Alicia Noddings is a passionate educator, lifelong learner, and advocate for personal growth and continuous improvement. Her career has taken her through diverse industries on her way to her current role as Chief Talent Officer at Hair Saloon, from corporate IT consulting and Montessori education to higher education and teacher preparation. Across her varied positions, Alicia has been driven by two core values: curiosity and the pursuit of excellence. Her love of learning has been a constant thread throughout her life and career, shaping her along the way.
Alicia's professional journey began in Chicago as a systems consultant at PWC, where she thrived in the fast-paced, challenging environment. However, as she started her family, she felt the need for a career that offered better balance and continuity between work and family life. At that point she transitioned into early childhood education, inspired by her early exposure to the Montessori philosophy of child development. Alicia pursued this path into teaching, believing as she still does today in the importance of an educational philosophy that both nurtures children’s development and supports the growth of their families.
Alicia's commitment to education led her into multiple leadership roles in K-12 independent schools and higher education after she earned her Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction at Saint Louis University: first as principal and Interim Head of School at Chesterfield Day School, then as Associate Dean and full-time Professor of Education at Missouri Baptist University. These roles not only allowed her to apply her academic expertise; they also provided opportunities for hands-on coaching, development of the next generation of teachers, and shaping educational policies and practices across the state. But true to her adaptable nature, Alicia didn’t stop there. After more than two decades in education, she made a significant career pivot back to the corporate world, seeing the new growth market for education in corporate learning and development. She loves her role at Hair Saloon, whether she’s focusing on developing store leaders and team members, fostering a collaborative culture of continuous learning, or recruiting new personnel to join the Hair Saloon family. The daily blend of strategic and tactical work is an ideal confluence of her diverse career experiences.
Outside of her professional achievements, Alicia finds balance and joy in her personal life through music and nature. A classically trained pianist with a degree in piano performance, music continues to be an essential outlet for Alicia, whether it’s playing Rachmaninoff or attending live concerts of any musical genre. Her two adult sons, Alex and Will, are central to her life, even though they’ve now settled in Chicago and San Francisco. Alicia’s love for adventure and the outdoors often finds her traveling with her family, including camping with her partner Andrew and her energetic border collie Duke. After so many years in education, she was thrilled this year to take her first September vacation in decades!
Though she has shifted back to the corporate world, Alicia’s community engagement remains heavily focused on education, and she continues to advocate for learning opportunities for all. She serves on the Board of Advisors at St. Louis Priory School, which both of her sons attended, and she actively participates in a variety of educational and faith-based organizations, including the North / South Technical High Schools Advisory Board. Whether in personal endeavors or professional challenges, Alicia brings creativity, love of learning, and a desire to improve to everything she touches.
Alicia and her partner Andrew have five sons between them, all between the ages of 24 and 29, and they delight in their shared passions for travel and reading. Her reading recommendations: for personal and professional development, Relentless Solution Focus by St. Louis performance psychologists Jason Selk and Ellen Reed, and for beautiful narrative fiction, Carlos Ruiz Zafón’s The Shadow of the Wind.
Connect with her on LinkedIn here.