Archives: Instructors

Jean Vock has been with the University of Nevada Las Vegas since 2017 and her responsibilities include oversight of the controller’s office, financial services, administrative services, facilities management, planning, construction and real estate. Jean holds both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Accounting, is a CPA and has been involved in higher education and governmental accounting, technology and business administration for over 30 years. She is passionate about professional development and organizational effectiveness, and is committed to helping organizations grow strategically, and find innovative solutions to achieving efficiency, effectiveness and simplicity of business operations. Jean is actively involved in professional associations and served as President for the Western Association of College and University Business Officers (WACUBO) for the 2016-17 program year and as a member of the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) board of directors from 2015-2018.

Susan Fitzgerald is an Associate Managing Director in Moody’s Investors Service Public Finance Group and manages Moody’s Global Higher Education and Not-for-Profit Ratings Team. The team rates over 750 colleges, universities, and not-for-profit institutions worldwide. Susan has extensive experience across multiple other public finance sectors, including healthcare, housing, state, and local government ratings. She has also been involved in various initiatives related to ESG analysis, charter schools, intercept ratings, and public-private partnerships. Susan holds a Master’s degree in International Studies from The Johns Hopkins University, School of Advanced International Studies and an A.B. degree in Diplomacy and World Affairs from Occidental College, Los Angeles.

Norma Guerra holds a doctoral degree and is trained as a research practitioner in school psychology and holds a faculty role as a professor within the educational psychology department. Dr. Guerra has served in numerous administrative positions throughout the university over her career, including Executive Director of Human Resources Management and Development, Associate Vice President for Administration and Planning, and Director of the university’s first student success and retention office, Tomas Rivera Center. At the College level she chaired the Department of Educational Psychology, was Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies and oversaw the opening of the college’s Student Success Center. As Associate Vice Provost for Faculty Diversity & Inclusion, Guerra is a member of the Faculty Success team within Academic Affairs, where she works to advance institutional goals to increase faculty from underrepresented groups and to promote the success of faculty who identify as Hispanic/Latinx by implementing national best practices related to the recruitment, appointment, development, and recognition of diverse faculty. She is the co-chair of UTSA’s Inclusive Excellence Advisory Board, and Informal Networking Club to assist tenure track faculty preparing for tenure promotion. Dr. Guerra has a strong understanding of how faculty success supports […]

In her current role, Erika leads a multi-disciplinary unit of experienced faculty and staff in the health sciences professions of athletic training, emergency medical care, environmental health, integrated health sciences, nutrition and dietetics, and recreational therapy. She served as the Director of Strategic and Community Initiatives for the College of Health and Human Sciences for two years, supporting the development of health-related initiatives within the college and community. Erika began her career as a clinical athletic trainer in the university setting, and prior to her arrival at Western Carolina University, she was the chair of the Department of Athletic Training at the University of Charleston, where she led a collaborative department aligning athletic training education and health care services for athletes as one unit with an array of health providers. Most recently she was inducted as a Fellow into the National Academies of Practice in 2022.

Zach has developed and led Gray’s data analytic capabilities and tools. He has drawn together more than a dozen industry and proprietary sources to create a comprehensive education industry analytical tool. For leaders in the education industry, Zach has over 10 years of experience working on marketing, location, finance, operations, and program strategies. He also manages Gray’s technology resources, including its servers, databases, and software platforms. Zach will complete an Executive Leadership Program in Business Analytics from Harvard University in 2022. He received a dual bachelor’s degree from Bentley University in Corporate Finance and Accounting, and Global Perspectives.

In her current role, Dawn is focused on attracting, recruiting, hiring, retaining, and advancing a diverse, world-class faculty. Her responsibilities incorporate faculty affairs and faculty development efforts, including establishing and enforcing policy, developing and offering leadership programming, and leading DEI initiatives. Prior to joining the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2021, Dawn served as interim Associate Dean for Faculty/Student Development and Strategic Initiatives in the Norman J. Radow College of Humanities and Social Sciences and as a Professor of Sociology and Chair of the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice at Kennesaw State University. Prior to that, she spent 20 years serving in roles ranging from Director of Graduate Studies to Interim Chair in the Department of Sociology at Georgia State University. Dawn graduated with her M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Virginia and her B.A. from Duke University in Sociology.

In his current role, Marcus oversees activities related to building upon the Senior Vice President for Finance & Administration’s (SVPFA) portfolio capacity to develop, collaborate, and sustain large cross-divisional initiatives that lead to organizational excellence and student, employee, and operational success. Lastly, he oversees the Performing Arts Center’s operations to ensure that academic and strategic entrepreneurial needs are met. Prior to his current role, Marcus spent 14 years in Student Financial Services, Enrollment Management, and Financial Aid. He has worked collaboratively to provide input in the College’s new strategic plan to incorporate the critical role that student financial aid plays in institutional goals. He also took the lead in creating a 5-year plan to support academic excellence, diversity, and access by providing students with the requisite knowledge and opportunities to finance their education. Additionally, he contributed insight from an administrative education support unit perspective to the college’s most recent Middle State accreditation process. Marcus is currently a doctoral candidate in the department of Urban Education (policy and leadership track) at the Graduate Center at the City University of New York (CUNY). His scholarly interests are rooted in the experience of Black and Brown students in higher-educational settings. The multi-theoretical lens […]

Dr. Stephanie Akunvabey currently serves as Pace University’s Associate Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion & Chief Diversity Officer. As CDO, she leads a division that is committed to creating and sustaining a welcoming and just campus climate for all members of Pace University through inclusive policies, practices, and programming for the University and its three campuses — in New York City, Pleasantville, and the Elisabeth Haub School of Law in White Plains. She also oversees the Office of Institutional Equity and Title IX Compliance; Office of Sexual and Interpersonal Wellness; Office of Gender and Sexuality; Office of Multicultural Affairs; and The LGBTQA+ Center.  Additionally, Akunvabey provides thought-leadership and oversight at The Barry M. and Jackie Gosin Center for Equity and Inclusion, which in 2021 was established to support ongoing efforts at Pace in anti-racism and equity, expand work to elevate job placement and entrepreneurship among Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) students, and enhance academic scholarship in these areas.  Akunvabey joined Pace after holding leadership roles at colleges and universities throughout the region. Most recently, she served in a similar role at Roger Williams University (RWU) in Rhode Island where she provided strategic leadership and developed policies and […]

Dr. Michelle Filling-Brown currently serves as the Associate Provost for Academic Affairs and is a Professor at Cabrini University. Her scholarship focuses on the Living and Learning Communities, best practices in teaching writing, social-justice education, and Body Studies. She has a passion for helping colleagues to build learning communities, strengthen assessment plans, and increase retention through high-impact practices. Through the support of three grants from the Katherine Alexandra Foundation, Michelle is the founding editor of the Body Studies Journal and the founder of the National Undergraduate Body Image Conference. She also serves as the co-director for both the “It’s on Us” and U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Violence Against Women grants at Cabrini, which support education and training to prevent sexual assault and provide trauma-informed services for survivors. Michelle earned a BSEd in English from West Chester University and an MA and Ph.D. in English from the University of Delaware.