In her current position, Ma’ayan Plaut (@plautmaayan) creates, collaborates, and communicates Oberlin’s stories in the most social ways possible. She manages the Oberlin blogs and stories project, Oberlin’s presences on social media sites (including but not limited to Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Flickr, and Youtube) and serves as a consultant, strategist, and cheerleader for individuals, departments, offices, and organizations around Oberlin’s campus that are interested in delving into social spaces.
Since the creation of the center and of her position three years ago, the main thrust of Karyn’s work has been to administer and research language-supported aspects of campus internationalization at the university. She coordinates and oversees all English language support aspects of the new ACCESS and BRIDGE programs, including ELI-CISA Program staffing, language-related program policies, ACCESS and BRIDGE student language proficiency assessments, and several CISA course development projects. She received her Ph.D. in Second Language Studies from Purdue University in 2009, specializing in second language writing and language policy and planning. Her recent publications include, “Campus Internationalization: A Center-based Model for ESL-ready Programs,” to appear in WAC and Second Language Writers: Research towards Linguistically and Culturally Inclusive Programs and Practices, WAC Clearinghouse, edited by Michelle Cox and Terry Zawacki. As a practicing applied linguist, the opportunity to construct, research, and guide language-supported internationalization at George Mason complements Mallett’s overall professional agenda, which is to raise awareness among students, faculty, and administrators (domestic and international alike) about the complexity and significance of language and language study in U.S. higher education, from both theoretical and applied perspectives.
Nicole has a 10 year tenure with George Mason University and is the founding director for the Center for International Student Access (CISA). In this role, she works collaboratively with units around the university to establish the ACCESS and BRIDGE programs designed to expand access to university studies for international students while providing them with structured resources to improve their chances for academic success. Her previous position as the director of graduate admissions for the Volgenau School of Engineering at George Mason sparked her specific interest in becoming a higher education administrator; her career in higher education spans a total of 12 years in instructional, admissions, academic, and student affairs roles. She holds a Masters of Arts in Individualized Studies in Higher Education with a concentration in Student Services and a Graduate Certificate in Higher Education Administration, both from George Mason University where she is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Education.
Joe has worked to guide students toward academic success for over 24 years. Prior to joining the FAU team, Joe spent 22 years as the Director for Academic Advising and Retention Services at Miami (OH) University’s Hamilton Campus. He worked to develop and refine the Appreciative Advising Inventory and has been part of a national task force aimed at advancing the concept of Appreciative Advising for both professional and faculty advisors. Joe has facilitated multiple training workshops and retreats to teach the Appreciative model from a customer service and employee management perspective. Joe specializes in supporting and encouraging cultural change within higher education institutions. He is a certified Appreciative Advisor and served on the faculty for the 2011- 2015 Appreciative Advising Institute. Joe works tirelessly to help traditionally underrepresented students in higher education. He was a driving force behind Ohio Reach, a state and national effort to increase access and retention to higher education for Ohio’s Lower Income/Disadvantaged Youth and Foster Care Alumni. He recently resigned from the Ohio Reach governing board to relocate to Florida in order to begin work supporting foster youth in that state. He is now a co-founder for Florida Reach. He has served as the […]
Jay Brown leads the Public Sector Real Estate Services practice specializing in strategic, transactional, and public/private real estate services to government and quasi-government entities. With over 23 years of public sector and real estate experience, Mr. Brown has performed and overseen numerous public-private transactions and asset repositioning strategies to help public sector clients generate revenue, reduce costs, and create jobs. Mr. Brown is an active participant in several public-private real estate associations, including the Urban Land Institute’s (ULI) Public Development & Infrastructure Council, the Association of Defense Communities (ADC), National Council for Public-Private Partnerships (NCPPP), and the Federal Real Property Association (FRPA).
Scott Fowler brings over 19 years of real estate consulting experience to Alvarez & Marsal. Mr. Fowler has an extensive and diversified background in providing real estate valuation and advisory services for virtually all real estate classes in North America. His client base includes multinational corporations, lenders, developers, REITs, private equity firms and pension funds. Mr. Fowler also has significant experience in the CMBS, public finance, net lease, loan origination and servicing markets. Mr. Fowler holds a bachelor’s degree in finance and a master’s degree in Land Economics and Real Estate from Texas A & M University. He is also a member of real estate professional organizations including the Counselors of Real Estate (CRE) and the Appraisal Institute (MAI).
Kevin Davenport has over 20 years experience in higher education administration. In his current role as the treasurer and director of treasury and foundation services at Virginia Commonwealth University, he is responsible for debt and investments, cash management, treasury operations, and foundation accounting services; he also serves as treasurer for two of the University’s affiliated foundations. Kevin is responsible for administering and overseeing the day-to-day aspects of the university’s Bond Compliance Program. He is a certified public accountant who has earned a BS in accounting from Hampton University, an MBA from the College of William and Mary, and an Ed.S in higher education administration from George Washington University.
Jim Matteo is responsible for debt management, cash and liquidity management, and investment management and oversight as well as directing the university’s internal banking function. Jim has a BS in finance from Pennsylvania State University and an MBA from Moravian College. He is a certified treasury professional and a certified management accountant. Jim is a board member of the Treasury Institute for Higher Education and in 2010 was a recipient of NACUBO’s Rising Star Award.
Christina Gormley has worked at Gettysburg College for 19 years, beginning her time there in the area of student accounts before rising to the director of financial aid position in 2005. During her time in the financial aid office, Chris has evaluated and reorganized her staff to be able to better serve students and parents through a unique net price calculator process, increased and innovative communications to her audiences, and dedicated one-on-one financial aid counseling throughout the student lifecycle. Chris has presented on the topic of new media and communication in the financial aid office at the College Board Middle States Forum.
Dr. Donald Christian serves as the Dean of the College of Business for Concordia University Texas, a position he has held since the fall of 2005. During that time, the college has grown from just under 100 students to over 700 students today. Dr. Christian attributes much of that growth to creative programming and hard work by a dedicated faculty. Dr. Christian received his Doctor of Management in Organizational Leadership from the University of Phoenix where his research and dissertation focused on the correlation between leadership skills and interagency collaboration among organizations. His teaching expertise is in the areas of leadership and management, focusing on developing the critical and creative thinking process for his students. In addition to his work at Concordia, Dr. Christian serves in leadership positions on two community, not-for-profit boards.
