Dr. Rebelo has held several chief learning roles for established and hyper-growth organizations over the last fifteen years. Dr. Rebelo continues to fuel all educational development by understanding and acknowledging the unique path of individual learners while balancing the role of the learner’s organizational identity and corporate ethos within the learning experience. His research and educational approaches examine the phenomenon of learning through a narrative lens informing how he designs, researches, collaborates with others and imbues educational innovation. In overseeing curriculum development and instructor training for distance-based learning applications, Dr. Rebelo ensures technological approaches to learning closely mirror conditions seen, felt and reported in live high touch scenarios where face-to-face communications drives instruction. Dr. Rebelo’s presentation at the 36th Annual International Human Science Research Conference (IHSRC) at the University of Ottawa in the summer of 2016 entitled “Pragmatic Phenomenology: Learning how to apply phenomenological research to enhance adult learner engagement and meaning-making in distance learning environments” created meaningful yet positive disruption and evolution in cohering technology, human science, narrative identity work, relational leadership and learning theory in modern workplace learning environments.
Dr. Rebelo is currently Asst. Professor at Roger Williams University's - University College where he also serves as Program Director for the Technology, Leadership & Management degree program, Chairperson of the Curriculum Committee and Director of Prior Learning Assessment (PLA).
Dr. Rebelo consults emerging brands, university boards and presents internationally on the topics of educational approaches in modern workplaces, narrative identity work, leadership and management culture change strategies and dynamics, holding critical conversations, generative dialogue, creativity and innovation in teaching and how leadership and identity formative experiences can be designed to create rich highly personalized, unique and meaningful Story Paths™ within corporate learning encounters.
Dr. Rebelo’s early quest to understand the world and how complex systems work began when he studied physics and laser energetics at sixteen years of age leading to a summer appointment by the United States Department of Energy at Brookhaven National Laboratory. This path led him to the world-renown Optics program at the University of Rochester then sparking an unexpected desire to understand something perhaps more complicated than physics and optics, human beings and activity systems at work and in pressurized learning environments; that path became his life work and continues to serve as his motivation.
Dr. Rebelo’s work intends to transform learning experiences by examining how the individual universal competencies of creativity, exploration, receptivity, leadership, communication, organization, discrimination (sensing fine-tuned differences) and adaptability can connect to a person’s free will within the phenomenon of learning anywhere about anything. Dr. Rebelo is one of three people world-wide certified to use the IPsP™- Integral Psychological Profile - and has partnered with its founder; he has begun integrating it into leaders’ individualized learning plans by mapping this psychological assessment to personalized leadership development for long and short term competency development, motivation type (proactive-reactive) and problem solving type for more effective leadership, management and team work.
Dr. Rebelo has served as President and Co-Founder of ALEX AND ANI UNIVERSITY and concurrently as Chief Education Consultant to the ALEX AND ANI World Headquarters for the last five years (https://www.alexandani.com/blog/dennis-rebelo-president-alex-and-ani-university-interview/). Dr. Rebelo’s corporate work at ALEX AND ANI has recently concluded with the successful integration of all learning programs into Human Resources Development; education was a catalyst to culture formation.
Dr. Rebelo’s more recent work with SPARTAN RACE INC. (www.spartan.com) included integrating new research and technology innovation; learners worldwide enhanced mental skills and self-leadership through on-line learning burst video™- driven experiences. SPARTAN now offers customized learning programs for specialized groups including West Point and the Justice Studies and Training & Research Institute and select teacher programs designed to increase students’ tolerance for discomfort while increasing personal grit (https://www.spartan.com/en/training/spartan-x/spartan-x-overview).
Dr. Rebelo is a Co-Founder and Board Member of The Sports Mind Institute (www.thesportsmindinstitute.com) where he also designed the narrative inquiry process for (52) internationally acclaimed sports minds including NFL coaching great Tony Dungy and analytics guru Paul DePodesta of saber-metrics and Moneyball fame. Dr. Rebelo also blueprinted the instructional work for the entire organization and its partner groups including consultants, trainer-the-trainers, and university partners.
Dr. Rebelo’s advisory work with the Former COO and current President of Western Alliance Bank, James Haught (http://www.exequorgroup.com/), who is also the former Director of ICAAP of State Street Bank, included the over-arching strategy development and co-authoring of the online curriculum development for Stress-Testing-for-Banks Course and Funds Transfer Pricing (FTP) curriculum for ALCO groups within the global banking community (https://exequor.docebosaas.com). This work expanded into six programs including the recently released Investment Security Modeling Course and Capital Planning Course.
Dr. Rebelo’s most recent engagement with Financial Executives International (FEI) to release its inaugural FEI Leadership Master Class (https://financialexecutives.org/Professional-Development.aspx) framed and highlighted key narrative moments from participating Board Members and FEI’s CEO. This FEI brand extension project was designed to be stackable and feed into other current and future member benefits and be offered as a stand-a-lone program. The FEI Leadership Master Class was launched offering a path to enhance the leadership development of emerging financial leaders within the individual membership sector, corporate relationships as well student learners through select university partnerships. A sample of his speaking style to this group include his keynote at the 2017 FEI SUMMIT: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzITSZslkGk
Dr. Rebelo serves Roger Williams University as an Assistant Professor of Technology, Leadership and Management. Dr. Rebelo has been active in the New Faculty Learning Community (NFLC) and has received dual appointments from President Don Farish and Provost Andrew Workman to oversee Credit Documentation or “Life Credits” for all Degree Programs at the School of Continuing Studies and Directorship of the Technology, Leadership and Management Degree Program. His teaching classes include: Motivation Matters, Organizational Psychology, Design-for-Lean-Six-Sigma, Existential Leadership, StoryPathing™ for Leadership Development, and Science & Technology Ethics.
Dr. Rebelo’s executive coaching practice is a private, boutique one that fuses systems thinking blended with humanistic psychology, yet is pragmatic and outcome-based. His cross-over coaching capabilities allows his to work to be welcomed by NFL ALUM, current professional coaches, executives working in complex health care systems and up-start innovation-driven organizations; he works across the top of organizations inviting complex issue-solving to his sessions.
Dr. Rebelo completed his undergraduate degree in Organizational Behavior & Analysis & Psychology at the University of Rochester, a Certificate in Managing Businesses in Hyper-Competitive Industries from Dartmouth College’s Tuck School, a Masters of Science in Leadership & Business Ethics at Duquesne University, and a Doctor of Philosophy from Saybrook University in Organizational Systems from the School of Organizational Leadership & Transformation.
Dr. Rebelo currently serves as a Board Member to mental wellness non-profit Peace Love Studios (http://peacelovestudios.com/) and the Human Science Institute (http://humanscienceinstitute.org/app/board-of-directors). He is also a founding board member of the 501(c) 3, Narrative Research Group, NRG, (www.narrativeresearchgroup.com) which focuses on narrative identity development research as a means of creating psychological and emotional settledness. Dr. Rebelo is charged with focusing research on specific work roles types (from police agents to medical school students) by using “learning tools” to promote self-awareness, focus and self-authorship in one’s life-work story.
Dr. Rebelo continues to volunteer building programs such as StoryPathing™ in connection with Burst Learning (www.burstlearning.org) to help collegiate students catch sight of who they can be en route to career discernment and readiness (https://vimeo.com/user32623375/review/181711269/4de9d64238).
Dr. Rebelo and his wife, Shannon Beth Rebelo, have two children, Alex and Abby, two Australian Shepherds and one spirited barrel-racing horse; all contribute to the growing energy and stories in their home located in southern New England in the town of Wakefield, Rhode Island located just west of Newport, Ri.