Yianna is one of Academic Impressions’ Account Managers. She is responsible for building and maintaining long-term relationships with Academic Impressions’ members through active service and strategic engagement. Yianna arrived at Academic Impressions after spending nearly eight years at her alma mater, Clemson University (Go Tigers!). While at Clemson, Yianna worked as an academic coordinator for student athletes and a director of alumni engagement with the Clemson Alumni Association. Yianna began her career in higher education as a graduate student at The College of William & Mary where she received her M.Ed. in Higher Education Administration. She previously worked at East Carolina University in athletic academic advising. She enjoys reading, Twizzlers, traveling, musicals (attending them, not performing), and tailgating!
In Nicolle’s administrative role, she is responsible for faculty development to strengthen teaching and research as well as leadership programming for administrators. She is also responsible for developing policies and assisting with the promotion and tenure process. Nicolle continues her research on disproportionate minority contact and program evaluation. The second edition of Disproportionate Minority Contact Current Issues and Policies was released in 2017. She is a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University and has a Ph.D. in Public Policy and Administration. Nicolle also completed the American Council on Education (ACE) Fellows Program in 2014-2015.
Melinda J. Papowitz is Director of Prospect Research at Yale University. In this capacity, Melinda oversees prospect research, prospect management, data analysis and prospect identification divisions. Her department serves Yale College and Yale’s schools, museums, libraries, and other program areas. Under her guidance, the prospect research department played a pivotal role in Yale’s successful $3.88 billion campaign and now enthusiastically supports the recently launched “For Humanity” campaign. Melinda has played a leading role in developing protocols for determining and mitigating reputational risk for the university. Melinda holds degrees from the University of Wisconsin (BA), Harvard Divinity School (MTS), University of Chicago (MA) and the University of New Haven (MBA). As a volunteer, Melinda has served as vice president for a New Haven neighborhood development organization and has written grants for select organizations. For three years, Melinda held an adjunct faculty position at the NYU Center for Fundraising and Philanthropy.
A. Graham Peace is currently Chair of the Department of Management Information Systems and an Associate Professor of MIS in the John Chambers College of Business and Economics at West Virginia University. He previously served as the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs and Academic Affairs, where he focused on improving the undergraduate student experience. He currently teaches and performs research in Information Ethics.
Rebel Smith is currently Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Programs for the John Chambers College of Business and Economics at West Virginia University. She is passionate about student success and focuses on recruitment and retention.
Donna obtained her doctorate in experimental social psychology from the University of Kansas in June 2006 and her Master’s in applied social psychology from the University of Guelph, Canada, in May 2001. Her field of interest is diversity science and her program of research concerns the effects that cultural legacies of oppression have on psychosocial processes, which in turn shape human functioning (e.g., achievement, motivation, responses to inequity, and self-regulation) in ways that advertently or inadvertently justify and maintain social inequality. She has worked on large-scale initiatives to improve intergroup relations, including fostering positive attitudes towards immigrants, counteract hate groups’ recruitment of youth, and decrease intergroup conflicts in ethnically diverse schools. Donna has received NSF funding for her research and applied work concerning women’s and ethnic minorities’ participation in STEM fields. In 2009, she was a co-PI on an NSF EHR Core Research Grant that supported her research on intersectionality and broadening women’s participation in STEM fields. In 2017, she was a co-PI on a funded $125,000 CSU Chancellor’s Office mini-grant that supported the “Prejudice Habit Breaking” intervention to advance faculty diversity at CSUSB. She is currently a co-PI on an NSF ADVANCE grant (funded 08/2018) and as the Director, […]
Eric Spicer is the Assistant Vice President of Unit Development for the ASU Foundation. In this role, Eric serves unit leaders within the ASU Foundation as they build and lead high performing teams. He is also privileged to help amazing people create transformative impact by investing in access to education, student success, groundbreaking research, and community focused programs. He began his career with the Celebrity Fight Night Foundation raising support for the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center at the Barrow Neurological Institute. Before joining ASU as a Major Gift Officer in 2009, Eric was the Director of Development for Ronald McDonald House Charities of Phoenix. He is actively engaged in the community serving as a board member for Firm Foundation Youth Homes and member of the Father’s Council for the Girl Scouts-Arizona Cactus-Pine Council. Eric is also a graduate of Valley Leadership’s Class 29 Leadership Institute and a member of the Phoenix Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 class of 2019. Additionally, he holds a Master’s degree from ASU in Nonprofit Leadership and Management and is a Certified Fundraising Executive.
Dr. Leah Gallant is currently the Talent Development Consultant and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer at MIT’s Office of Resource Development and the Alumni Association. Dr. Gallant has over 25 years of progressive experience working in higher education, including building and facilitating teams and navigating complex organizations. As a leader and previous manager, she is actively committed to developing professionals who are agents of their own learning; Dr. Gallant is committed to empowering people to be socially and globally responsible citizens and empowering a staff to be equally as dedicated to constituent needs and concerns. She accomplishes this through a passion in working with leaders and employees to discover their inner strengths and is deeply motivated by people’s fresh outlook on life and their curiosity and drive in making this world a more just and equitable place. Leah lives in Dedham, MA with her husband, Jeff, and her seven-year-old, Caroline.
Terri Phoenix is the Director of the LGBTQ Center at UNC-Chapel Hill. Terri has served on the Executive Board of the National Consortium of Higher Education LGBT Resource Professionals, as Chair of the Board for Safe Schools North Carolina, and on the NC ACLU transgender advisory board. Terri’s work has been recognized with the UNC-Chapel Hill Staff Diversity Award (2016) and the University Award for the Advancement of Women (2015). T has given numerous invited and peer-reviewed presentations on inclusive practices at local, regional, and national conferences. Terri has been a field instructor/task supervisor with the UNC-CH School of Social Work. Dr. Phoenix has 25 years of experience working with youth in various settings including therapeutic group homes, detention centers, psychiatric hospitals, universities, and non-profit organizations. T is an alumnus of East Carolina University (BA), UNC-Greensboro (MS), and University of Georgia (Ph.D.). Outside of work, T loves to spend time with family and friends, walk in the woods, and ride T’s motorcycle.
Lindsy Manning serves as senior director of engagement at the ASU Foundation. In this role, she leads the ASU Women and Philanthropy and ASU President’s Club programs. Prior to this role, Manning served as director of Campaign ASU 2020, a comprehensive fundraising initiative that secured more than $2.2 billion in private support for Arizona State University. Manning came to the foundation in 2005 from JP Morgan Chase and has held roles in corporate and foundation relations and leadership giving since arriving at ASU. Manning graduated magna cum laude from ASU with a bachelor’s degree in liberal studies and has a graduate certificate in emergency management, also from ASU. She is also a graduate of the Protocol School of Washington.
