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.
Therese has been in higher education for over 25 years, with experience in academic affairs, student affairs, development, and operations. Following her purpose to help others grow and develop, Therese draws upon the work of such thought leaders as Meg Wheatley, Kouzes and Posner, Angela Duckworth, and Jim Collins to guide her work. It is Therese’s belief that we can all continually grow and enhance our ability to lead others. Her professional experience includes building a center focused on First Year programs for the University of Northern Colorado; implementing the first Student Support Services (TRIO) program for Aims Community College; creating professional development programs for the Alumni Association at Colorado State University; and the development and facilitation of the Supervisor Development Program at Colorado State University. In addition to her roles in higher education, Therese worked as a consultant to the Gallup Organization for four years. In her role with Gallup, she facilitated workshops, webcasts, and courses on utilizing and implementing a strengths-based philosophy. She is a Gallup-certified Strengths Educator and has facilitated countless sessions on how to interpret and utilize the Clifton Strengths Finder assessment. As a consultant to Academic Impressions, Therese developed and facilitated a Supervisory Development video […]
For fifteen years, Mitchell Spearman has partnered with philanthropic families across the United States, Asia, and Europe, with the shared goal of connecting family philanthropists across generations, as they achieve transformative goals impacting institutions from coast to coast. Spearman has focused on developing deeper ties within multi-generational families, through family conversations and curated moments, to provide opportunities for younger generations to build their identity and emerge as future leaders. Successes include transformational philanthropic family gifts that range from $10M to $100M and include voices as diverse as a family championing an idea that was raised by a 10-year-old and a family relying on the sage wisdom of a 98-year-old to create a powerful gift. Mitchell has worked at institutions across the United States—from Occidental College in Los Angeles, to the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Arkansas, as well as Drexel University in Philadelphia. He has presented nationally on transformational philanthropy, family engagement and discovery/pipeline building, and he has served as a member of the AI Faculty for four years. Mitchell is a graduate of The University of South Carolina School of Law, where he was awarded a Juris Doctor degree and recognized for his service to the […]
Developing resilient leaders who support and inspire students, faculty and administrators to navigate creatively through ever changing times. Beth is a leadership coach and licensed clinical psychologist who balances a private psychotherapy practice and a leadership development consultancy in Narberth, PA. She is the co-founder of The Resilience Group which trains leaders to develop skills that expand their capacity to manage adversity, increase confidence when transitioning into new roles, maintain a grounded presence in the face of stress and promote a positive influence over those who work with and for them. The Resilience Group created and teaches their Inner-Coaching™ Model for quieting the inner critic, counteracting the Imposter Syndrome and finding a self-supportive inner voice. Beth is also the creator of the non-profit Women’s Leadership Works, a program for undergraduate college women. Beth’s publications on leadership and executive coaching include the authorship of the journal articles “The Hidden Challenges in Role Transitions and How Leadership Coaching Can Help New Leaders Find Solid Ground” and the co-authorship of “The Benefits of a Leadership Program and Executive Coaching for New Nursing Academic Administrators.” Her book chapters include co-authorship of “Executive Coaching to Support Doctoral Role Transitions and Promote Leadership Consciousness” and “Shame Compassion […]
Clint Sidle is the former director of the prestigious Roy H. Park Leadership Fellows Program in the Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University, and is a widely sought after as a key note speaker and consultant in leadership development, executive coaching, and managing strategic change. He has worked with Fortune 500 companies, state and local educational systems, and some of the nation’s leading universities and non-profit organizations. His leadership programs in the Johnson School and at Cornell has earned national recognition. His developmental approach is based on a unique experiential learning model that is the topic of his book The Leadership Wheel: Five Steps to Achieving Individual and Organizational Greatness and elaborates on the inner aspect of leadership development in his most recent book This Hungry Spirit: Your Need for Basic Goodness. Prior to his leadership development roles at Cornell, Clint held senior positions in business management and planning at the University. For ten years, Clint was the strategic planner and possesses over two decades of experience in facilitating strategic change efforts for business and non-profit organizations. His approach to managing change is a powerful combination of leadership development, team building, and large group intervention techniques in facilitating […]
Pat serves as the head of The Sanaghan Group, an organizational consulting firm specializing in leadership development, executive coaching, strategic planning, and leadership transitions. Previously, he was a partner in the Napier Group, which is a consulting group that serves the Fortune 100 and many top tier colleges and universities. Pat has worked on over 225 campuses both in the United States and Canada. He also serves as a board member of the College of Saint Benedict in St. Joseph, MN. Pat is the co-author/author of seven books and over 50 papers, monographs, and articles in the fields of strategic planning, leadership, and change management. His most recent books include: Collaborative Leadership in Action and How to Actually Build an Exceptional Team. He has just completed a book on leadership in higher education, which will be published in the Fall of 2017. Pat is also the co-author of the SPIES survey, which is a validated instrument that assesses a campus’ capacity to actually implement their strategic plan. Pat has a BA in History from La Salle University, a masters degree in Special Education, and a doctoral degree in Organizational and Group Development both from Temple University. Pat has provided executive […]
