In her current position, Martha created a comprehensive accelerated program for adult learners, the first in the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System. The program, Adult Success through Accelerated Programs (ASAP), was launched 10 years ago and has served over 5,000 students since its inception. Martha’s most recent endeavors include building the Prior Learning Assessment Program and directing the AS degree in individualized professional studies, both of which have seen more than 85 percent growth in the past three years. As a faculty member, Martha also loves to work in the classroom with adult learners. Martha was previously dean for the Center for Adult Learners at Minneapolis Community College (MCC), where she helped create The College for Working Adults in 1980, the first “non-traditional” degree program in Minnesota. The program changed the educational paradigm in her state and helped raise awareness of the unique needs of adult learners. Martha also brought degree programs to the workplace through business partnerships and developed neighborhood centers to bring college courses, individual support services, and tutoring to poverty-level areas of Minneapolis. Martha’s extensive background in adult learning and degree program development also includes cohort learning communities. Martha has published and presented at numerous national […]
John Lata is entering his 12th year as a member of the Student Services staff in the Florida State University Department of Athletics, assisting student-athletes with financial aid, community service, counseling, leadership, transitional, and career development issues as part of his job duties. He also serves as the administrative sport oversight for the FSU baseball team. He received his Ph.D. in sport administration from Florida State in 2006. John spent three years in the Compliance office at FSU prior to joining the Student Services office, and has taught courses at FSU in sport management at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, as well as career planning and first-year student experience courses, and he currently teaches sport history. He is also an adjunct professor at Nova Southeastern University, teaching graduate-level courses in sport law, sport ethics, sport marketing, and athletic administration. John serves as an administrative panel member on university-wide student rights and responsibilities cases. He also served on the Seminole Booster Stewardship Council, was a board member of the nonprofit Dick Howser Center for developmentally challenged children, and very recently served as the Honorary Chairperson for the FSU Relay for Life event. In 2007, he received the Partners with a […]
Mike has successfully litigated a wide range of commercial disputes, such as landlord-tenant cases, non-competition covenants, and creditors’ rights matters. Mike’s practice also includes corporate and transactional matters, such as the formation of new entities, corporate governance, shareholder buy-sell agreements, commercial and real estate contracts (drafting and negotiations), mergers and acquisitions of closely held businesses, representation of non-profit entities, and secured transactions. Mike received both his law degree and baccalaureate degree at the University of Akron and served as editor-in-chief of the prestigious Akron Law Review, which is ranked as one of the top 50 general-subject law journals in the nation. During law school, Mike was elected as a councilman for his hometown of Stow (pop. 35,000) while still in law school and continues to serve on the Stow City Council, where he was appointed chairman of the Roads and Safety Committee. As an undergraduate student, Mike served as editor-in-chief of the college newspaper, The Buchtelite, and worked as a business writer at the Akron Beacon Journal and a sports writer at the Indianapolis Star. For the past six years, Mike has written a blog that covers the University of Akron’s men’s basketball and football teams for the Akron Beacon […]
As the associate dean of student life, Ruben is the primary triage administrator for students of concern at University of Redlands. He started working in the university’s student counseling center in 1992 while simultaneously working as the dean of students with emotionally disturbed students (K-12) in a private transitional school. He is a licensed marriage and family therapist and has presented at national student affairs and higher education conferences on varied topics including mental health and alcohol concerns and parent dynamics. He received his BS in psychology and biology from the University of California, Riverside and his MS in clinical psychology from California State University, San Bernardino.
Leora Cieplinski Cimet has served as the director of alumni interviewing at Brown University since 2007. She manages the engagement of over 8,000 alumni interviewers and 330 alumni leaders in the admission process for close to 30,000 applicants. She oversaw the migration to a fully online interviewing system, and has piloted and led innovative training and engagement tools and seminars for alumni interviewers. She also serves as an admission officer and student advisor, utilizing these roles to guide alumni understanding of their position as university ambassadors. Leora began her career as a high school educator and documentarian after graduating from Brown University in 2001 with an honors degree in comparative literature and foreign languages. She is a member of the Brown University Latino Alumni Council and serves as a community mentor for local youth organizations.
Kambiz has over 26 years of experience in higher education. He holds a master’s degree in business administration and has been the director of Housing and Dining Services at the University of Northern Colorado and the University of Colorado at Boulder. Kambiz has demonstrated a strong track record in supporting student development initiatives and is an advocate for building residential communities that foster lifelong learning, multicultural awareness, and volunteerism. The combination of his professional experience in higher education and his scholastic achievement in business administration has allowed him the unique opportunity to develop a successful relationship between the academic mission of the university and Housing and Dining Services in support of providing better quality of life for the students, faculty, and staff on campus.
Philip Simpson graduated from the University of New Mexico in 1981 and has worked primarily on educational and institutional projects throughout his professional career. He is the assistant director for facilities planning at the University of Colorado at Boulder, where he has worked since 1994. In that role he is responsible for capital projects from inception through design development, including capital planning and entitlements, responsible for the planning of more than $580 million of capital projects on the Boulder campus. He recently completed the 2010-2020 Campus Master Plan for the University of Colorado at Boulder. Philip has been a SCUP member since 1996 and served on the Pacific Regional Council since 2008. He was the Chair of the 2009 Pacific Regional Conference and served as program chair since 2010.
Bruce is a founding partner of BWF and has spent his entire career in development. He began his career as the annual fund director at Kalamazoo College and served as a vice president for the University of Minnesota Foundation until forming BWF in 1983. Since then, Bruce has consulted for hundreds of major clients, including the American University in Cairo, Brown University, the Mayo Clinic, Purdue University, the University of Illinois Foundation, and the University of North Carolina System. He is a recognized expert on new-wealth philanthropy and has been widely quoted across national media. Bruce has served on the board of the Council on Foundation’s New Ventures in Philanthropy and as a team member for the Kresge Foundation national initiative for community foundations.
A seasoned leader in liberal arts college advancement, Mark recently joined Hollins University after leading advancement programs and directing campaigns at three other distinguished small colleges, including a $48 million effort at Goucher, a $136 million campaign at Wabash, and an $80 million initiative at St. Norbert. He also served previously at the University of Virginia as director of corporate relations and later as executive director of the Virginia Engineering Foundation. Mark has offered assessment, planning, and training services to many nonprofit groups, as well as interim leadership for organizations such as Muhlenberg College and the Green Bay Botanical Garden. He has authored several articles for publication in professional journals and magazines.
In addition to serving as Drexel University’s vice provost for institutional research, assessment, and effectiveness, Craig is also the president of Q.E.D. Learning and Assessment — a consulting company focused on outcomes assessment, retention analytics, and program evaluation. Craig received his doctorate from the Group in Logic and Methodology of Science at the University of California, Berkeley – an interdisciplinary program integrating mathematics, philosophy, computer science, and linguistics. He is an educational researcher with over 15 years in higher education, including seven years in institutional research. His areas of research include learning assessment; learning analytics; philosophy of mathematics, instructional technologies, and mathematics education; and the application of philosophical methods to research. Prior to coming to Drexel, Craig served as the vice president of the Office of Institutional Effectiveness at Kaplan Higher Education, where he managed five teams working on outcomes assessment, research, retention analytics, data management, and performance measurement.
