Travis A. Berger, Ph.D.

Headshot of Dr. Travis Berger

Travis A. Berger

Ph.D.

Ph.D. in Leadership

Inaugural Applied Leadership Fellow

Master of Arts in Leadership

Associate Professor of Business & Leadership

Biography

Travis A. Berger, Ph.D., is the Inaugural Applied Leadership Fellow and a tenured Associate Professor of Business and Leadership at 水果派. His research, teaching, and applied work focus on leadership, strategy, and the conditions that enable people, teams, and organizations to achieve sustained high performance.

A recipient of 水果派's Teaching Excellence Award, Dr. Berger teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in leadership, management, and strategy. His research examines leadership within the broader organizational context in which performance occurs, with particular interests in developing high-performance cultures, strategic leadership, and organizational effectiveness. He has presented his research at national and international academic conferences, founded the university's Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership program, and designed and delivered executive and workforce development programs for leaders across business, government, and nonprofit sectors.

Dr. Berger's academic leadership experience includes serving as Founding Dean with responsibility for business, communication, and leadership, as co-chair of the Business Department, and as President of Faculty Council. As Founding Dean, he helped secure the largest alumni gift in university history, which supported the transformation of the business department into the Header School of Business. He also led the launch of the Community News Lab, expanded academic offerings, and strengthened relationships among the university, industry, and broader community.

Beyond academia, Dr. Berger is the founder and managing partner of , a leadership and management advisory firm he established in 2012. He advises owners, CEOs, executive teams, boards, government officials, and nonprofit leaders on consequential decisions involving strategy, leadership, organizational alignment, and execution. His work spans publicly traded and privately held companies, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations navigating growth, transformation, leadership transitions, organizational change, and complex performance challenges.

Drawing on his doctoral research and applied advisory experience, Dr. Berger developed HPLX鈩�, leadership's common language, and Performance Blueprint鈩�, an integrated approach to organizational alignment and execution. Together, these approaches help organizations establish shared expectations for leadership and performance while strengthening the direction, alignment, and accountability required for sustained high performance.

鈥� Indiana University of Pennsylvania: Ph.D. Administration & Leadership Studies (23rd IUP Foundation Doctoral Fellow)

鈥� 水果派: M.Ed. Urban Education (Master鈥檚 in Education Award of Excellence Honoree)

鈥� Pennsylvania State University, University Park: B.A. Administration of Justice / Sociology Minor (with Distinction; Phi Beta Kappa)

鈥� PHD 710: Qualitative Research

鈥� MBA 680: Executive Leadership

鈥� MBA 675: Strategic Management

鈥� LDR 540: Leadership Theory

鈥� LDR 520: Leadership Development

鈥� BUS 450: Organizational Leadership, High Performer Development Series

鈥� Leadership's Common Language

鈥� Leadership Applications and Development

鈥� Organizational Strategy and Strategic Leadership

鈥� Strategic Talent Management

鈥� Servant Leadership and Power

鈥� High Performers

鈥� Evaluation and Assessment

鈥� Distinguished Alumni/Academic Hall of Fame, Wilson School District
(Recognized for significant academic and professional accomplishment)

鈥� 水果派 Teaching Excellence Award
(University-wide award for excellence in teaching; nominated by students)

鈥� 23rd Annual IUP Foundation Doctoral Fellowship
(demonstrated merit and potential for academic excellence in doctoral studies)

鈥� Delta Mu Delta, Lambda Zeta Chapter, 水果派
(International Honor Society in Business)

鈥� M.Ed. Award of Excellence Honoree, 水果派
(Top graduate student in the M.Ed. program)

鈥� Phi Beta Kappa, The Pennsylvania State University
(Nation鈥檚 oldest & most prestigious honor society for undergraduates in the liberal arts and sciences)

鈥� Skull & Bones Senior Honor Society, The Pennsylvania State University
(Regarded as the highest honor seniors can achieve; tapped for humble service and unselfish leadership)

鈥� Academic All-American, The Pennsylvania State University
(Superior academic and athletic achievement, PSU Men鈥檚 Soccer)

鈥楲eadership Insights鈥� Column, Reading Eagle鈥檚 Business Weekly Section

鈥� 鈥淭rump鈥檚 leadership: What鈥檚 the verdict? (5-18-21)

鈥� 鈥淏usiness鈥檚 role in the 21st Century鈥� (5-04-21)

鈥� 鈥淢anagement 101: Time to reinvest in helping managers manage鈥� (4-21-21)

鈥� 鈥淭ransforming last thinkers into critical thinkers鈥� (4-06-21)

鈥� 鈥淪trategy: The need to rethink our approach to competitive advantage鈥� (3-23-21)

鈥� 鈥淧olitical skill: The unspoken truth of effective leaders鈥� (3-09-21)

鈥� 鈥淗igh performer: Let鈥檚 rethink our self-image鈥� (2-23-21)
 

鈥極n Leadership鈥� Column, Reading Eagle鈥檚 Business Weekly Section

鈥� 鈥淭hankful and hopeful for Berks County鈥檚 continued leadership鈥� (11-26-19)

鈥� 鈥淏ad leadership: Removing the rose-colored glasses鈥� (9-10-19)

鈥� 鈥淧ursuing excellence: It鈥檚 all about the focus鈥� (7-22-19)

鈥� 鈥淟essons from Quantico: Add the right value at the right level鈥� (7-08-19)

鈥� 鈥淗ow do we find the courage to be vulnerable, to be brave, to dare greatly?鈥� (6-10-19)

鈥� 鈥淎lvernia鈥檚 Dr. Thomas Flynn answers the 鈥榮o what?鈥� of leadership鈥� (4-29-19)

鈥� 鈥淧olitics with dinner? Yes, and for dessert鈥� (3-25-19)

鈥� 鈥淏usy does not equal success鈥� (2-25-19)

鈥� 鈥淐reating a common language for leadership鈥� (1-28-19)

鈥� 鈥淪tate soccer issue provided valuable lessons in leadership鈥� (12-31-18)

鈥� 鈥淎uthentic leadership has been hijacked鈥� (11-13-18)

鈥� 鈥淟eaders and managers: Both are valuable鈥� (10-02-18)

鈥� 鈥淢ove past the 鈥榬ah-rah鈥� initiatives鈥� (9-11-18)

鈥� 鈥淐onsistency is the key to high-performers鈥� (8-14-18)

鈥� 鈥淲hat leaders can learn from the World Cup鈥� (7-10-18)

鈥� 鈥淭he 鈥榥atural鈥� or the 鈥榮triver鈥�: who do you hire?鈥� (5-29-18)

鈥� 鈥淲hat鈥檚 your excuse for lack of strategy?鈥� (5-15-18)

鈥� 鈥淲hat does a 鈥榝oot wedge鈥� have to do with business鈥� (4-24-18)

鈥� 鈥淒edicate time for planning鈥� (4-10-18)

鈥� 鈥淲hat headphone mode is and how to make it happen鈥� (3-27-18)

鈥� 鈥淗ow to add value as a high-performing follower鈥� (3-13-18)

鈥� 鈥淭he Olympic case for moving past work-life balance鈥� (2-27-18)

鈥� 鈥淲hy are we still writing about millennials鈥� (2-13-18)

鈥� 鈥淗ow servant leaders are powerful鈥� (1-23-18)

鈥� 鈥淟onnie Walker IV: A case study in the power of credibility鈥� (1-09-18)

鈥� 鈥淲hat keeps leaders from blossoming鈥� (12-19-18)

鈥� 鈥淟eadership: The what, why and how of leadership in turbulent times鈥� (11-21-17)

鈥� 鈥淟eadership: What about the lemmings 鈥� er, followers鈥� (11-14-17)

鈥� 鈥淟eadership: Business leaders must learn to react quickly in turbulent times鈥� (11-07-17)


鈥� Berger, T.A. (2014). Servant Leadership 2.0: A Call for Strong Theory. Sociological Viewpoints, 30(1), 146-167.

鈥� Berger, T.A. (2009). Sport as a Socializing Agent and Unifier of People: How to Foster and Reinforce Franciscan Values Through Sport. The AFCU Journal: A Franciscan Perspective on Higher Education, 6(1), 114. 

PEER-REVIEWED CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS (select)

International Leadership Association Global Conference

2020: Virtual (COVID-19 mandate)

鈥� 鈥淪ervant Leadership: A Leadership Theory or an Approach to Power?鈥�
 

2019: Ottawa, Canada

鈥� 鈥淪ustainable Competitive Advantage: What鈥檚 Your Organization鈥檚 Potential?鈥�
 

2018: West Palm Beach, Florida

鈥� 鈥淏ehaviors of Excellence: Capturing Core Values in Action鈥�

鈥� 鈥淓xecutives Want Clarity: Creating a Common Language Around Leadership鈥�

鈥� 鈥淟ogic Models: An Unexpected Hit with Executives鈥�
 

2017: Brussels, Belgium

鈥� 鈥淢eaningfully embedding core values in organizations: A pragmatic guide for practitioners鈥�
 

2015: Barcelona, Spain

鈥� 鈥淪trategy鈥檚 contribution to the Leadership/Strategy conceptual framework: Focus, context, and criteria鈥�

鈥� 鈥淧resenting a taxonomy of leadership: The foundation of the Leadership/Strategy conceptual framework鈥�
 

2014: San Diego, CA

鈥� Co-presented 鈥淢aking an impact: Leadership development and the branch campus model worldwide鈥� with Bakken, R. and Stephenson, A.L.
 

INVITED KEYNOTES AND SEMINARS (select)

鈥� 鈥淚mplementing Strategy in the 21st Century鈥� PA Department of Labor & Industry (April 2022)

鈥� 鈥淟eadership for Positive Impact: Let鈥檚 Get This Right鈥� Reading Public Library (November 2021)

鈥� 鈥淪tate Champions & Leadership鈥� Wilson HS Boys Soccer Banquet (November 2018)

鈥� 鈥淔our Takeaways for Winning in Life鈥� Schuylkill Valley High School Athletics Program (April 2018)

鈥� Society of Human Resource Management (Pottstown Chapter):

      鈥�  鈥淪trategic Performance Management: Become the CEO鈥檚 #1 Executive Partner鈥� HRCI Approved (January 2017)

      鈥�  鈥淓mployee Engagement: Why it Matters鈥� HRCI Approved (February 2014)

鈥� 鈥淩eframing Time: Change Your Perspective, Change your Life鈥� South Mountain YMCA (September 2017)

鈥� 鈥淭he Power of Servant Leadership鈥� Legatus, Lehigh Valley Chapter (April 2017)

鈥� 鈥淭he American Dream: An Exploration鈥� Communities in Schools, Reading High School (February 2017)

鈥� 鈥淯nderstanding Leadership鈥� The Berks County Medical Society鈥檚 7th Annual Memorial Lecture (April 2016)

鈥� 鈥淗igh Performers and Leadership: Understanding Your Value鈥� Wheeling Jesuit University Women鈥檚 Soccer Team Awards Banquet (February 2016)

鈥� 鈥淟eadership and Ethics鈥� Center for Excellence in Local Government鈥檚 Accounting and Finance Conference, Albright College (April 2015)

鈥� 鈥淔irst Impressions are Lasting Impressions: Mastering the Art of Networking鈥� Temple University, Enhancing Community Learning Series (June 2015)

鈥� 鈥淟eadership: What Does It Mean?鈥� Regional Young Professionals Leadership Summit, Greater Reading Young Professionals (May 2014)

鈥� Cara M. Tolan, Alvernia Leadership, 鈥淟eadership readiness & curriculum analysis of healthcare graduate programs鈥� Committee Member (2021)

鈥� David C. Delozier, Alvernia Leadership, 鈥淭he relationship between student involvement in philanthropic organizations and socially responsible leadership capacity鈥� Reader (2021)

鈥� April B. Halligan-Rostek, Alvernia Leadership, 鈥淭he impact of elementary leaders on school performance in urban Pennsylvania school districts鈥� Reader (2020)

鈥� Thomas G. Wyatt, Alvernia Leadership, 鈥淟eadership in athletics: A pilot study of collegiate leadership institutes and athletic director perceptions of effectiveness鈥� Reader (2019)

鈥� Michael L. Saylor, Alvernia Leadership, 鈥淭he impact of The Leader In Me school leadership model on perceived shared leadership鈥� Reader (2019)

鈥� Bernard Sean Martin, Alvernia Leadership, 鈥� A typology of police departments in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania鈥� Reader (2018)

鈥� Andrew Kochanowski, Alvernia Leadership, 鈥淭he role of technology in the leadership context鈥� Reader (2017)

Vide Consulting Group, LLC (2012鈥揚resent) Founder & Managing Partner

is a leadership and management advisory firm serving business, government, and nonprofit organizations. The firm helps leaders shape direction, create alignment, embed accountability, and strengthen the organizational conditions required for sustained high performance.

As Founder and Managing Partner, Dr. Berger advises owners, CEOs, executive teams, boards, government officials, and nonprofit leaders facing consequential organizational challenges and decisions. He helps leaders make sense of complex conditions, determine what matters most, and develop practical solutions that strengthen organizational performance and execution.

Grounded in research and proven in practice, Vide helps build high-performing people, teams, and organizations that deliver the right results the right way.

鈥� International Leadership Association (ILA)

鈥� Academy of Management

鈥� Accreditation Council for Business Schools & Programs (ACBSP)

鈥� Greater Reading Chamber Alliance