About the creators
The people behind the RARE Model.
We bring higher education leadership, counseling, assessment, and facilitation together to help institutions make change through stronger relationships.
Meet the team
Two perspectives. One shared commitment to human-centered assessment.
Emilie Clucas Leaderman
Higher education leader, educator, and co-creator of the RARE Model
Emilie bridges assessment, equity, learner-centered teaching, and organizational change. Her leadership spans academic assessment, libraries, career development, faculty excellence, grant-funded initiatives, and responsible exploration of artificial intelligence in higher education.
She brings a systems perspective and a practical focus: helping people connect evidence to the decisions, relationships, and learning experiences that matter.
Gina B. Polychronopoulos
Counselor educator, assessment consultant, and co-creator of the RARE Model
Gina brings more than a decade of experience in student learning assessment, program evaluation, faculty engagement, counseling, and consultation. Her work connects assessment practice with the interpersonal insight needed to lead learning and change well.
She holds a PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision, graduate degrees in counseling and psychology, and is a Virginia Licensed Professional Counselor.
What we bring
Scholarship grounded in real institutional work.
The RARE Model emerged from years of working with faculty, staff, leaders, and assessment professionals facing the human realities of evidence, accountability, learning, and change.
Higher education leadership
Experience guiding assessment, academic innovation, professional learning, and organizational improvement.
Counseling-informed practice
Attention to trust, identity, emotion, resistance, readiness, and the conditions people need to grow.
Actionable assessment tools
Strategies and reflection prompts designed to support real meetings, projects, partnerships, and decisions.