Mindy Sopher

Mindy Sopher is a Lecturer in the Department of Communication at North Carolina State University (NC State), part of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. She specializes in teaching courses such as Nonprofit Leadership and Development (COM466), Interpersonal Communication (COM 112), and Public Speaking (COM110). Her professional roles include former Director of Greek Life (now Fraternity and Sorority Life) and researcher for the National Initiative for Leadership and Institutional Effectiveness (NILIE). Sopher holds a B.A. in Political Science from Wittenberg University (1979), an M.A. in Higher Education Administration from Bowling Green State University (1983), and is pursuing an Ed.D. in Agricultural and Extension Education at NC State.

Her research focuses on student transitions, leadership development, and institutional effectiveness, with notable projects including assessments for community colleges and evaluations of student satisfaction. She has authored/co-authored technical reports for the NILIE Research Consortium and contributed to publications addressing helicopter parenting, breast cancer treatment narratives, and campus tradition-building. Sopher's leadership extends to roles such as Regional Vice President of the Association of Fraternity and Sorority Advisors and President of United Cerebral Palsy of SE Virginia.

Her funded research includes projects like Raleigh STARS (Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation) analyzing college enrollment trends and GRIT (Psychology Research Grant) assessing student resolve. She advises numerous leadership programs and volunteers extensively with organizations like Habitat for Humanity, the National Inclusion Project, and food security initiatives.