Education
BA in Economics, Wake Forest University
MA in Applied Economics, University of North Carolina-Greensboro
PhD in Public Policy, UMBC
EdD in Education Leadership, JHU
Biography
Carey Borkoski, Ed.D., Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the School of Education's Department of Education Specialties, where she teaches and advises students in the Master of Education Leadership and Executive Leadership programs. She also serves as the Chair of Education Specialties and Education Leadership Program Director, which includes the M.Ed., an accelerated Post-Master's Certificate (PMC), and a flexible PMC option.
Carey brings deep expertise in belonging, coaching, leadership development, life and professional transitions, and mental fitness (self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and discomfort stamina) – work that aligns powerfully with Loyola's mission of educating the whole person. She is the creator of the BEING framework, the PAUSE practice, and the Discomfort Design model, which ground her coaching, teaching, and writing on how people build awareness and move through change. As Director of Coaching for Loyola's Center for Coaching and Leadership (CCL), Carey works closely with Katherine Keefe, CCL's Director and a fellow coach, to run CCL's Level 1 and Level 2 ICF-accredited coaching programs and to support individuals in and outside of Loyola through one-on-one coaching and leadership development. Through this work, Carey and Katherine are leading initiatives to bring more coaching support and training to Loyola and the surrounding community.
Her research explores belonging across many facets of life, including during the pandemic, in relationships, in leadership, and, most recently, in grief. She has published and presented nationally on topics including faculty identity development, value congruence, grief and belonging, instructional innovation, and cultivating inclusive and connected learning environments. Carey is the author of Dancing with Discomfort, which explores the inner work of navigating transitions. Her second book, Tell Me This: Voices, Stories, and Scholarship of Belonging–co-authored with Dr. Brianne Roos–draws on research and storytelling to explore the concept of belonging in schools, leadership, and community.
Carey's current research examines the connection between grief and belonging. Together with Dr. Roos, she continues to use data collected through their podcast to explore the lived experiences of individuals navigating grief. These personal accounts encompass a wide range of transitions – from the death of a loved one to divorce, career changes, graduations, empty nesting, and other expected and unexpected life shifts. This work seeks to gain a deeper understanding of how people experience, express, and find meaning through grief, as well as what belonging looks like and the role it plays in their grief journeys. A manuscript from this research is currently under final review for publication.
Carey is also developing a research agenda for CCL, examining clients' experiences with coaching, the impact of coaching on leadership, and coaching's effect on clients as whole people. Through scholarship, coaching, and intentional teaching practices, she is committed to supporting Loyola's diverse and talented students and reimagining the future of educational leadership.
Publications
Hales, K., Borkoski, C., and Spears, J. (Eds) (2026) Cultivating a Sense of Belonging in Higher Education: The Role Fostering Connectedness, Support, and Respect Play in Student Success. Empowering Teaching Open Access Series. Utah State University. Retrieved from https://www.usu.edu/empowerteaching/publications/books/belonging/
Borkoski, C. & Roos, B (2025). Tell Me This: The Voices and Stories of Belonging. Emerald Publishing.
Tippett, L., & Borkoski, C. (2026) Belonging as Design Practice: A Framework for Fostering Stronger ID–Faculty Collaboration. Cultivating a Sense of Belonging in Higher Education: The Role Fostering Connectedness, Support, and Respect Play in Student Success. Empowering Teaching Open Access Series. Utah State University
Borkoski, C. (2025) Unflattening Leadership: One Professor’s Story of How a Graphic Novel Informed Her Students Training as Education Leaders, Unfurling Unflattening, Amanda Latz, Darron Collins, and Andrea Kantrowitz (Eds.), MIT Press.
Roos, B. H., & Borkoski, C. (2026). Faculty well-being. In L. Tay & B. M. McCuskey (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of well-being in higher education (1st ed.). Oxford University Press.