Dr. Fagan is a Leadership, Diversity, and Inclusion scholar and practitioner. She is the founder of Global Leadership Group, which provides consulting and leadership coaching to organizations, communities, and executives in the field of Diversity, Inclusion, Cultural Competence and becoming an Inclusive Leader. Since 2018, Fagan has been a faculty member and program lead for the Inclusive Community Leadership Fellows program at University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

In addition to a Ph.D. in Human Sciences with specialization in Leadership from University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Dr. Fagan holds multiple certifications in Diversity, Emotional Intelligence, and is a trained Executive Coach. Also, she is a Qualified Administrator of the Intercultural Development Inventory which she has used with developing thousands of leaders and healthcare providers. For the last 5 years she has also served as a faculty with the Qatar Institute for Intercultural Communication providing workshops for faculty, staff and graduate students working at 6 US universities in Education City in Qatar. Dr. Fagan’s expertise in developing inclusive leaders, organizations and communities has enabled her to speak is multiple nations and at last count 4 continents. Her book, Becoming Inclusive: A Worthy Pursuit in Leadership will be released in 2021 via Information Age Publishing.

Before Academia, she created and led the Diversity and Cultural Competence Initiatives at Bryan Health, in Lincoln NE. This initiative at Bryan was considered so innovative that it gained national recognition and was featured in a Joint Commission (hospital accreditation body) publication. During that time, Helen played a key role in the recruitment and resettlement of nurses from the Philippines to address the nursing shortage in Nebraska. Helen also worked diligently to address employment and healthcare needs of refugees and immigrants; and was a strong voice for eliminating the use of children as medical interpreters in healthcare settings. As an international student from Iran, who arrived as an unaccompanied minor to the United States at age 15, just two months before the Iran Hostage Crisis in 1979, Dr. Fagan has experienced a tremendous number of challenges during her life in the United States. She has used each of those challenges to inspire others, especially women, and as a result has received multiple awards for her contributions to the lives of others, including a key to the city of Lincoln.

In 2018, Dr. Fagan served as a Consulting Producer on a short film, The Healing of Harman. She consulted on the film during the writing, the filming, and editing processes. The film was directed by the Academy Award nominated Director, Seth Pinkster. This film has been used to create discussion with community leaders in relation to the process that communities can use to foster a spirit of inclusion in which people are welcomed and embraced in their healing. The film won Morehouse College’s best Human Rights Short film in 2020.

Achievements:

• Recipient – Chancellor’s Fulfilling the Dream Award, 2021
• Recipient – Excellence in Education, Women’s Leadership Award, 2020
• Recipient – Rotary International Paul Harris Fellow, 2019
• Nominated – UNL Distinguished Teaching Award, 2018
• Recipient – UNL Mortar Board, Distinguished Professor and Honorary Member, May 2017 
• Recipient – UNL Mortar Board, Professor of the Month, Oct 2014
• Recipient – Doane College Alumni Assoc. Exceptional Service Award, 2013
• Recipient – UNL Holling Family Teaching Excellence Award, 2013
• Recipient – University of Nebraska Parent’s Association Award, 2012 & 2013
• Recipient – Doane University Keith Berlage Memorial Award, 2008
• Recipient – YWCA Tribute to Women Award, 2005
• Recipient – Key to the City of Lincoln by Mayor Colleen Seng, 2004
• Recipient – One of “20 under 40” Leaders positively impacting Lincoln, 2002
• Recipient – 2001 KZUM Radio Multi-cultural Awareness Award
• Letter of Commendation – Admiral of the U.S. Navy, 1991