Executive Team

Joe L. “Joey” Cope, JD

Founding Executive Director, Duncum Center Solutions
Associate General Counsel, Dallas Campus

Joey is responsible for building and expanding the Duncum Center for Conflict Resolution and Duncum Center Solutions. He currently served as Dean of the College of Graduate and Professional Studies from 2017 – 2022 and currently serves as Associate General Counsel, Dallas Campus. A mediator for more than 18 years and a practicing attorney for more than 30 years, Joey served the Duncum Center as founding executive director from 2000 – 2017, casting vision for the organization while serving as the center’s lead trainer and consultant.

He also serves as an associate professor in Abilene Christian University’s (ACU) graduate programs in conflict management and resolution and has served as an adjunct professor for the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at the Pepperdine University School of Law, the William H. Bowen Law School at the University of Arkansas – Little Rock, and the Southern Methodist University Center for Dispute Resolution and Conflict Management.

Lori Anne Shaw, MS

Associate Vice President, Learning Design & Operations, Dallas Campus

Lori Anne oversees the Learning Design & Operations division which integrates the operational work of learning design, development, and delivery to provide a set of centralized services to academics and enrollment management for the sake of students, faculty, and staff at ACU’s Dallas campus. The division is comprised of Duncum Center Solutions, registration operations, and faculty operations.

Lori Anne has served at Duncum Center Solutions at ACU since 2007.  She is practicing workplace mediator and the center’s lead trainer with experience providing training and leadership retreats around the U.S. for Fortune 500 companies, small non-profits, and across the globe in Kenya and Rwanda.

Lori Anne has served in ACU’s online academic programs since 2007 working in Master of Arts in Conflict Management and Resolution program as an online course developer, the practicum coordinator, and as an online course facilitator in Negotiation and Mediation, Managing Conflict in Schools, Managing Conflict in the Workplace, Communication and Conflict Theory, and Advanced Mediation courses. She also served as co-trainer for program’s Conflict Resolution Residency Session – a five day, practice-based negotiation and mediation training, and the 40-Hour Basic Mediation Training.

Lori Anne served three years as a board member for the Texas Association of Mediators, five years as an officer for the Texas Mediation Trainers Roundtable, and is currently serving on the board of Come before Winter. Connect with Lori Anne on LinkedIn.

Amanda Korkow, EdD

Director for Instructional Design & Development

Amanda manages the course design and development process. She works closely with program directors and faculty to ensure best practices for online teaching and learning, including accessibility for all students. Always focused on providing the highest student experience possible, Amanda has created numerous trainings on our learning management system to support faculty and staff.

Amanda also serves as instructional design lead to help faculty develop course materials, troubleshoot issues, and make updates to their courses.

Working in higher education since 2013, Amanda previously served as a graduate admission advisor recruiting and supporting masters and doctoral students. She earned her Doctorate of Education in Organizational Leadership from Abilene Christian University, Master of Arts in Education from the University of Phoenix, and her Bachelor of Science from Iowa State University.

Lacy Castleman, MEd

Instructional Design Specialist

Lacy assists with the course design and curriculum update processes while also providing support and training resources for faculty and staff. She has a passion for improving the online learning experience for both faculty and students, and she enjoys collaborating with departments throughout the college as well as working one-on-one with colleagues in order to best meet the needs of those she is serving.