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Margie Bader
Margie completed her master's in social service at Bryn Mawr School of Social Work and Social Research in Pennsylvania. She is a South African qualified counseling psychologist. Margie's career spans more than 20 years in the fields of education and counseling at the university and college level, both in Johannesburg and Toronto. A highlight of her career was being part of the end of apartheid and helping black students integrate into university life. Since 2006, Margie has coordinated the SMILE (Student Mentoring in Life and Education) program, a major contributor to student retention at Seneca and considered one of the leading postsecondary mentoring programs in Canada. Prior to this, Margie taught psychology and applied professional communication at Seneca (she continues to teach psychology). She also conducts workshops in emotional intelligence for student leaders.

Wayne Jackson
Wayne is the director of the MASS office at UCF, an office that provides academic programming and support services for more than 21,000 multicultural and first-generation students on the UCF campus. He is a two-time national retention award recipient: the 2010 National Association of Academic Advising (NACADA) Outstanding Institutional Advising Program Certificate of Merit for his leadership in directing the Seizing Opportunities for Achievement and Retention (SOAR) program, and the 2003 Noel-Levitz Retention Excellence Award for his work in directing the Minority Mentoring Program at The College of New Jersey. Wayne has consulted for several institutions, to help develop mentoring programs and increase student retention rates. He speaks nationally on how to increase the retention of at-risk students.

Erik Range
Erik Range has presented at several national conferences on topics surrounding retention of at-risk populations, the first-year experience for minority males, and the benefits of summer bridge programs in retaining students of color. Erik has been the assistant director of the Upward Bound program at the University of Miami and, more recently, worked as the coordinator in the Multicultural Academic and Support Services Program at the University of Central Florida. At UCF, he assisted in the development of a newly funded Upward Bound program. He also coordinated UCF's Brother to Brother and Seizing Opportunities for Achievement and Retention programs. Both programs assist students from multicultural, first-generation, and low-income backgrounds in navigating through the collegiate experience.

Sarah E. Whitley
Sarah has served as the director of the Office of First Year Experience at Longwood University since May 2007. As the first director of this new university initiative, Sarah has developed and implemented a new peer mentor program that creates a holistic and seamless transition for new and transfer students through optional and mandatory components. She has extensive experience working with orientation and registration programs, welcome week events, common reading initiatives, learning communities, freshman seminars, family programs, student success and retention initiatives, and enrollment management. She recently developed a Blackboard-based summer correspondence and extended orientation program for peer mentors and new students. Additionally, Sarah instructs Longwood Seminar, serves as an academic advisor, and is a member of the university crisis-response CARE Team. She has presented regionally and nationally on peer mentoring and first-year student experience programs, student success initiatives, and building cross-divisional relationships on campus.
February 1 - 3, 2012 :: Orlando, FL

Hotel:
Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress
One Grand Cypress Blvd
Orlando, FL 32836
To reserve your room, please call 407-239-1234. Please indicate that you are with the Academic Impressions group to receive the group rate.
Room Rate:
The rate is $169 with $10 resort fee for single or double occupancy, plus applicable tax.
Room Block Dates:
A room block has been reserved for the nights of January 31 - February 2, 2012
Rate Available Until:
Make your reservations prior to January 10, 2012. There are a limited number of rooms available at the conference rate. Please make your reservations early.
Additional Information:
An unparalleled hotel experience awaits you at Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress. From the moment you step into the lush welcoming lobby of this Orlando luxury hotel, you'll be delighted by this magnificent 1,500-acre paradise. Enjoy an endless array of activities, incredible dining choices, and spacious, newly renovated guestrooms. Business travelers will appreciate amenities such as state-of-the-art meeting facilities, a 24-hour business center, and services including Hyatt Fast Board and PDA Check-in, designed to make your stay as welcoming and productive as possible. Enjoy the special touches and the attentive staff that make the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress the unmatched choice among Orlando luxury resorts.
Conference
Registration Fee Includes:
Full access to all conference sessions and materials, access to the networking reception on Wednesday, breakfast and lunch on Thursday, and breakfast on Friday, as well as refreshments and snacks throughout the conference.
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