After the worst week of his life, Destry Dokes, DBA ’17, started a new career from scratch. Now he’s using his doctoral research to help leaders engage their employees.
In 2011, Destry Dokes, DBA ’17, lost his mother, Fannie Louise. She was an educator and a powerful influence on him.
A week later he lost his job. Laid off after 19 years working in hospitals and cancer centers.
Faced with despair and bankruptcy, he heard the voice of his mother reminding him that he could be whatever he wanted to be. His wife reminded him that he could still be relevant and valuable even when he felt like he was in a valley. He leaned into his faith. He enrolled in the Doctor of Business Administration program at Walden University and began a humble path to the top of a new industry.
He took a job as a receptionist at a community college. He worked as a part-time advisor to get his foot in the door to a full-time role. Then he moved up to college operations officer.
After earning his doctorate, he served as interim president for almost a year and a half. That got him noticed by other leaders in higher education, and he was hired by San Jacinto College in Houston. Today he’s a provost. In that chief academic officer role, he has used his business skills to forge partnerships and develop an entrepreneurship program.
How Virtuous Leadership Improves Employee Engagement
At Walden, Dr. Dokes’ doctoral study was on virtuous leadership, which can take a variety of forms, but generally emphasizes actions based on morals and principles.
That’s a challenge with employee engagement at only 32% in the second quarter of 2024 according to Gallup research. Engaging that other 68% is vital to your organization’s mission.
“Social change happens when we feel like we belong to something greater than what we have individually,” he continues. “Social change is about really understanding people as individuals first and how they can come into the fold of the greater community to drive social change.”
Research, he says, helped him understand virtuous leadership theory at a deeper level.
It's a perspective he puts to work every day for the mission of San Jacinto College and his coaching company.
“I'm now able to apply how engagement looks and feels from a personal level, as well as a professional level. I owe Walden University a lot of gratitude.”
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