As a Research Analyst, Heather uses her research skills and endless pursuit of knowledge to identify current topics of interest in higher education, specifically within the domain of Student Affairs. Prior to joining the Academic Impressions team, she researched transportation, community design and development, and decision-making. Heather holds a master’s in cultural anthropology from Northern Arizona University. Outside of work, she enjoys biking, reading, cooking, and spending time with her dog and cat.
As a Business Development Manager Ashvina focuses on advancing leadership and fostering inclusive environments within higher education institutions. With a doctorate in cultural anthropology from Southern Methodist University, she brings a unique blend of academic insight and strategic vision to her role, driving partnerships and innovative solutions at the intersection of academia and business.
Alia is a Research Analyst at Academic Impressions, working on topics such as marketing and communications, campaigns, major gifts, recruitment, and admissions across the advancement and enrollment management domains. Prior to coming AI, she worked in librarianship with an emphasis in assessment, teaching and learning, subject libraries, and outreach. She holds a BA from American University, an MA from the University of Iowa, and an MS from the University of Texas-Austin. Alia enjoys spending time with family and friends, relaxing, traveling, watching a good movie or television show, and learning new things.
As a Senior Learning and Development Manager at Academic Impressions, Jess leads AI’s strategy and content development for our inclusive leadership and women’s leadership programs, creating engaging learning experiences for faculty and staff to expand their self-awareness, work effectively and mindfully with others, build high-performing teams, and collaboratively lead strategic initiatives. Prior to joining Academic Impressions full-time, Jess served as a subject matter expert and educator for Academic Impressions while serving in her role as the Assistant Dean of Students and Title IX Deputy Coordinator at Loyola University Chicago. She has worked in a variety of capacities within higher education, including student success, conflict resolution, student conduct, Title IX, and gender equity. Jess holds a BA from John Carroll University and an MA from the University of Cincinnati. She holds a certificate in Women in Leadership from Case Western Reserve University’s Weatherhead Executive Education Program and has completed Chicago’s Center for Conflict Resolution 40-hour Mediation Skills Training.
Tiara joined the AI team as a Membership Eligibility Specialist. She has spent 10+ years in the Healthcare industry as an administrator and eligibility specialist here in the beautiful state of Colorado. Originally from the Heartland of the Mid-West, the wonderful state of Iowa, she attended the University of Iowa (GO HAWKS!). Upon coming to Colorado, she obtained her Associate of Business Administration from Colorado Technical University. She’s very excited to bring her knowledge and skills to Academic Impressions as well as to learn and grow within the organization.
Mark Pleiss is a Program Manager in Educational Leadership, Academic Affairs, and Research and Creative Output. Previously, Mark taught at the University of Colorado Boulder, St. Olaf College, and Metro State University of Denver. More recently, he worked as a graduate student educational development specialist at the Center for Teaching and Learning at the University of Colorado Boulder. Mark completed his BA at Simpson College (Indianola, IA) and his MA and PhD in Spanish literature at the University of Colorado Boulder. Originally from Omaha, NE, he now lives in Denver where he enjoys fishing, playing soccer, reading novels, and writing fiction, essays, and criticism. He also loves spending time with his wife and adorable Brittany Spaniel puppy, Buckley.
Moira is a seasoned coach (since 2005) and former academic (since 1994) who has mentored over 60 coaches since 2010 as director of coaching at Academic Impressions and other coaching organizations. She is a compassionate truth-teller, working with individuals and groups to deepen self-awareness; explore strategies, options, and opportunities; expand abilities and vision; and co-create systems of accountability. As Director of Coaching at Academic Impressions, Moira develops coaching programs to help individuals and groups become more intentional and self-aware through leadership and team development. She has been a Principal Investigator (PI) as well as a co-PI for a variety of studies and has been funded by a number of funding agencies, including the NIH, DOD, NSF, and SSRC. Her faculty appointments include George Washington University and Whittier College. She received her PhD in cultural anthropology from The University of Texas at Austin and has post-doctoral training in medical anthropology from the University of California-Berkeley and the University of California-San Francisco.
Dr. Todd D. Sevig earned his master’s and doctoral degrees from The Ohio State University and has been the Director of Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) at the University of Michigan (U-M) since 2001, after having been at CAPS since 1989. He is the recipient of the 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association of University and College Counseling Center Directors (AUCCCD) and the 2004 Mid-Career Achievement Award given by the Commission of Counseling and Psychological Services within the American College Personnel Association. He has authored and co-authored numerous articles and book chapters on student mental health, multiculturalism, spirituality, and student peer approaches to helping. He is also the co-author, with Mary Fukuyama, PhD, of the book Integrating Spirituality into Multicultural Counseling, published by Sage Publications. He is also on the editorial board for The Counseling Psychologist. He was active in the early years of the Program on Intergroup Relations (IGR) and received a Founder’s Award presented by IGR. He has presented at the AUCCCD and ACPA national conferences many times and is a past co-chair of the Elements of Excellence Committee within AUCCCD. He is a site visitor for the International Accreditation of Counseling Services, which is the accrediting […]
Dr. Kristen Gray earned her Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology from the Adler University in Chicago. She joined Hope College Counseling and Psychological Services In 1997 and became Associate Dean for Health and Counseling and Director of Counseling and Psychological Services in 1998. During her career at CAPS, she has developed the program to include a robust clinical team, a groups program, strong working relationships across campus, a campus-wide bystander training for suicide prevention, and explored new models of service delivery. In addition to her role within Health and Counseling, she joined the teaching faculty of the Phelps Scholars Program (a living and learning, first year seminar focused on diversity and social justice) in 2013. She has served on re-accreditation committee, campus-wide strategic planning committee, Human Subjects Review Board, the GROW inclusive excellence initiative, and countless program and committees over the years. When she is not counseling students, she can be found guest speaking in classes, presiding over panel discussions, providing trainings on mental health and suicide prevention both across campus and in her community, or traveling abroad with students as they seek to expand their horizons. In 2019, she was selected by the graduating class to serve as […]
Patricia Châu Nguyễn serves as the Senior Director of Diversity Programs for UCLA Alumni Affairs. For the past ten years, she has served in multiple roles in merging student affairs diversity, equity and inclusion work in higher education – ranging from intercultural living and learning communities, multicultural Greek life, summer bridge programs, multicultural centers, and social justice education. Nguyễn also consults nationally on issues related to interfaith conversations, ethics, meaning-making and intersectionality in practice. She serves as a founding member of Racial Aikido, an affinity-based identity retreat that equips students of color at predominantly white institutions. Nguyễn received her Master of Education in higher education and student affairs administration from the University of Vermont, and her Bachelor of Science in cellular and developmental biology from the University of California, Santa Barbara. She currently a doctoral student the UCLA’s Graduate School of Education and Information Sciences researching diverse alumni engagement and philanthropy in higher education. Nguyễn’s experiences working with marginalized college students has fueled a commitment and passion to push institutions of higher education to build capacity towards diversity. She hopes to engage all members of the university, including alumni, to build inclusive campus communities and help new graduate manifests the […]
