Ann Marie Stratton is the Administrative Assistant for the Office of Faculty Success at Palo Alto University. Since joining the university in 2022, she supports faculty initiatives, serves as the administrator for Interfolio, and works closely with faculty and campus partners to streamline processes and enhance the faculty experience. Prior to higher education, she worked in the hospitality industry, where she developed a strong foundation in customer service, organization, and relationship building—skills that continue to shape her approach to supporting faculty and colleagues. When not working, she enjoys traveling, discovering new restaurants, reading, and needlepoint.
Contact Ann Marie
Email: facultysuccess@paloaltou.edu,cee@paloaltou.edu
Phone #: 650.353.2110