Dr. Kathleen Martin serves as Chief of Staff at Springfield College, bringing to the role over 20 years of experience in higher education administration. Throughout her career, Dr. Martin has gained a reputation as an “institutional knitter,” skilled in synthesizing information and happenings from across a campus into a compelling institutional story that enhances decision-making and messaging. Dr. Martin previously served Bay Path University as Vice Provost and Chief Educational Compliance Officer where she provided leadership to assessment, accreditation, institutional research, policy development and academic affairs operations, including the Registrar’s Office. She also served as Bay Path’s Title IX Coordinator. Prior to joining Bay Path, Dr. Martin was a Principal in the executive search firm of Greenwood/Asher and Associates, where she assisted colleges and universities in searches for senior level administrators. She previously served Susquehanna University and Bucknell University as Executive Assistant to the President. Dr. Martin began her career as a full-time faculty member, serving at Springfield College and Westfield State University.
Under Steph’s leadership at Bloomsburg, the data team improved their solicit-able records by 47%, lead the data mining and research efforts through a successful comprehensive campaign, raising $12 million above the campaign goal, collaborated with teams to secure business information on alumni and continues to evaluate processes and procedures for efficiency and effectiveness. Steph holds a bachelor’s degree in business management from Mansfield University of PA and a Masters in non-profit management from Grace College. She is also certified by Blackbaud as a fundraising professional and has certifications in Raiser’s Edge, Financial Edge and Research Point.
Kirsten started her career with the University of Utah managing the Data Integrity team before transitioning to gift processing manager, and finally into her current role as the Director of Development Services where she oversees both of the departments she previously managed. Throughout her time at the University of Utah, Kirsten has focused on improving data accuracy by growing the number of data loads going into the University’s CRM, while also increasing productivity by implementing virtual credit card terminals, paperless gift processing, and streamlining the gift process to cut entry time in half. Kirsten was born and raised in Salt Lake City and spent her childhood on the University of Utah campus attending sporting events, visiting the museums and theatres, and eventually graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Sociology.
In her current that capacity, Alejandra manages the overall operations of the Office of Diversity and Outreach, is the lead strategist for this unit and assists in carrying out the vision and goals for the overall campus. This includes a new initiative dedicated to Advancing Excellence in Staff Recruitment by working with search committees hiring top executives and upper management. She also serves as a Curriculum lead for the new Latinx Center of Excellence in the School of Medicine. Alejandra is the author of “Undocumented Immigrants and Higher Education: ¡Sí se puede!” This is the first book on the topic to chronicle the historic struggle of undocumented students and their supporters to gain equal access to higher education through in-state tuition laws. Her new publication entitled “Immigrants’ Efforts to Access Public Schools and Higher Education in the United States” is part of Springer’s 2020 Handbook on Promoting Social Justice in Education. Alejandra is the 2006 recipient of the Human Relations Award of the National Association of College Admissions Counseling. The award honors persons who have been instrumental in making postsecondary education opportunities available to historically underrepresented students. Through her current service for the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education […]
Sandra has spent most of the last two decades serving as a leader and administrator in higher education. Specifically, she has had extensive experience in managing crisis, strategic planning, developing leadership programs, working with persons with disabilities, mediating disputes, and serving as a Dean of Students, Chief Student Affairs Officer, Chief Diversity Officer, and Deputy Title IX Coordinator. In 2022, Sandra joined Academic Impressions full-time as the Head of Practice for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, due to her experience with the organization as a subject-matter expert who facilitated trainings and workshops in higher-ed, as well as to her passion for making DEI concepts resonate for individuals from all walks of life. In 2024, Dr. Miles transitioned to specialize in the team development space supporting the growth of trust and effectiveness of high-performing teams among leaders in higher education. Sandra completed her doctoral work at Florida State University in 2012, earning a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration. She also completed her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University of Central Florida. In addition to her career and educational achievements, Sandra is on the editorial board for EVOLVE Magazine – First Coast Edition; is a former Chair of the NASPA Center for […]
Nkiruka (Nky) is a dedicated fundraising professional with extensive experience in individual giving, donor and volunteer engagement, and staff management. She is interested in making a community-relevant impact through non-profit and education-related organizations. Her career in annual giving spans over 15 years, from her beginning as a student caller at the University of Pittsburgh to her current position at the University of Rochester. Nkiruka currently leads a fundraising team to increase annual financial support year over year. During her career in annual giving, she has also been tasked with identifying, recruiting, and developing volunteer teams to successfully support alumni, parent, and faculty and staff fundraising campaigns. She has also managed leadership annual giving societies, including all donor and prospect engagement and communication activities. Nkiruka holds a BA in Sociology from the University of Pittsburgh, an MSc. in Management (Healthcare) from the University of Maryland Global Campus, and a PhD in Health Services from Walden University.
Grace is a creative leader who has worked in Information Technology for over 20 years, most of which has been in Higher Education. She started at the ground floor answering the help desk phone and worked her way up to her current position of Director of Business Analytics and Process Improvement for the School of Dental Medicine at Case Western Reserve University. Outside of work, she enjoys many hobbies including historical reenactment research, art and crafts, and is always amused by how the lessons we learn in painting can apply to our professional career as well!
Jason is an award-winning scholar, public higher education leader, and noted developer of leaders. Before his current appointment, he held previous roles including Vice Provost and Senior Associate Vice Chancellor of Academic Planning and Strategic Leadership for the SUNY System. In this latter role, he led the Office of Presidential Leadership and Searches and had primary responsibility for leadership development for the SUNY system. Jason, a professor of educational policy & leadership, is the Founding Executive Director of SUNY’s Strategic, Academic, and Innovative Leadership (SAIL) Institute and leads several national efforts to strengthen and diversify the leadership pipelines in higher education. These pursuits include directing the Association of Governing Board’s Institute for Leadership and Governance; the National Association of System Heads (NASH) System Leadership Academy; and SUNY’s Hispanic Leadership Institute. Jason’s Six Domains of Knowledge for Higher Education Leaders has become a go-to framework for many college and university leaders and his award-winning leadership development programs have prepared hundreds of current and future leaders. Jason has published more than 75 papers and ten books focused on the changing role of colleges and universities. His books include Academic Leadership and Governance of Higher Education (Stylus Press), Multi-National Colleges and Universities: Leadership […]
Deirdre has over 30 years of experience in Human Resource administration in the areas of retail management, health administration, municipal government, and higher education. In her current role, Deirdre is responsible for the coordination of programs that assist faculty in the advancement of their career paths, including the successful achievement of promotion and tenure. Her role also involves oversight of faculty and staff professional development programs and the school’s diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. Deirdre is a certified Cook Ross Unconscious Bias Trainer. In addition to Unconscious Bias, she facilitates several sessions surrounding creating cultures that support inclusive excellence; “How to say something when you see or hear something”, Calling In vs. Calling Out, managing microaggressions utilizing a non-threatening approach. In 2017 Deirdre was awarded Oakland University’s “Dissertation of the Year” for her work entitled: “The Academic Search: Unconscious Bias and its’ impact on the recruitment and evaluation of faculty candidates”. As a part of her research efforts and with the support of leadership, she lead the charge for the initiation of OUWB’s Diversity Liaison program, a model which has been adopted throughout the University. Deirdre holds a BSBA from Central Michigan University, a MAOM from Spring Arbor University, and […]
Jennie directs the Leadership in Academic Matters Program for academic leaders and leads equity, diversity, and inclusion initiatives for faculty. She created and leads the Teaching Race at UVA Place-based Faculty Development Seminar and oversees programs to empower faculty to thrive throughout all stages of their careers. She is the author of Engaged Teaching in Theology and Religion (Palgrave, 2015) and of Feminist Mysticism and Images of God: A Practical Theology (Chalice, 2011) as well as multiple articles. Her scholarship and teaching are in Moral and Spiritual Development, Transformative, Engaged Education, and Psychology of Religion—with emphases in gender and race. Jennie earned her Ph.D. in Religion and Education with a concentration in Women’s Studies from Emory University.
