Michael Baird joined RBC Capital Markets in 2003 and is a director in the municipal finance division. He specializes in structuring innovative solutions to meet the specific needs of the company’s higher education clients. He has extensive experience financing and refinancing various project-based funding programs, including all types of taxable and tax-exempt fixed- and variable-rate structures. Michael also has developed an expertise in structuring project-specific programs utilizing such techniques as net lease financing and various privatization models. Some of his clients have included the University System of Maryland, the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, Cleveland State University, Florida Atlantic University, University of Louisiana System, University of Colorado, and Eastern New Mexico University. Michael has more than 20 years of investment banking experience. He has participated in more than 300 taxable and tax-exempt financings, totaling more than $15 billion in aggregate principal amount. He has an MBA and a BBA in finance from Loyola College in Maryland. He currently holds his Series 7, Series 53, and Series 63 securities licenses.
Bramlett holds a B.A. in Psychology from the College of William & Mary and a master’s degree in higher education administration from North Carolina State University. Early in her career, she managed the marketing and operations of private student housing properties for students of Texas A&M University and Blinn College in College Station, TX. In 2005 she joined the Office of University Development’s Carolina Annual Fund team at UNC-Chapel Hill as the phonathon manager. Bramlett has since held the positions of assistant director of direct mail, assistant director of annual giving, and associate director of annual giving, and she became director of annual giving in 2011. Bramlett has been a professional member of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education since 2006 and represents UNC in the national Annual Giving Directors Consortium.
Jon, a Hamilton graduate, oversees Hamilton’s $6.4 million Annual Fund and Alumni Relations programs that had 35 percent of all alumni participate in events last year. Prior to his tenure as a development officer at Hamilton, Jon spent 24 years as a business executive for Cargill, Inc. focusing on sales, marketing, and customer solutions. Hamilton directs a multi-tiered set of GOLD group initiatives that provide a comprehensive approach to engagement built around GOLD-centric events and a class-centered, volunteer-driven system of direct outreach. Since the 2002-03 fiscal year, Hamilton’s GOLD group participation rate has averaged 46.1 percent. Hamilton’s overall annual fund has had a participation rate of over 50 percent each of the past 31 years, and his near-term goal is to raise GOLD group participation to similar levels.
Eric Stoller is a nationally known thought leader and consultant on using social media in higher education to create connections and enhance communication. As host of Student Affairs Live on HigherEdLive.com, Eric provides weekly professional development opportunities for practitioners. Eric has over 10 years of student affairs technology experience. Eric has been blogging for more than five years and is the student affairs and technology blogger for Inside Higher Ed (IHE). Eric frequently gives presentations on student affairs technology and communications and has presented at multiple student affairs conferences (AACRAO, ACPA, ACUHO-I, NACADA, NACAS, NASPA, and OACADA) and is a former regional chair of the NASPA Technology Knowledge Community. He holds a BA in communications/public relations from the University of Northern Iowa and an Ed.M. in college student services administration from Oregon State University. Eric can be found online at http://ericstoller.com/ and tweeting at http://twitter.com/ericstoller/.
In her current role as assistant provost for the University College at SIU, Julie is responsible for the student success, marketing, and assessment components of the comprehensive University College. Julie currently oversees the university’s Career Services, New Student Programs, and Learning Support Services, and assists with program development, communication, and marketing plans and comprehensive assessment measures for the college. Additionally, Julie concurrently served as the director of housing at SIU through the summer of 2011. Julie is an active member of both ACUHO-I and NASPA, and a graduate of Texas A&M and Indiana State University.
As a member of the president’s senior leadership team, Myron is the inaugural Vice President for Inclusive Excellence and is responsible for building a division and integrate the Inclusive Excellence ecosystem throughout the University. Using inclusive leadership as the framework paralleled with an active leadership strategy, listen, co-create, harvest, and implement, he serves as the framework to articulate a vision and implement the ecosystem designed to improve campus climate and advance Inclusive Excellence. Since Myron assumed his position in 2019, he has worked collaboratively to develop a campus-wide Inclusive Excellence Advisory Board, an interactive web portal, a university cultural intelligence professional development strategy, and the re-engineering of the faculty recruitment process leading to a 28% increase in the hiring of underrepresented minorities. While at MSU Denver, he worked to improve the institution’s cultural competence and led the Office of Institutional Diversity to focus on six elements: campus climate, recruitment and retention, diversity development, diversity initiatives, equity scorecard, and civic engagement. He facilitated the development and implementation of the college’s diversity strategic plan and led a successful college-wide campus climate survey effort. He also develops symposia on diversity, facilitates the ongoing assessment of the campus climate, and, in cooperation with the […]
Dr. Mitchell provides leadership for developing and sustaining programs, policies, and initiatives to recruit, retain, review, and advance faculty at the university. She leads and supports efforts to create a welcoming academic environment for faculty, staff, and students of diverse backgrounds and experiences, and directs the university’s faculty mentoring and professional development program. Prior to joining the University of New Hampshire, Wanda was chair and university endowed professor of education at Hampton University. She serves on the Executive Board of the Office of Women in Higher Education; is second vice president of the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education; holds membership on the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities’ Commission on Access, Diversity and Excellence; and is past chair of the New Hampshire Women in Higher Education Leadership Network. Wanda is the recipient of the 2009 Women of Courage and Conviction Award for Education from the National Council of Negro Women-Greater Boston Section. Under her leadership, the University of New Hampshire has been recognized by Minority Access Inc. and the Seacoast Human Resource Association for its demonstrated commitment to diversity and inclusion.
With 15 years of experiencing recruiting and selecting graduate and professional staff at a national level, Tina brings a comprehensive perspective to this subject matter. Tina is a driving force in using social media to enhance a residential program. As a recruiter, she has experienced unprecedented success with employing methods of social media to recruit, select, and hire staff. Tina has held professional positions at the University of Florida, Jacksonville University, and Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Her professional area of supervision within the field of student affairs has included Housing and Residence Life, Greek Life, Campus Activities, and Leadership Development. Tina received a B.S. in communication disorders and an M.S. Ed. in college student personnel and will complete her Ph.D. in higher education administration in 2012.
Melissa Plaskonos comes to UC San Diego from Princeton University, where she was the deputy director of housing. A LEED accredited professional, Mrs. Plaskonos’ resume includes a B.S. in systems engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy and a Masters of Science in construction engineering and management from Stanford University. She has received Naval achievement awards for her civil engineering work as a leader in a Navy Seabee Battalion and on military installations in Iwakuni, Japan and San Diego. Mrs. Plaskonos currently heads property operations and planning for the UC San Diego department of Housing, Dining, Hospitality; a $100,000,000 program with a total of approximately 9,000 undergraduate and transfer student beds. Recently commissioned buildings at UCSD include the Village East apartment community, The Bistro restaurant, and Tamarack Apartments, all LEED rated. The new Charles David Keeling apartments, located on the Revelle College campus, are currently tracking LEED Platinum. HDH also administers year-round Graduate student and staff housing and an approximately $5,000,000 summer conference service program with an average annual attendance of 25,000.
As associate provost, Dr. Winn provides leadership on academic and administrative issues for Auburn’s thirteen colleges and schools. In this capacity, Dr. Winn oversees processes related to faculty hiring, evaluating, and issues related to the promotion and tenure processes and post-tenure review. Dr. Winn works closely with the more than sixty department chairs, the university promotion and tenure committee, the university senate leadership, and all academic deans. In addition to being Auburn University’s associate provost, J. Emmett Winn is a professor in the Department of Communication and Journalism. Dr. Winn has served Auburn University for the past twenty years. Additionally, he is a longtime member of the AAUP and works with all campus constituents to ensure the institution’s commitment to shared governance.
