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.
Nancy joined the University of Pittsburgh in July 2019 as Vice Chancellor for Alumni Relations—a new leadership position that was created to develop and drive a comprehensive, thoughtful, and goals-oriented engagement strategy for Pitt alumni, reflecting the diversity and interests of the alumni population. She is an experienced alumni relations professional who has progressively grown her responsibilities in alumni relations and advancement over two decades. Before joining Pitt, Nancy served as the Assistant Vice President for Alumni Relations at Carnegie Mellon University, leading that university’s alumni relations team and programming. Prior to CMU, Nancy spent thirteen years in alumni relations at Lehigh University. During her career, Nancy has advised and partnered with various student and alumni organizations and boards. She implemented enhancements to elevate traditions, creating a better experience for alumni and students that garnered increased participation. A proven collaborator and leader, she established cross-campus partnerships that generated more meaningful opportunities to engage alumni while advancing the university’s mission. Nancy’s experience also includes volunteer engagement, event planning and execution, program management, communications, and strategic planning. Nancy holds two degrees from Lehigh University: a bachelor’s degree in journalism and communications and a master’s degree in political science.
Virginia Wray Totaro is a first-generation college student from Roanoke and came to Virginia Commonwealth University as an adjunct in the Spring of 2005 teaching courses such as Human Sexuality, Diverse Families and Children and Sociology of Racism, before accepting a full-time position with the Department of Focused Inquiry in 2007. In 2016, she became the Focused Inquiry Assessment Coordinator and in 2018, she took over assessment for University College. Totaro is heavily involved with VCU’s ConnectED (Gen Ed) program and serves as co-chair of the General Education Assessment Committee. Her passion is helping students enhance their perspective of themselves as learners and understanding our systems of higher education so they can be as successful as possible at VCU and beyond.
Melissa C. Johnson is Associate Vice President and Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education and an affiliate faculty member in the English Department at The Pennsylvania State University. Prior to this role, Johnson was Professor and Chair of the Department of Focused Inquiry in the University College of Virginia Commonwealth University. She is committed to equitable student success in higher education and has been involved in multiple initiatives to address opportunity gaps for minoritized and marginalized student populations. As a first-generation college student herself, she has advanced efforts to recognize, celebrate, and support first-generation students at both VCU and Penn State. Johnson holds a Bachelor of Arts in English and fine arts, a MFA in poetry, and a Ph.D. in twentieth-century British literature and Women’s Studies.
John joined Academic Impressions in December 2022 as an Institutional Partnerships Associate following 6 years at DeSales University (Go Bulldogs!) in Center Valley, Pennsylvania. In his role, John engages with institutions on collaborative practices and integrates data and communication across the Institutional Partnerships and Academic Impressions teams. John’s roles in higher education included working within undergraduate enrollment management and financial aid, institutional advancement and alumni relations, and academic affairs within the division of healthcare. He received his M.Ed in Academic Standards and Reform, focused in Higher Education, and his B.S. in Biology with a focus in behavioral neuroscience and psychology. Outside of work, he loves everything sports, reading books and listening to podcasts, and spending time with his family and friends.
Breanne joined Academic Impressions in January 2023 as an Account Manager following almost 10 years of service at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. Breanne’s roles in higher education included working in the President’s Office, with the University’s strategic plan and the Chief Strategy Officer, and in employee learning and development within Human Resources. She received her B.A. in Organization, Leadership, and Supervision from Purdue University (Go Boilers!) and her M.A. in Executive Development for Public Service with a focus on adult learning and higher education from Ball State University. Breanne resides in Pendleton, Indiana with her husband and son. When she is not working, she is either traveling or planning her next trip with family, cooking, reading, exercising, and chasing summertime.
Lisa Flesher is the Chief of Realm 4, Project Acceleration at Arizona State University where she helps guide unique, technology-enhanced projects to advance initiatives in Realm 4 – Education Through Exploration. An example of this work includes Dreamscape Learn which empowers learners through fully immersive and interactive VR learning experiences. Her background includes developing technical tools and solutions focused on student support and success, including Starbucks, Global Freshman Academy, me3, and our partnership with the Al Ghurair Foundation for Education. Flesher earned her undergraduate degree in education and taught seventh grade math before pursuing a master’s in higher and postsecondary education.
