As a first-generation college student, Dr. Patti Helton learned early on that education has the power to transform. As a seasoned leader with over 25 years of experience as a Senior Student Affairs Administrator, Patti serves as the Regional Vice Chancellor of Student Success at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg. Dr. Helton is committed to ensuring transformative learning experiences for all students. Patti has a deep-rooted commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and has actively worked to create anti-oppressive campus climates and cultures for students and colleagues at the institutions that she has served. She oversees co-curricular programs in career services, campus recreation, dean of students’ office, enrollment planning and management, health and wellness, housing and residence life, multicultural affairs, student accessibility services, student life and engagement, veteran services and the University Student Center. Prior to her arrival in St. Petersburg, Dr. Helton served as Associate Provost for Student Life and Senior Adjunct Faculty at the University of Denver for 13 years. In this role she developed a culture of care highlighted by Student Outreach and Support and helped conceptualize and create the Center for Advocacy, Prevention and Empowerment (CAPE)—a resource for survivor healing through advocacy and support. […]
Dr. Kimberly Barrett currently serves as the Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion and Associate Dean of the Faculty at Lawrence University. This position provides leadership for creating a more inclusive campus which supports each student, faculty, staff and community partner to help them reach their unique potential. Barrett has more than 30 years of experience working with various constituencies including governing boards and local businesses to promote learning, diversity, adult development, equity and inclusion. Prior to joining Lawrence University, she served as Vice President for Multicultural Affairs & Community Engagement at Wright State University. Before joining Wright State, Dr. Barrett held several senior administrative positions in the United States and Canada including, among others, Vice President for Student Affairs, Vice Provost and the founding director of a Women’s Center. She has also taught at the undergraduate and graduate levels, published in professional journals and newspapers, and served as a diversity consultant for more than 25 years. Dr. Barrett has been active in a variety of community organizations working to promote social and economic justice such as the Board of Directors for the United Way of Greater Dayton and Harbor House Domestic Abuse Programs in Appleton, Wisconsin. Currently she serves […]
Jim leads NC State’s University Development Office, consisting of the Gift Planning, Annual Giving, Central Major Gifts, and Corporate and Foundation Relations functions. He also works closely with NC State’s college and unit-based programs, in his role as manager of the university’s Think and Do the Extraordinary Campaign, to assure productive partnerships that enhance NC State’s collective fundraising results. Jim’s work centers primarily on building fundraising capacity across the university. He also serves in a coordinating role for The Division of University Advancement’s development of a five-year strategic plan Roadmap, aimed at elevating NC State, its colleges and its units to unsurpassed levels of impact and success. Prior to North Carolina State, Jim served as Vice President for Advancement at Binghamton University and Vice President for College Advancement at Hartwick College in Update New York. Jim holds a B.S. from Ithaca College and an M.B.A. from Binghamton University.
Christine joined Husch Blackwell LLP in 2024 as Senior Counsel working with higher educational institutions. Prior to joining Husch Blackwell, Christine served as the Institutional Equity Officer and Title IX Coordinator for the University of Oklahoma. In this role, she was the designated agent for the university, responsible for overseeing university policy and coordinating the university’s response and compliance with Title IX and associated regulations, as well as with federal, state, and local laws concerning nondiscrimination, equal opportunity, and affirmative action. Christine oversaw and investigated sex discrimination and harassment matters, as well as other protected characteristic discrimination and harassment matters filed by University of Oklahoma students, faculty, and staff. She serves as a faculty member and Title IX subject matter expert for Academic Impressions. Before this, Christine served as Wichita State University’s Executive Director for the Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance, where she led the Title IX and EO offices and oversaw the University’s ADA/504, Affirmative Action and Clery Act compliance. While at WSU, she was responsible for drafting and implementing the University’s Sexual Harassment, Discrimination and Retaliation policy. She also designed and implemented training for advisors and hearing officers to comply with the Department of Education’s 2020 Title […]
Dr. Kathleen Martin serves as Chief of Staff at Springfield College, bringing to the role over 20 years of experience in higher education administration. Throughout her career, Dr. Martin has gained a reputation as an “institutional knitter,” skilled in synthesizing information and happenings from across a campus into a compelling institutional story that enhances decision-making and messaging. Dr. Martin previously served Bay Path University as Vice Provost and Chief Educational Compliance Officer where she provided leadership to assessment, accreditation, institutional research, policy development and academic affairs operations, including the Registrar’s Office. She also served as Bay Path’s Title IX Coordinator. Prior to joining Bay Path, Dr. Martin was a Principal in the executive search firm of Greenwood/Asher and Associates, where she assisted colleges and universities in searches for senior level administrators. She previously served Susquehanna University and Bucknell University as Executive Assistant to the President. Dr. Martin began her career as a full-time faculty member, serving at Springfield College and Westfield State University.
Under Steph’s leadership at Bloomsburg, the data team improved their solicit-able records by 47%, lead the data mining and research efforts through a successful comprehensive campaign, raising $12 million above the campaign goal, collaborated with teams to secure business information on alumni and continues to evaluate processes and procedures for efficiency and effectiveness. Steph holds a bachelor’s degree in business management from Mansfield University of PA and a Masters in non-profit management from Grace College. She is also certified by Blackbaud as a fundraising professional and has certifications in Raiser’s Edge, Financial Edge and Research Point.
Kirsten started her career with the University of Utah managing the Data Integrity team before transitioning to gift processing manager, and finally into her current role as the Director of Development Services where she oversees both of the departments she previously managed. Throughout her time at the University of Utah, Kirsten has focused on improving data accuracy by growing the number of data loads going into the University’s CRM, while also increasing productivity by implementing virtual credit card terminals, paperless gift processing, and streamlining the gift process to cut entry time in half. Kirsten was born and raised in Salt Lake City and spent her childhood on the University of Utah campus attending sporting events, visiting the museums and theatres, and eventually graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Sociology.
In her current that capacity, Alejandra manages the overall operations of the Office of Diversity and Outreach, is the lead strategist for this unit and assists in carrying out the vision and goals for the overall campus. This includes a new initiative dedicated to Advancing Excellence in Staff Recruitment by working with search committees hiring top executives and upper management. She also serves as a Curriculum lead for the new Latinx Center of Excellence in the School of Medicine. Alejandra is the author of “Undocumented Immigrants and Higher Education: ¡Sí se puede!” This is the first book on the topic to chronicle the historic struggle of undocumented students and their supporters to gain equal access to higher education through in-state tuition laws. Her new publication entitled “Immigrants’ Efforts to Access Public Schools and Higher Education in the United States” is part of Springer’s 2020 Handbook on Promoting Social Justice in Education. Alejandra is the 2006 recipient of the Human Relations Award of the National Association of College Admissions Counseling. The award honors persons who have been instrumental in making postsecondary education opportunities available to historically underrepresented students. Through her current service for the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education […]
Sandra has spent most of the last two decades serving as a leader and administrator in higher education. Specifically, she has had extensive experience in managing crisis, strategic planning, developing leadership programs, working with persons with disabilities, mediating disputes, and serving as a Dean of Students, Chief Student Affairs Officer, Chief Diversity Officer, and Deputy Title IX Coordinator. In 2022, Sandra joined Academic Impressions full-time as the Head of Practice for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, due to her experience with the organization as a subject-matter expert who facilitated trainings and workshops in higher-ed, as well as to her passion for making DEI concepts resonate for individuals from all walks of life. In 2024, Dr. Miles transitioned to specialize in the team development space supporting the growth of trust and effectiveness of high-performing teams among leaders in higher education. Sandra completed her doctoral work at Florida State University in 2012, earning a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration. She also completed her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University of Central Florida. In addition to her career and educational achievements, Sandra is on the editorial board for EVOLVE Magazine – First Coast Edition; is a former Chair of the NASPA Center for […]
Nkiruka (Nky) is a dedicated fundraising professional with extensive experience in individual giving, donor and volunteer engagement, and staff management. She is interested in making a community-relevant impact through non-profit and education-related organizations. Her career in annual giving spans over 15 years, from her beginning as a student caller at the University of Pittsburgh to her current position at the University of Rochester. Nkiruka currently leads a fundraising team to increase annual financial support year over year. During her career in annual giving, she has also been tasked with identifying, recruiting, and developing volunteer teams to successfully support alumni, parent, and faculty and staff fundraising campaigns. She has also managed leadership annual giving societies, including all donor and prospect engagement and communication activities. Nkiruka holds a BA in Sociology from the University of Pittsburgh, an MSc. in Management (Healthcare) from the University of Maryland Global Campus, and a PhD in Health Services from Walden University.
