Kevin has been working in the higher education industry for more than 20 years. He joined Academic Impressions in 2004 as the company’s first full-time employee. Kevin holds bachelor’s degrees in Economics and Finance and a master’s degree in Economics. In 2013-14, Kevin led the research and initial implementation of Academic Impressions’ first Online All-Access membership, higher education’s premier annual membership for professional development and training. As CFO, Kevin is responsible for AI’s financial strategy and helping to coordinate AI’s resources. He also supports the data analytics efforts for AI and is responsible for providing analysis for many of AI’s internal and external projects. Kevin is an avid Denver Nuggets fan and enjoys watching games with his two children. A lifelong learner, Kevin uses his spare time to solve riddles or read about surprising findings in behavioral economics and applied math.
Mark McCallister is Associate Director of the Office of Academic Technology at the University of Florida. Areas under his supervision include classroom technology support, video & collaboration services, A/V installation services, learning space design, computer labs & classrooms, optical mark recognition scanning and scoring, support of workstation hardware and software, and software application & desktop virtualization. He served as President of CCUMC: Leadership in Media & Academic Technology (http://www.ccumc.org) in 2010-2011, and in other roles on CCUMC’s Board of Directors from 2008-2012. Mark has presented on various topics at numerous CCUMC conferences, as well as ACM SIGUCCS, EduComm, the 2011 Standing Conference for Heads of Media Services conference in Newcastle, United Kingdom, and was an invited keynote speaker at the 2012 Learning Space Design Summit in Sydney, Australia. Mark holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a Master of Education in Higher Education Administration, and is currently working toward a Ph.D. in Educational Technology.
Eric has been the Director of University Recreation at James Madison University since April of 1995. He earned his undergraduate degree in Business Management from SUNY Plattsburgh, and his master’s degree in Sport Management from The Ohio State University. Eric is a life member of NIRSA (Leaders in Collegiate Recreation) and has served two terms on their Board of Directors, and has also served as president of both the NIRSA Foundation and the NIRSA Services Corporation. He is a frequent presenter and speaker on and off campus. Eric is a professional consultant, conducting collegiate recreation program reviews and addressing operational and leadership issues as well as recreation facility design and construction. Eric has served as a faculty member and Chair of the NIRSA School of Recreational Sports Management and is an adjunct faculty member in the Hart School of Hospitality, Recreation and Sport Management at JMU. Eric is married (wife, Jacki) and is the proud father of three boys (Ryan, Kyle, and Tyler).
A Gensler Principal and Registered Architect, David is a Leader of Gensler’s Education Practice Area and leads the Chicago office’s Community Studio. He heads up a team focused on research-based design for educational environments that is redefining the campus in response to today’s digital-native student. Actively leading conversations with administrators, professors and futurists exploring the future of the campus, David and his team have published the results of several studies that show how space can support learning and transform the overall campus experience. David serves on the Academic Advisory Board at the University of Kansas School of Architecture, where he earned his Bachelor of Architecture degree, and he is working with the school to develop new curriculum for the profession’s next generation. He is the Chairman of the Board of the Chicago Loop Alliance (CLA), an organization charged with creating a high-performing urban environment in the Chicago’s Loop, which includes America’s Urban Campus and the 50,000 students that call the district home. He is the Founding Chairperson of the Chicago Placemaking Committee and Founding Member of the Wabash Arts Corridor Advisory Board. David serves with the Chicago Department of Transportation’s Placemaking Advisory Committee, which is looking to redefine the placemaking […]
Diane Dahlmann is a member of the National Swimming Pool Foundation board of directors, serves on the editorial advisory board of School Construction News, is the editor of MizzouRec NATION magazine and is a featured Mondo Expert. Formerly she served on the Special Olympics – Missouri Board of Directors and editorial advisory board of Athletic Business magazine. As a graduate of Elmhurst College and Illinois State University, Diane has worked and studied under several great mentors. This led to 40-plus years as a teacher, mentor, director and consultant in higher education recreation. Over the years, she has visited over one hundred leisure facilities in the USA, Canada, Ireland, Great Britain, and Europe. She is known as a quality crusader for excellence, an award-winning innovator, speaker and leader who has greatly influenced the manner in which recreation opportunities and leisure experiences are delivered. Noted for her exceptional creativity and unique perspective, Dahlmann has created some the nation’s most successful programs and facilities (including the MU Student Rec Complex, which has been cited as the best in the nation.) Her program models, facility designs, student development applications and revenue-generating initiatives have been instrumental in shaping higher education and community recreation today.
Deedie Dowdle joined Miami University in January, 2012 as associate vice president for university communications and marketing (UCM) to lead the team in oversight of Miami’s branding, public information, website, crisis communications, publications, creative services, digital media, internal communications, external relations, Miamian magazine, videography, and photography. To build a stronger, more cohesive Miami brand, the UCM team has made significant strides in recent years. The team’s efforts have earned extensive recognition among higher education peers, including a national gold medal for best recruitment video and a regional gold for Best Alumni Magazine, several golds for CASE V/VI and other higher education national organizations. Prior to Miami, Dowdle served as executive director of communications and marketing at Auburn University, with responsibilities similar to those in her role at Miami in addition to overseeing special events and academic division communicators. Previously, she implemented Kennesaw State University’s first branding effort as its director of marketing, and served as director of marketing and public relations in the theme park industry, where she spearheaded the response to several crises, including one that led to worldwide industry change. Earlier, she served in director and account executive roles for Atlanta- and Charlotte-based agencies.
Connie is The Citadel’s second-ranking official, and is a tenured professor in the Department of English. Immediately prior to assuming her position at The Citadel, Dr. Book served as Associate Provost for Academic Affairs and member of senior staff at Elon University in North Carolina. Dr. Book is a professor and researcher in the field of telecommunications. She has explored the pivotal role television plays in American society and public policy. She is the author of the book, DTV and Consumers, the first book dedicated to understanding how our nation’s transition to digital television impacted the general consumer. Dr. Book’s research has received five first-place awards from the National Association of Broadcasters educational group and several research grants. Her work included the first national assessment of municipal officials’ attitudes toward cable television oversight and the subsequent national assessment of municipal cable administrators’ attitudes toward cable television oversight. Her work has been published in legal and academic journals. Dr. Book has appeared on panels at the Federal Communications Commission, the National Cable Television Association, the National Association of Broadcasters, the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors and regional cable television associations. She is often invited to lecture and moderate discussions […]
Niraj Chaudhary serves as an Associate University Librarian for Organizational Innovation at University of the Pacific, where he leads organizational revitalization and furthers organizational effectiveness through services, technologies, collections, and learning environments, within an increasingly learning-centered and evidence-based workplace culture. At Pacific, Niraj is leading the technology planning and budget development for a comprehensive facility renovation of the Stockton campus library. Previously, he served as Head of Information and Educational Technology Services for Auraria Library, which serves University of Colorado Denver, Metropolitan State University of Denver, and Community College of Denver. At Auraria Library, he provided technology vision and led many successful technology implementations including the Discovery Wall during its comprehensive facility renovation from 2008 to 2016.
In her current role, Kristen focuses on developing and managing branding and integrated marketing strategies. Previously with the University of California, Kristen served as the day-to-day lead for marketing and advertising campaigns in support of the UC System brand. From managing strategic digital and social media marketing to advertising, grassroots outreach, event development, and market research, she focused on advancing broad public outreach and awareness of UC. Kristen started her career with two of the top worldwide PR firms (Burson-Marsteller and FleishmanHillard), where she provided communications support for a roster of high-profile, multinational companies including Autodesk, Visa, and Hewlett-Packard.
Jennifer McDuffie has over 10 years of experience in higher education, where she served in multiple leadership roles at the University of Colorado Boulder, University of Denver, and Mississippi State University. In her current role, Jennifer is responsible for the transition of all incoming students and their families to the University through an online orientation, optional summer programming, and an extensive Fall Welcome program offered through the first few weeks of the semester. Prior to her role as Director of New Student & Family Programs, Jennifer served as the Director of the Leeds Scholars Program and Honors Experience, which selected the top undergraduate business students to participate in honors and leadership programs and she was the Associate Director of Undergraduate Admissions overseeing all recruitment, selection, and outreach for undergraduate students at the University of Colorado Boulder. Jennifer earned a B.S. in Family Studies and Psychology from Mississippi University for Women and M.Ed. in Counselor Education with an emphasis in Student Affairs in Higher Education from Mississippi State University.
