Office Hours with John Gardner

Alexander Bolton is a devoted child of God, a junior student-athlete at Brevard College in North Carolina, and a faith-filled YouTuber. Alexander has maintained extraordinary grades at Brevard and has made the Dean’s List every year, including this past semester. At Brevard, he is a member of The Hidden Opponent, a leader of Brevard College Worship Nights, Brevard College admissions content work study, and a peer leader. He has also been a writer for the college newspaper. He has been a page at the S.C. State House for state Sen. Overture Walker, whose successful campaign he worked on in the summer of 2024. Alexander has interned with Banco Bannister Co., a Columbia marketing and public relations firm, for two consecutive summers. He highlights his walk as a college student, follower of Christ and student of the Word as he explores the gospel on his YouTube channel, “NoLimitAb.” His favorite scripture is John 14:6: “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” Thank you for listening! Subscribe to our email list for early episode release! Stay in touch on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, and our website.

Dr. Kevin P. Reilly is president emeritus and regent professor with the 26-campus University of Wisconsin System, having served as president from 2004-13. He came to Wisconsin from the State University of New York System, where he was associate provost for academic programs and then secretary of the university. As secretary, he was the chief staff officer for the SUNY Board of Trustees. Currently he has an appointment as Senior Fellow with the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges, working with boards around the country on effective governance. While still president at Wisconsin, he served as president of the National Association of System Heads and a board member at the American Council on Education. Kevin has authored and edited books and articles on higher education governance and policy, accreditation, biography and autobiography, and Irish literature and culture. For years he wrote a regular column, “Focus on the Presidency,” for AGB’s Trusteeship magazine. Recent articles in Trusteeship include “Too Big to Fail,” on public university systems, and “A Winter of Discontent: Tax Policy, Trust, and the Future of Higher Education.” Dr. Reilly earned his B.A. at the University of Notre Dame, and his M.A. and Ph.D at the University of Minnesota. He is a board member for the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters, the Irish American Cultural Institute, and the Association of College and University Educators. Thank you for listening! Subscribe to our email list for early episode release! Stay in touch on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, and our website.

Dr. Kelly Schrum is the Assistant Provost for Graduate Academic Affairs at George Mason University. In this role, she provides leadership for graduate education, working closely with faculty and staff across all colleges to strengthen graduate programs and support student success. Dr. Schrum is a historian and a professor in the Higher Education Program in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. She has been a faculty member at George Mason University since 2000 and is the recipient of several awards, including the David J. King Teaching Award and the Teaching Excellence Award. Her teaching and research focus on digital pedagogy, the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL), and graduate education. Thank you for listening! Subscribe to our email list for early episode release! Stay in touch on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, and our website.

Denise Bartell is Associate Provost for Academic Affairs at Kent State University, where she facilitates strategic initiatives related to access, retention, completion, and student success with a focus on improving equity of outcomes for historically underserved students and empowering faculty as key stakeholders in this work. Her scholarship takes a systemic and explicitly relational approach, most recently exploring a reconceptualization of faculty development to utilize principles of high impact learning experiences and authentic engagement to create communities of transformation where members are empowered to transform public higher education as a tool for building a more just and equitable society. Denise earned a B.S. in Human Development & Family Studies from Cornell University, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Human Development & Family Sciences from the University of Texas at Austin. Jerry Daday is a Professor of Sociology at Indiana University Indianapolis where he teaches courses focused on crime and victimization and research methodology. His primary research focuses on the etiology of violent offending and victimization and the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, with a specific emphasis on high-impact practices (HIPs) and experiential learning. He served for seven years as the Executive Associate Dean for the Institute for Engaged Learning at IU Indianapolis, where he collaborated with colleagues to promote high-quality experiential learning opportunities for students. He is the co-editor of the book, Delivering on the Promise of High Impact Practices: Research and Models for Achieving Equity, Fidelity, Impact and Scale, published by Routledge (2022). He lends his expertise to the Center for Leading Improvements in Higher Education, which includes the HIPs in the States track at the Assessment Institute in Indianapolis and Assessment Update. He received his BA in Sociology from Bridgewater State University and his MA and Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of New Mexico. Before joining IU Indianapolis in 2018, he was a Professor of Sociology and served as the Executive Director of the Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning at Western Kentucky University. Resources from the episode: The Student Experience Project (SEP) website The SEP final report The PERTS Ascend survey Information on the Kent State faculty communities of transformation Information on the Student Experience Champions Information on Ascend Champions Information on the USU/APLU SEP Institutes Contact information: Denise Bartell - dbartell@kent.edu Jerry Daday - jdaday@iu.edu Thank you for listening! Subscribe to our email list for early episode release! Stay in touch on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, and our website.

Annie Goodykoontz is a Phoenix-born student journalist based in Columbia, Missouri. Previously, she has interned at The Los Angeles Times, The Arizona Republic and Brussels-based news site Euractiv. Annie is a junior at the University of Missouri-Columbia, where she spent her sophomore year as editor-in-chief of the student paper, The Maneater. She’s currently a Youth / K-12 Education Reporter at the Columbia Missourian, and a Student Innovation Staffer at the Reynolds Journalism Institute. Thank you for listening! Subscribe to our email list for early episode release! Stay in touch on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, and our website.

Ashley Mowreader is a data journalist and education reporter. She is currently a master of journalism student at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY and fellow for the Education Writers Association 21st class. Previously, Ashley was Inside Higher Ed's inaugural Student Success Reporter and host of the Voices of Student Success podcast. She holds a bachelor's in journalism from Pepperdine University. Thank you for listening! Subscribe to our email list for early episode release! Stay in touch on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, and our website.

Dr. Scott Evenbeck is a retired president of the Charles and Stella Guttman Community College and currently serves as a University Professor at Baruch College. Scott Evenbeck joined the City University of New York in 2011 as the Charles and Stella Guttman Community College’s founding president. He served as professor of psychology and founding dean of University College at Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis. Scott has long been involved in designing, implementing and assessing programs for students in their first years of university study. He played a major role in various initiatives to support student achievement in Indiana, including efforts to keep students in college. He has given more than 100 presentations on serving students as they enter college, and he has written many articles and chapters on academic achievement and persistence. Scott was a task force adviser for the Foundations of Excellence in the First College Year, a board member of the American Conference of Academic Deans, and a faculty member for the Learning Community Institute of the Washington Center for Undergraduate Education. The National Learning Community conference recognized him with the lifetime achievement award. He has been on accreditation teams for three regional associations, focusing on general education, assessment and programs for entering students. Ryan Coughlan is Associate Professor and Founding Faculty Director of the Executive Doctor of Education in Higher Education Administration Program in the Marxe School of Public and International Affairs at Baruch College of the City University of New York. He is a sociologist of education who studies equity and access in public education systems serving students of all ages. Dr. Coughlan began his career as a secondary science educator in the New York City department of education, where he gained direct insight into the structures and challenges of our nation’s largest school district. As a scholar, Dr. Coughlan maintains a commitment to practitioner-oriented research that maximizes impact in academia and educational institutions. Along with his related publications in academic journals, he has published five books on school integration, the history of progressive education, the social foundations of education, and the sociology of education. His most recent co-authored book is an in-depth mixed methods case study of one school district’s efforts to achieve true integration. Dr. Coughlan’s research has been featured in national media outlets including The New York Times, NPR, and Chalkbeat, and it serves as the foundation for multiple school equity lawsuits. Thank you for listening! Subscribe to our email list for early episode release! Stay in touch on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, and our website.

Tam is a senior marketing leader at BVK, where she co-leads the agency’s higher education practice, and she serves as President of the Board for Serve Marketing, BVK’s not-for-profit sister agency. She brings more than 25 years of experience working in higher education marketing and strategy, with a deep understanding of the sector’s evolving challenges, opportunities, and public perception. Tam is a key architect behind College: Proud Sponsor of America at its Best, a national public-service initiative designed to restore trust in higher education by elevating its impact on workforce development, innovation, democratic engagement, and community well-being. Her work focuses on helping institutions articulate their value with clarity, credibility, and relevance—connecting strategy and storytelling to advance higher education’s essential role in America’s future. Thank you for listening! Subscribe to our email list for early episode release! Stay in touch on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, and our website.

A pioneering social entrepreneur, Rajiv Vinnakota serves as President of the Institute for Citizens & Scholars, leading its mission to cultivate the talent, ideas, and networks that develop lifelong, effective citizens. To that end, he works tirelessly to build relationships with the partners and sponsors without whom Citizens & Scholars could not succeed, while at the same time fostering a strong organizational culture focused on American civic values. Raj has dedicated his life to initiatives that help American citizens from all walks of life to become productive and engaged members of society. Early in his career, Raj co-founded the SEED Foundation, the nation’s first network of public, college preparatory boarding schools for underserved children. The SEED schools were featured in both television and film, and Raj won multiple awards for his work with SEED, including Harvard University’s Innovation in American Government Award, Fast Company/Monitor Group’s Social Capitalist Award, and Oprah Winfrey’s Use Your Life Award. Raj continues to serve on the Board of Directors for SEED. Raj currently co-chairs the Civics and Civic Engagement Taskforce for the United States Congress Semiquincentennial Commission celebrating the 250th anniversary of the country’s founding. Raj also cochairs the Civic Learning Pillar of the Partnership for American Democracy, a coalition of American leaders directing resources and attention toward efforts to save U.S. democracy and serves on the advisory committee for Citizen Data. Raj has been at the forefront of innovative scholarship and research that has played a pivotal role in shaping the civic field. His publication credits include From Civic Education to a Civic Learning Ecosystem, Mapping Civic Measurement, and The Civic Outlook of Young Adults in America. He appears regularly on media outlets such as Associated Press, NPR, The Hill, Chronicle of Higher Education, Philanthropy News Digest, and Nonprofit Quarterly. As an expert on civic learning and Gen Z, he has spoken at Fordham Institute, Results for America, Civic Learning Week, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, and as commencement speaker for the University of Chicago Charter School and the University of Pittsburgh. Raj grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the child of Indian immigrants who instilled in him the faith that a good education could open doors to great things. He graduated from Princeton University and is a recipient of Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson Award, the university’s highest honor for undergraduate alumni. In addition to being a former trustee and executive committee member for Princeton University, Raj is the former national chair of its annual giving committee. Raj is also the recipient of an honorary doctorate from Rutgers University. He is also board director for two public companies, Enovis Corporation and ESAB. He lives in Maine with his wife, daughter and cat. Thank you for listening! Subscribe to our email list for early episode release! Stay in touch on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, and our website.

Suzanne Benally (Navajo and Santa Clara Tewa)—Executive Director, Swift Foundation Suzanne has worked in the higher education and the non-profit sector for 40 years. Committed to social justice, diversity, and equity, she predicates her work on transformational change. Currently serving as the executive director of the Swift Foundation she advocates for transformative practices in philanthropy that address issues of racism, equity, justice, and seeks to influence philanthropic practices in being more inclusive and in right relations with Indigenous Peoples. Formerly, Suzanne served as the Executive Director of Cultural Survival, an international Indigenous rights advocacy organization that advocates for Indigenous Peoples’ rights, self-determination, land, language, culture, and political resilience. Prior to that she held positions as a Special Assistant to the President for Diversity, Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs, and core Environmental Studies faculty member and department chair at Naropa University. Previously she held a long tenure at the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education working with colleges and universities in the west, and with the American Indian Science and Engineering Society in k-12 and higher education programs. Suzanne serves a co-chair of the University Board of Trustees at Naropa University and recently served as a co-chair of the International Funders for Indigenous Peoples. She was a cohort member of the Rothko Chapel’s Spirituality and Social Justice initiative to further understanding about the relationship between spirituality and social justice. Suzanne has been a consultant, advisor to higher education initiatives and philanthropic organizations, which have included among others the Association for American Colleges and Universities National Commitments Panel, Ford Foundations Higher Education and Diversity Initiative, and the James Irving Campus Diversity Initiative. Deeply committed to social, environmental and climate justice, her passion and interests center on relationships and interconnectedness between land, spirituality, culture, and people as reflected in narratives and stories past and present. Mostly importantly she engages work that draws on hope now and for future generations to come. Suzanne lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Thank you for listening! Subscribe to our email list for early episode release! Stay in touch on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, and our website.

Aleksondra Hultquist is an Associate Professor of Critical Thinking and First-Year Studies at Stockton University. Her teaching focus is in Critical Thinking, and a variety of General Studies courses, including Poetry & Mathematics, The Passions, and Adaptations. Her work focuses on the literature and culture of the long eighteenth-century, especially women writers and the passions. She has edited a special issue for Eighteenth Century: Theory and Interpretation called “Emotion in the Eighteenth Century” (2017), and co-edited (with Elizabeth Mathews) New Perspectives on Delarivier Manley and Eighteenth-Century Literature (Routledge, 2017) as well as A Spy on Eliza Haywood, co-edited with Chris Mounsey (Routledge 2022). She has published many articles, including “Amorous Constitutions: Bodies and the Affect of Amatory Seduction in Eliza Haywood’s Lasselia” in Restoration (2020) and "Passionate Educations: John Locke, Aphra Behn, and Jane Austen” in English Literature (2018). Her current projects include her manuscript The Amatory Mode: Amatory Fiction’s Passionate Legacy and editing vol. 6 (Love-Letters between a Nobleman and his Sister) of the Works of Aphra Behn by Cambridge University Press (2027). She is the president of The Aphra Behn Society and a founding editor of ABO: Interactive Journal for Women in the Arts, 1660-1830. She is an Honorary Researcher for the Australian Research Council’s Center of Excellence for the History of Emotion and was a Research Fellow at the Institute of Advanced Studies at Loughborough University in 2023. I also like quilting, paddleboarding, and cooking. I love the beach—not a pina colada fan, though. Also, being an academic is my third career. And I can shuck clams, though I was better at it in college. Thank you for listening! Subscribe to our email list for early episode release! Stay in touch on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, and our website.

Antonio Merlo, PhD, became Drexel University’s 16th president on July 1, 2025. An accomplished higher education leader, scholar and professor, Merlo joined Drexel after serving since 2019 as the Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Science at New York University. In this role, Merlo worked meticulously and strategically to expand the limits of NYU Arts & Science, overseeing the completion of a new, innovative home for the college, NYU’s founding school; establishing new centers and an office of research; growing research and fundraising dollars; and hiring 120 tenure-line faculty. Originally from Italy, Merlo, a first-generation college graduate, attended Bocconi University earning a Laurea summa cum laude in economics and social sciences. He received his doctorate in economics from NYU, where he earned the Dean’s Outstanding Dissertation Award. Merlo’s areas of scholarly interest include political economy, policy analysis, public economics, bargaining theory and applications, and empirical microeconomics. His research interests include the economics of crime, voting, the career decisions of politicians, the formation and dissolution of coalition governments, the industrial organization of the political sector, household bargaining, and the study of the residential housing market. He has published numerous articles in the leading economics journals, including the American Economic Review, Econometrica, the Journal of Political Economy, and the Review of Economic Studies. In 2018, he authored an innovative political economy textbook for undergraduates, Political Economy and Policy Analysis (Routledge). His numerous awards and honors include being elected a Fellow of the Econometric Society; the Pareto Lecture in Economics and Social Sciences; being a Peden Senior Fellow at Trinity College, Cambridge; and the Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Foundation Award for Distinguished Teaching. In addition, he has been the recipient of the Coach of the Year Award for the Collegiate Water Polo Association in 2013 (Men’s Mid-Atlantic Division), 2017 (Women’s Texas Division), and 2018 (Men’s Texas Division). Merlo joins Drexel as the University embarks on Academic Transformation, a blueprint for reimagining the institution’s future through the integration of programs and schools, redesign of curriculum and transition to a semester calendar — offering an improved academic experience and value proposition for students. Since his presidential appointment, he has emphasized his commitment to the initiative and his strong belief that it is giving Drexel an advantage, especially when combined with the University’s long-established differentiators, including experiential education. Thank you for listening! Subscribe to our email list for early episode release! Stay in touch on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, and our website.

Carin Silkaitis is Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences and a Professor of Humanities. Carin has also served UAS in a number of Interim positions, including Provost (AY25), Dean of Research & Sponsored Programs (AY25), Dean of Graduate Studies (AY25), and Dean of Career Education (AY24). Carin hails from Chicago, where she served the faculty and students at Columbia College Chicago as the Allen and Lynn Turner Chair of the Theatre Department, a Professor of Theatre, and a Faculty Fellow serving on the College's Antiracism Transformation Team. At Columbia, Carin managed a substantial budget and led a large faculty, overseeing a significant number of productions annually. Her leadership was instrumental in revamping recruitment strategies, and significantly enhancing student retention during the challenging times of the COVID-19 pandemic. Carin also served as Department Chair of both Art and Theatre at North Central College in Naperville, Illinois for 7 years, and served as a faculty member at this institution for a total of 17 years. While at North Central College, Carin tackled the roles of: Head of Acting, Theatre Program Coordinator, Title IX Investigator, and Lead Trainer/Educator for Green Dot - a bystander training technique that eradicates power-based personal violence. Carinʼs tenure at North Central College exemplified her capability to lead and innovate. She guided a complete overhaul of the theatre curriculum and led the department through significant growth and development (including major fundraising efforts). Carin's dedication to relationship building and community partnerships is evident in her active involvement in numerous boards and councils, including the Juneau Arts and Humanities Council where she served as President. Her commitment to antiracism and inclusivity is further exemplified in her work with the Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on Belonging, Empowerment, Access, Representation & Safety (BEARS) at UAS. A proven leader, Carin's strategic vision, combined with her extensive experience in academia and the arts, makes her an ideal leader during this time of nearly constant change in the academy. Carin's commitment to enhancing the academic landscape through innovative and inclusive practices promises to contribute significantly to the necessary conversations happening in her community and around our nation. Thank you for listening! Subscribe to our email list for early episode release! Stay in touch on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, and our website.

Dr. Evan Faulkenbury is the University Historian for the University of South Carolina. He holds a Ph.D. in History from UNC Chapel Hill, and before joining USC in 2024, he taught U.S. and public history for eight years at SUNY Cortland. As the University Historian, Dr. Faulkenbury records oral history interviews with people who shaped USC, co-produces the podcast Remembering the Days, leads historical tours of campus, teaches the occasional history class, and collaborates with various departments and offices around campus. He is working on two books about USC’s history—one is a general history of Carolina, and the other is a close look at the 1998-1999 Gamecock football seasons.

Marcella David is a higher education leader, most recently serving as Senior Vice President and Provost at Columbia College Chicago, a liberal arts college with a creative arts focus. Prior to that, she served as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Florida A&M University (FAMU), and in various collegiate and university leadership roles at The University of Iowa, including as its chief diversity officer from 2004-2009. As an academic administrator, David has focused on providing students with meaningful access that not only encourages students from different backgrounds to attend college, but provides support that promotes success. Other key priorities she holds include building a vibrant campus community and supporting the development and vitality of the faculty and staff to promote curiosity, inquiry and educational excellence for all. David holds a B.S. in Computer and Systems Engineering from RPI (1986) and a J.D. from The University of Michigan Law School (1989), and was a Ford Foundation Fellow in International Law at Harvard Law School (1991). She served as a professor of law at The University of Iowa College of Law (1995-2014) and FAMU (2015-2018), and her visiting appointments include The University of Chicago Law School, University of Pennsylvania Law School, and Florida State University College of Law.

Michael McGinnis was appointed Vice President for Academic Affairs at Saint Francis University in July 2022. Dr. McGinnis has 29 years’ experience in higher education and currently in the 2025-2026 cohort of the Executive Leadership Academy sponsored by the Council of Independent Colleges. Dr. McGinnis came to Saint Francis from Norwich University, a senior military college, where he served as Dean of the College of Science and Mathematics and professor of chemistry since 2013. Prior to Norwich, he served as head of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at University of North Georgia (a sister senior military college) and the Associate Dean and Director of Preprofessional Programs at Georgia College, Georgia’s Public Liberal Arts College. VPAA McGinnis earned his ACS-certified B.S. degree in chemistry from Elizabethtown College (PA) and Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the University of Tennessee. He completed a one-year teaching-research Postdoctoral Fellowship with the University of Tennessee; also working at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. He has won awards for his undergraduate teaching and advising, participated in science outreach activities and workshops around the globe, and served at the local, regional and national level for the American Chemical Society (ACS). He is currently national chair for ACS’ International Activities Committee. McGinnis’s research, much of it involving undergraduates, presently focuses on microwave-assisted organic reactions. He is an accomplished scientist with published articles and a book.

Suzanne Benally (Navajo and Santa Clara Tewa)—Executive Director, Swift Foundation Suzanne has worked in the higher education and the non-profit sector for 40 years. Committed to social justice, diversity, and equity, she predicates her work on transformational change. Currently serving as the executive director of the Swift Foundation she advocates for transformative practices in philanthropy that address issues of racism, equity, justice, and seeks to influence philanthropic practices in being more inclusive and in right relations with Indigenous Peoples. Formerly, Suzanne served as the Executive Director of Cultural Survival, an international Indigenous rights advocacy organization that advocates for Indigenous Peoples’ rights, self-determination, land, language, culture, and political resilience. Prior to that she held positions as a Special Assistant to the President for Diversity, Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs, and core Environmental Studies faculty member and department chair at Naropa University. Previously she held a long tenure at the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education working with colleges and universities in the west, and with the American Indian Science and Engineering Society in k-12 and higher education programs. Suzanne serves a co-chair of the University Board of Trustees at Naropa University and recently served as a co-chair of the International Funders for Indigenous Peoples. She was a cohort member of the Rothko Chapel’s Spirituality and Social Justice initiative to further understanding about the relationship between spirituality and social justice. Suzanne has been a consultant, advisor to higher education initiatives and philanthropic organizations, which have included among others the Association for American Colleges and Universities National Commitments Panel, Ford Foundations Higher Education and Diversity Initiative, and the James Irving Campus Diversity Initiative. Deeply committed to social, environmental and climate justice, her passion and interests center on relationships and interconnectedness between land, spirituality, culture, and people as reflected in narratives and stories past and present. Mostly importantly she engages work that draws on hope now and for future generations to come. Suzanne lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Mays Imad received her undergraduate training in Philosophy from the University of Michigan, focusing on Philosophy of Science and Consciousness. She earned her Ph.D. in Cellular and Clinical Neuroscience from Wayne State University in Detroit, and then completed an NIH-IRACDA post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Arizona. Mays’s current research focuses on stress, self-awareness, advocacy, and classroom community, and how these relate to cognition, metacognition, and, ultimately, student learning and success. Through her teaching and research, she seeks to provide her students with transformative opportunities which are grounded in the aesthetics of learning, truth-seeking, and self-realization.

Valerie Shepard, PhD, CSAEd, is a student affairs scholar-practitioner who currently serves as the Senior Content and Assessment Analyst for UCLA Recreation, which is organized under Campus Life in the UCLA Division of Student Affairs. She reports to the Executive Director of UCLA Recreation. Prior to her work at UCLA Recreation, she served as the Assistant Director of the UCLA Graduate Student Resource Center. As the Senior Analyst, she supports the UCLA Recreation Executive and Communications teams by coordinating departmental assessment and collaborating on special projects and divisional and campus-wide working groups. A key component of her role is grants support: she has worked with collaborative teams to secure over $9.5M in state and federal grant funds since 2022. Dr. Shepard is also the co-editor of the recent book A Practitioner’s Guide to Supporting Graduate and Professional Students (Routledge, 2022). In 2022, she was awarded NASPA’s Administrators in Graduate and Professional Student Services (AGAPSS) Knowledge Community’s Outstanding Professional Award, along with her co-editor, Dr. April Perry. In 2024, the book was selected for the Outstanding Publication Award by NASPA’s Faculty Council. Dr. Shepard has also been an editorial board member of the NASPA Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice (JSARP) since 2016, and a member of the editorial committee of the NASPA Annual Knowledge Communities publication since 2014. She advocates for graduate and professional student success as a member of the AGAPSS leadership team. She also served as an invited humanities expert and content creator throughout the initial 2014-2018 development of ImaginePhD, a web-based career exploration and planning tool for those who have advanced degrees in the humanities and social sciences. ImaginePhD is a collaborative project of the Graduate Career Consortium (GCC), and Dr. Shepard continues to be a GCC member as well. Prior to her work in Student Affairs, Dr. Shepard completed her PhD in English Literature at UCLA. She also currently serves as the volunteer grants director for the Chromosome 18 Registry and Research Society.

As an academic leader and author, J. David Arnold has focused on learning communities, first-year programs, strategic planning with faculty and promoting the “teacher-scholar” model of faculty professional development at liberal arts institutions. Dr. Arnold's dedication earned him recognition as a National Learning Community Project Fellow. He attributes much of his success to the influence of great mentors throughout his life, which fueled his passion for higher education and student advocacy Dr. Arnold served as the 26th President of Eureka College in Eureka, Ill. for 11 years. He retired from Eureka as President Emeritus in 2016 and subsequently served as Interim Provost at Salve Regina University and Keystone College. His Eureka presidential tenure has been some of the strongest and most successful years in the College’s history. Under Arnold’s leadership, the college achieved: 1) record enrollment including graduates who represent over 30% of living alumni; 2) balanced budgets; 3) $35 million in private donor support; 4) more than 30 new endowed scholarships; 5) nearly doubled the College endowment from $12 to over $20 million; and 6) more than $30 million in campus improvements, including the construction of a new residence hall, a new Sanders classroom/laboratory building, a new fitness center, Shenkman Reagan Research Center in the library, and the transformation of the Reagan gym into the Christine Bonati Bollwinkle arena and convocation center. Other achievements include the creation of visiting scholar, artist and executive programs. The College campus was designated a National Historic District in 2010 for its importance in American history—Eureka has graduated 42 college presidents, seven governors and members of Congress, and the 40th President of the United States. Building on the legacy of creating servant leaders, a Reagan Forward initiative was launched in 2008 to focus on leadership and service—related events include a 2011 national academic conference on “Reagan and the Midwest,” and campus lectures by dozens of Reagan authors. An Honorary Reagan Fellow Award component of the Reagan Leadership Program was created that featured notable participants, such as Mikhail Gorbachev and Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, and hosted national events with former Secretaries of State George Shultz and James Baker. In honor of Dr. and Mrs. Arnold, the Eureka Board of Trustees renamed the newest residence hall Arnold Hall and established the J. David and Katherine Arnold Leadership Fund. Arnold formerly was vice president for academic and student affairs at Missouri Western State University. He also served as provost at St. John Fisher College and as a dean and grants officer at Clarion University. He started his academic career as a professor teaching psychology and writing at St. Lawrence University. In addition to his professional accomplishments, Dr. Arnold has been actively involved in various civic organizations. He has served on the school improvement council at Fountain Inn High School and the board of advisors for the PRISMA YMCA of Greenville. He is a past board member of Academic Search and has chaired the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities under the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and was an academic trustee with the Lincoln Academy of Illinois. A native of Lancaster, Pa., and the first in his family to graduate from college, Arnold completed his undergraduate degree with honors at Bloomsburg University, graduate degrees at the University of New Hampshire and post-doctoral study at the Institute for Educational Management at Harvard University. A self-described movie buff and nature enthusiast, Arnold and his wife Katherine have three grown children and three granddaughters.