Professor Virginia Commonwealth University Dr. Ed Acevedo is a professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences and presently serves as the Director of Faculty Development and Research in the You First at VCU First-Generation Student Success and Faculty Research Center. Ed has wide-ranging experience in academic leadership as a department chair for 10 years and as an associate dean for 5 years. He has initiated new degree programs; fostered and supported diversity, equity and inclusion in faculty and students across campus; and he has led efforts to bolster innovative transdisciplinary research. His research contributions are nationally recognized for facilitating our understanding of the effects of mental stress and fitness level on an individual’s health.
Candi is a licensed attorney with an enduring passion for the intersection of sports and the law. Early in her career, this passion took her to USA Track & Field’s Business and Legal Affairs, and later to the National Football League’s Management Council. In 2014, she made a career change and decided to focus her passion and legal acumen on the eradication of sexual harassment and the promotion of inclusion in the college and university environment. Candi has championed Civil Rights compliance for over eight (8) years. She began her career in Civil Rights compliance at the premier Historically Black College & University (HBCU), Howard University, as the Title IX Director. She continued this work at the #1 Public University, the University of California, Los Angeles. She has held positions as the Deputy Title IX Director and as Interim Director of Staff, Diversity: Equal Employment Opportunity Compliance. Candi’s work has focused on students, staff, and faculty. She has conducted Civil Rights investigations and mentored high-level administrators through state and federal agency investigations and inquiries. She has also drafted policies and procedures to comply with state and federal law. Lastly, she has created the curriculum, and facilitated hundreds of training workshops, […]
Colleen has been at UT Dallas since 2012 where she provides strategic leadership and oversight of all Human Resources operations. She has strategically incorporated original concepts, the talent management and strategic planning model TREE (Total Rewards; Recruitment, Retention and Recognition; Excellence in Performance; Employee Engagement; and the Four C’s of a Diamond Employee model (Character, Culture, Commitment and Capability), to support the advancement of UTD. In 2013 she created the ONE UTD campaign – One Network of Employees, United Through Diversity, to support inclusion and belonging for all, and set a tone of dignity and respect for all levels of positions, backgrounds, and identities. Colleen led the HR team that launched the BRIGHT Leaders leadership development program in 2022. The pillars of this open, inclusive, on-line program focus on developing and supporting leaders who are Bold, Responsible, Inclusive, Growing, High-performing, and Transformative (BRIGHT) at all levels to advance UTD. Participants learn leadership principles, engage in discussions, and access tools and resources empowering them to “Lead from Where You Are;” and any staff, faculty, or UTD student may attend any session. BRIGHT Leaders is a 2023 recipient of the College and University Professional Association of Human Resources (CUPA-HR) HR Innovation Award. […]
Amy Hogan joined Virginia Tech’s Office of the Senior Vice President and Provost in the role of Assistant Provost in May, 2012. In this role, Amy is responsible for initiatives relating to academic leadership development, including senior-level searches and evaluations, leadership coaching and consulting, and academic leader development programs and initiatives. In March of 2023, she also began serving in the role of Managing Consultant with the university’s Organizational Excellence Consulting Services team. In this capacity, she plays a leadership role in consulting on complex strategic initiatives and in supporting leaders in designing and implementing projects that aim at solving complex issues in the operation of the university. Amy helped to create the ACC Academic Leaders Network and continues to serve as the chair of the steering team of this cross-institutional program, that brings together professionals from all 15 schools in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Amy came to Virginia Tech as Employee Relations Specialist in the Human Resources department in May 2006. In September 2007, she joined University Organizational and Professional Development as the Leadership and Professional Development Consultant, and then moved into the role of Assistant Director for Organization Development in July, 2008. In that role, she was responsible […]
Karen L. Dace is vice chancellor for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). Previously, she served as Deputy Chancellor for Diversity, Access & Equity at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and Associate Vice President for Diversity at the University of Utah. She holds a tenured faculty appointment in Communication Studies and is an adjunct professor in Africana Studies at IUPUI. Dace had a joint faculty appointment in the Department of Communication and in the Ethnic Studies Program which housed American Indian Studies, Asian Pacific American Studies, African American Studies and Chicana/o Studies while at the University of Utah. She served Director of the Ethnic Studies Program with a faculty of 20-25 tenure-track scholars as well as Director of African American Studies at the University of Utah. As the Associate Vice President for Diversity at the University of Utah, the following offices reported to Dr. Dace: Women & Gender Studies Program; Ethnic Studies Program; American Indian Resource Center; Utah Opportunity Scholars; Center for the Study of Empowered Students of Color; Center for Ethnic Student Affairs; LGBT Student Center; and the Utah Math, Engineering and Science Achievement K-20 Consortium. As the campus’ first Chief Diversity Officer at the […]
Don is a native of New York. He earned his bachelor’s from Oberlin College, master’s and Ph.D. from Stanford University with specialization in sociology of education and formal organizations. At Skidmore College and California State University Chico he served as chair for ten years before deanships at the University of West Florida, California State University San Marcos and National University. In 1999-2000 he served as Executive Fellow for the California State University System and co-authored the California State University System Department Chair Survey Report. His publications include The Department Chair Field Manual (Kindle Direct Publishing, 2021), _Academic Management 2.0: Academic Leadership for the 21st Century (_forthcoming 2023), and The Department Chair Primer (2nd edition) John Wiley 2012. His numerous articles in The Department Chair, Dean & Provost (Wiley Online), national and international consultancies emphasize the critical importance of academic department management to institutional mission achievement.
Kristen R. DeVries is Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations and serves as Executive Director of the WMU Foundation. With a depth of experience building first-rate development and alumni relations teams and successfully executing major comprehensive fundraising campaigns, she manages corporate, foundation, and major giving, as well as alumni engagement and donor relations. In 2021, DeVries closed the largest gift ever made to public higher education – the anonymous $550 million Empowering Futures Gift. Prior, DeVries led all fundraising and alumni engagement activities at Lawrence Technological University. DeVries also served as senior associate vice president for strategic engagement and advancement operations at Drexel University and associate director of relationship management, operations and performance improvement at the University of North Texas.
Shaily is engaged in initiatives related to interdisciplinary and innovative programs, supporting diversity and inclusion efforts, and fostering community partnerships. Her recent work includes facilitating the launch of a University Interdisciplinary Collaborative housing a new undergraduate program in Game Development and Interactive Media and a graduate program in Information Science. Previously, she served for four years as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Saint Joseph’s University, where she facilitated and nurtured partnerships with organizations such as the Barnes Foundation, Global Philadelphia, Mural Arts, and Campus Philly, and hosted a biotech startup on campus for student internship opportunities in translational medicine and entrepreneurship. During 2015-16, Shaily was an ACE Fellow in the President’s Office at San Francisco State University. Following her fellowship year, she led two special project assignments in the Office of the Provost on Community Engagement and Design Thinking for Social Innovation at Grand Valley State University. She was an Associate Dean for Research, Facilities Planning, Strategic Planning, and Community Engagement in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Grand Valley State University. She also served as an inclusion advocate, co-PI of NSF S-STEM and NSF ADVANCE projects, mentor to department chairs, a trained mediator, […]
Tracy Wilson-Holden has been with Case Western Reserve University’s (CWRU) Office of Research Administration since 2005. She is the Research Integrity Officer and is also responsible for overseeing research education and training. She directs the human subjects and responsible conduct of research training programs and oversees the work of the Conflict of Interests committee. Tracy is an adjunct instructor in the Department of Bioethics, teaching the graduate course “On Being a Professional Scientist”. She serves as a board member for the national organization the Association of Research Integrity Officers. In addition, she was the principal investigator of a federal grant from the Office of Research Integrity and has done peer review and taught workshops for the agency. She holds a BA in Communication Science and Disorders and a MA in Audiology, both from the University of Pittsburgh. Prior to working in Research Administration, Tracy spent 11 years working as an intraoperative neurophysiologist in a private practice in Northeast Ohio and at Washington University in St. Louis.
In her current role, Jen’s work is primarily focused on building and implementing student success initiatives to radically impact the student experience. With enthusiasm and an entrepreneurial mindset, she is a driven leader, motivated to find creative and innovative solutions, all while building and developing people and teams. Jen brings more than 18 years of higher education experience at various institutions and business schools: Indiana University, Arizona State, American University, and Ohio University. Jen is a global speaker, published author, and researcher of women leaders in higher education. She also serves as an MBA career consultant at the University of Cambridge in the U.K. and regularly speaks, trains, and consults for universities. She earned a BA in Communications at Purdue University, an MS in Counseling, and an Ed.D. at the University of Pennsylvania in Higher Education Management.
