About Us

Lance Forman served the children and families of the Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools System for 13 years as a teacher, assistant principal, and executive principal prior to joining Lipscomb University in the Educational Leadership Department. In his last school administrative assignment before joining Lipscomb, he was tasked with opening a new, $17.5 million elementary school with capacity for 800 students, PreK-4th grade. Smith Springs Elementary was a technology demonstration school and served as a model for technology integration and innovative staffing strategies with student-based budgeting.

Dr. Forman joined the College of Education team at Lipscomb University in 2017 as an Assistant Professor and the Director of the Educational Leadership Program. Under Dr. Forman’s tenure as Director, program enrollment significantly increased and expanded to serve educational communities in all three Grand Divisions in Tennessee. He currently serves as an Associate Professor and the Assistant Dean for the College of Education.

Dr. Forman earned his M.Ed. in Educational Leadership and Ed.D. in Leadership and Professional Practice from Trevecca Nazarene University. He is passionate about developing great school leaders and helping districts build an internal pipeline of leadership talent. His areas of expertise include school leadership, culture development, talent acquisition, development, and retention.

Melissa Forte has spent over 25 years in the video production industry, leveraging her expertise to facilitate important discussions and inspire empathy and character development.

After six years in industry with Walt Disney World, Melissa returned to academia, earning an M.A. in Media Studies and an M.F.A. in Film from Ohio University. She subsequently joined Tennessee State University (TSU), where she spent eight years building a strong film/video track for the communications program. In 2017 she was then recruited by Lipscomb University’s College of Entertainment & the Arts to join their team. She is now the Assistant Dean for the College of Entertainment & the Arts.

Melissa’s passion for storytelling led her to partner with Lance Forman in the College of Education and create Novastone Learning.  She has served as Senior Video Producer on the “Matter of Principal” series. These films were designed to foster critical conversations among K-12 education leaders, promoting empathy, character development, and awareness of societal issues.

Melissa’s belief in the transformative power of storytelling extends beyond her professional work. She is committed to using her skills to create content that fosters a deeper understanding of ourselves and the world around us.

Dr. Robin Cayce is an Assistant Professor at Lipscomb University. She leads coursework in both the Educational Leadership Program and the Learning Organizations and Strategic Change Doctoral Program. Beginning her career in education as a 5 th grade teacher, Dr. Cayce went on to serve as a Principal in both Hamilton County Public Schools and Metro Nashville Public Schools in Tennessee. Dr. Cayce also served as the Director of Professional Development, Pre-K – 4 th Grade for Metro Nashville Public Schools. Before coming to Lipscomb University, Dr. Cayce served as the Director of Programs for Chattanooga 2.0, a collective impact initiative focused on educational supports in the Chattanooga/Hamilton County area. Dr. Cayce completed her undergraduate studies in elementary education at Middle Tennessee State University. She went on to complete her Master’s Degree in Professional Leadership from Trevecca Nazarene University and her Doctorate Degree in Educational Leadership from Trevecca Nazarene University. In addition, Dr. Cayce has a Master’s Degree in Character Education from the University of Birmingham, U.K. Dr. Cayce is the author of Project APPLE (Autistic Preadolescent Proactive Learning Environments) and focused her Masters Dissertation on the intersection of servant leadership and leading with character. She is committed to her work with aspiring educational leaders and her personal vision of ensuring that each leader is as prepared as possible to lead a successful school in Tennessee!