Allison J. McFarland holds the Walter C. and Helen E. Claassen Endowed Chair of Business Administration at Bethel College. In addition to her responsibilities at Bethel, Dr. McFarland serves as a professional consultant on multi-generational leadership with Human Performance Advisors (Tulsa, Okla.). She is also a Certified Federal Sector EEO Investigator with experience conducting discrimination investigations for office of Veterans Affairs, Bureau of Prisons, United States Coast Guard, Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Department of Indian Education, Department of Commerce, Unites States Census Bureau and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Over the past decade, Dr. McFarland has presented more than 60 seminars on multi-generational leadership to human resource professionals, employment service agencies, school districts and universities, tourism professionals, retirement community directors, museum directors, law firms, hospital administrators, mental health providers, the manufacturing sector, nonprofit organizations, emergency responders, small business leaders, and the Kansas Highway Patrol. Additionally, she has been a keynote and plenary speaker on millennials and Generation Z at the Business and Leadership Symposium at Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kan., the National Chairperson’s Conference in Orlando, the Women in Leadership Conference hosted by the University of Nebraska, the International Conference on Tourism and Events in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and the National Conference on Ministry to the Armed Forces.

Within the emergency services industry, Dr. McFarland has provided content for the Kansas Emergency Medical Services Association Leadership Conference, Northwest Fire and EMS Leadership Conference, Colorado State Fire Chiefs Conference, Executive Fire Officer (EFO) Symposium at the National Fire Academy, International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), Texas A&M TEEX Leadership Development Symposium, Fire Rescue Canada Leadership Symposium, and the Alberta Fire Chiefs Association conference.

She has a Ph.D. and master’s degree from the University of Kansas, an MBA from Western Michigan University and a bachelor’s degree from Geneva (Pa.) College.

Additional community involvement includes serving as a judge for Business Professionals of America state and regional competitions, playing the bagpipes for local and regional events, and serving as a field judge for the Kansas State High School Athletic Association state track meet. In 2014, Dr. McFarland served as a volunteer at the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.