Robert Manasier is a serial entrepreneur and brand builder, with experience in over 130 international startups and over 400 products/services commercialized, 1000s of acceleration/commercialization campaigns, as the CEO of In Focus Brands (a branded go-to-market acceleration firm). In addition to In Focus, Robert currently serves as Entrepreneur-in-Residence of the NYS Innovation HotSpot Program, UAlbany Innovation Center, IgniteU NY and the Sage Colleges; Managing Director of the EDA Fund and the Diamond Point Co-Development Fund; Chief Strategy Officer for the SaaS firm: The CrowdBuild; Board Member for Autonomy Distributors and Parkhurst Field Foundation and President of IFP Films, EDA Labs and Empire Custom. He also currently serves as Saratoga Springs Sports Tourism Chair and Saratoga Springs Recreation Commission Member. With over $100M raised for startups, an average of 20—25% uptick in revenue for his acceleration clients, over $1B in sales and a 2.6x return on his management of the DPCD Fund and a nearly 100% retention of staff over decades, strong culture creation and fiscal controls are coupled with clear and direct revenue results.
Helping organizations achieve their missions through a focus on employee success is Lisa’s professional passion! Her career path in human resources has taken her primarily to higher education and healthcare institutions with a brief stop-over in the legal profession. Lisa currently serves as the Senior Associate Director and Interim Director of Human Resources at Colorado College where she oversees the human resources function with her primary emphasis on leadership and professional development, employee relations, salary administration, organizational development, and consultation with college leadership. Lisa has a Masters degree in Administrative Studies/Human Resources from the University of South Dakota and is SPHR and SHRM-SCP certified. In her spare time, Lisa can be found hiking the mountains of Colorado with her best hiking buddy, Koa the standard poodle!
An accomplished leader and emerging higher education scholar, Kyra Lobbins plays a key role in the overall leadership, direction, and national reputation of Adler University – a graduate institution uniquely dedicated to advancing social justice. As Chief of Staff, Kyra provides support and counsel to the President and key leaders across Adler’s three-campus system – with a focus on operations and administration, institutional advancement, and development of the Board of Trustees. Kyra joined Adler in May of 2021, after an 8-year tenure at Clemson University – most recently serving as the deputy chief of staff in the Office of the President. During her time at Clemson, Kyra served as a member of the University’s Executive Leadership Team, working closely with their President and Chief of Staff along with other leaders across campus on strategic initiatives in student recruitment, academics, communication, alumni engagement, diversity and inclusion, fundraising, and university operations. Prior to that, Kyra served as Director of the President’s Leadership and Strategic Initiatives, which included developing and overseeing the President’s Leadership Institute (PLI). She has spoken nationally on PLI’s success and popularity with faculty and staff at Clemson and has consulted with other universities about creating a similar model. Kyra […]
Dr. Gary Meyer is a communication professor and director of the FELOS Faculty Leadership Development program at Marquette University. Meyer has served in a variety of administrative roles over the past two decades including senior vice provost for faculty affairs, vice provost for academic affairs, and associate dean in the Diederich College of Communication. Dr. Meyer has published two books along with more than 25 scholarly journal articles, and in 2002 was recognized for teaching excellence, receiving Marquette’s highest teaching award. Dr. Meyer returned to the faculty in 2025 where he teaches courses in persuasion, leadership, and change management. He enjoys hiking, traveling, and reading during his free time.
Eric is a professional educator with over a decade of experience in the classroom ranging from teaching drama and English in Kokomo, Indiana to teaching literature and philosophy in international schools in Indonesia and South Korea. Most recently, he has begun a scholarly career in teacher education and higher education instruction for diverse learners. He serves as the UDL and Accessibility specialist for the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and conducts private consulting related to inclusive education practices in higher education via his consultancy: Innospire.org. Eric holds a Ph.D. in Inclusive Education from UT, Knoxville, a M.Ed from Grand Valley State University, and B.A. in Secondary English Education from Taylor University.
Most recently, Dr. Souza was the Faculty Associate for Inclusive Excellence for Humboldt State University and a Fulbright scholar at the University of the West Indies in Barbados. She is a consultant on communication and pedagogy, and she has published in such areas as difficult dialogues in the classroom, addressing microaggressions with micro-resistance, communication climate, instructional communication, and intercultural conflict. Her current research is on difficult dialogues, participation, and stereotype threat in the college classroom
Bringing more than twenty-five years of higher education experience to her credit, Daphne received her undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and her MS in Sociology and PhD in Public Policy and Administration from VCU. An innovative and enthusiastic educator, administrator, and communicator, Daphne has extensive experience in student transition, retention, and success. Since joining the university’s administration in 2004, she has assumed progressive leadership responsibilities in curriculum development, student retention, first-generation student and family programs, enrollment management, and summer studies. She served as VCU’s first Director of Student Engagement and helped to develop the University College. Recognizing that one-third of the students in VCU’s first-year class are first-generation students who often bring a unique set of needs with them to campus, her team developed the You First at VCU First-Generation Student Success and Faculty Research Center. Composed of two branches, the Center’s mission is to increase first-generation student success through student programming and engagement efforts, as well as through faculty research and development.
Cynthia Mosqueda was the first in her family to graduate from college and credits much of her success to the experiences and relationships in the California Community College system. She is passionate about helping first-year students succeed through the transformational power of education. As an immigrant and first-generation Latina, the community college environment provided her with an outlet to both excel and find her passion for student affairs and counseling. Cynthia serves as the faculty coordinator for the First Year Experience Program at El Camino College, located in Torrance, California. Under her leadership, the program was recognized by the Academic State Senate and the Chancellor’s office for outstanding contributions to student success, transfer, and retention. In 2012, Cynthia received the First Year Advocate Award from the National Center for First Year Experience and Students in Transition from the University of South Carolina for her achievements in helping first-year students transition into college life. Cynthia oversees first-generation, undocumented, and all first-year student programming. Cynthia has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology, a Master of Arts in Counseling, and a doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). She serves on the boards of Communities in School […]
La’Tonya “LT” Rease Miles specializes in student development among diverse and underrepresented populations. Her established programs for first-generation college students—at UCLA and at Loyola Marymount University—were national Best Practices models, transforming both universities into First-Gen Forward institutions. A popular strategist and speaker, she also started and manages the dynamic Facebook and LinkedIn groups, “Empowering First-Generation Students.” A first-generation college graduate herself, Dr. Rease Miles earned a Ph.D. in American Literature from UCLA and always looks for the next community to build and the next narrative to share.
Tom is responsible for leading programs and initiatives within Enrollment Management, and collaborating across the institution, to create partnerships and systems that best support transfer students both as incoming students as well as during their time at LMU. Tom works very closely with each LMU college to ensure not only the matriculation and smooth transition of new students, but also the successful completion of their LMU academic experience. He continuously strives to strengthen relationships with local community college partners with the goal of achieving a more efficient and transparent transfer to LMU. Tom was honored to receive the Bonita C. Jacobs Transfer Champion Rising Star Award from the National Institute for the Study of Transfer Students, which recognizes individuals who have demonstrated exceptional advocacy and leadership in the development and implementation of transfer-focused activities that have significantly improved transfer student access, persistence, and success.
