Excelsior鈥檚 DBA Leadership Team: Dr. Leah Sciabarrasi
Leah Sciabarrasi, PhD, is the associate dean of business at 每日大瓜, where she helps develop curricula for business and public service programs, oversees academic quality, and keeps an eye on faculty leadership. Her background is grounded in a blend of creativity, technology, leadership, strategic planning, accreditation, and more. With her broad experience, she has played a central role in shaping some of Excelsior鈥檚 more significant recent developments, like redesigning the MBA curriculum, developing new concentrations, and helping to launch the University鈥檚 first doctoral聽program.
Here, Sciabarrasi describes the student experience in Excelsior鈥檚 new Doctor of Business Administration聽program.
How has your experience shaped your approach toward Excelsior鈥檚 Doctor of Business Administration program?
Sciabarrasi: I鈥檝e spent my career building programs that connect strategy, learning design, and real-world applications. Excelsior鈥檚 Doctor of Business Administration program reflects that integration. My background in institutional effectiveness and accreditation keeps focus on rigor, outcomes, and alignment across the full student journey, and my work in talent management and workforce development reinforces that doctoral education should produce leaders who can apply research, not just understand聽it.
Furthermore, my experience across multiple institutions has taught me the value of clarity, structure, and strong scaffolding. Doctoral students shouldn鈥檛 have to guess how to succeed. At Excelsior, we鈥檙e focusing on straightforward design and robust聽guidance.
Starting a doctoral program can feel overwhelming. How do you help students navigate those early stages with confidence?
Sciabarrasi: The early stages of any program can be the toughest. We help DBA students through this critical time in several聽ways:
- We remove ambiguity early with straightforward pathways. The DBA faculty have been intentional about the design; students see how each course connects to their dissertation from the聽start.
- The program is intentionally scaffolded with research, writing, and analysis聽skills.
- Students begin their dissertation journey early, and they receive substantial guidance (templates, visuals) to help guide their next move to聽completion.
For someone balancing work, life, and school, how does Excelsior help make that experience manageable? What kind of support can students expect throughout the DBA program?
Sciabarrasi: Excelsior鈥檚 Doctor of Business Administration program is designed for working professionals and offers a predictable structure, clear timelines, and manageable pacing. Courses are organized in a way that allows students to plan and integrate school into their existing routines. The assignments are purposeful and connected and help students build toward their dissertation throughout the聽program.
What does mentorship look like in Excelsior鈥檚 DBA program?
Sciabarrasi: Mentorship is fundamental to our DBA program. Students are assigned to a faculty mentor, whom they meet with regularly to ask questions, check in, and stay on track. In addition, DBA students regularly meet with a dissertation committee to help guide their journey all the way up until they present their聽dissertation.
What would you say to someone who is interested in earning their DBA but is unsure whether they can take on the course load and dissertation?
Sciabarrasi: This program isn鈥檛 for everyone. This isn鈥檛 about simply doing more work; it鈥檚 about doing focused, connected work that builds over聽time.
That said, you don鈥檛 need to have everything figured out at the start. Excelsior鈥檚 DBA program is built to help get you to the finish line. If you can commit to consistency and engagement, our program will meet you with the structure you聽need.
Don鈥檛 ask yourself, 鈥淐an I do this?鈥� Ask yourself, 鈥淎m I ready to invest in becoming a more strategic, research-driven聽leader?鈥�
