INSTITUTE CURRICULAR APPROACH ON THE
12-15 OCTOBER 2019
YEARBOOK
CO-CHAIR
KEITH EDWARDS (he/him/his) @KeithEPhD
Keith is a speaker, consultant, and coach. He has spoken and consulted at more than 200 colleges and universities, presented more than 200 programs at national conferences, and written more than 20 articles or book chapters on sexual violence prevention, men’s identity, curricular approaches, and social justice education. He has facilitated or co-facilitated two-day workshops on designing and implementing a curricular approach with more than 40 different campuses. He is co-host of Student Affairs Live on the Higher Ed Live network. His research, writing, and speaking has received national awards and recognition including ACPA Dissertation of the Year and ACPA Diamond Honoree. Keith recently co-edited the book Addressing Sexual Violence in Higher Education. His TEDx Talk on Ending Rape has been viewed around the world. Keith was the Director of Campus Life at Macalester College in St. Paul, MN from 2007 - 2015 where he provided leadership for and developed a curricular approach for the areas of residential life, student activities, conduct, and orientation.
CO-CHAIR
RYAN LLOYD
(he/him/his) @Ryanelloyd
Ryan Lloyd serves as the Associate Director of the Sophomore & Upperclass Experience in Residence Life at American University in Washington, DC. Before returning to AU, Ryan worked in housing departments at the University of South Carolina, Loyola University New Orleans, and Marshall University. Ryan is a returning Faculty member of ACPA’s Institute on the Curricular Approach and consults on the curricular approach for learning beyond the classroom. Outside of residential education, Ryan has served as a university instructor, on the board of the South Carolina College Personnel Association, at the headquarters of NASPA – Student Affairs Professionals in Higher Education, and with the European Movement lobbying firm in Madrid, Spain. An experienced presenter, Ryan focuses his research and education on co-curricular learning, mapping and assessing student learning, the neuroscience of learning, international education, and residential education. Ryan holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science – International Comparative Politics from American University and a Master’s Degree in Higher Education and Student Affairs from the University of South Carolina.
BECKY BAHE
(she/her/hers) @Becks2354
Becky is the Associate Director of Residence Life at North Dakota State University where she oversees all live-in professional and student staff and the curriculum experience. She earned a B.S. in Athletic Training from the University of North Dakota, and a M.S. in College Student Personnel from Western Illinois University. In addition to her current position, Becky was a hall coordinator at the University of Northern Iowa and was previously the Assistant Director for Leadership and Community Development at NDSU. Currently, Becky serves as faculty for the ACUHO-I STARS College and is the curriculum development chair. Becky has been working with teams on developing curriculum since 2007 and continues to support groups today in this process. Beyond residence life, Becky has had the opportunity to support the curriculum development for the President’s Council for Campus Well-Being on her own campus and several schools beyond NDSU in their curriculum process. Returning as a second-year faculty member to ICA is a great privilege as she continues to help others advance in this area. She can be reached @Becks2354.
DANIELLE BARONE
(she/her/hers) @DLeighBarone
Danielle Barone serves as the Senior Coordinator of Learning Initiatives in Residential Life at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Danielle has worked with programming and community development, living learning communities, and academic based success initiatives in residential life settings for 15 years; deriving passion and sustained motivation from serving students in public education. In addition to working on the UMass Amherst Residential Curriculum, Danielle works with University and departmental colleagues to further develop many different initiatives for student success and retention, most notably a dialogic diversity and inclusion based course designed for student staff and leaders. Danielle holds a Master of Education degree in Student Personnel Administration from Springfield College (MA) and a Bachelors in Business Administration from Western New England College. When Danielle can’t be found talking about the curricular approach on her campus or with other national colleagues, she can be found either in a dance studio, on the ski slopes, or outdoors with her husband, dog, and three hilarious children.
BRYAN BOTTS
(he/him/his) @bryanbotts
Bryan C. Botts serves as the Assistant Director for Residential Education, Leadership, and Assessment at North Carolina State University. Prior to his current role, Bryan has served as a Residential Assistant Director at North Carolina State University and a Coordinator for Residence Life at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. In these roles Bryan has worked directly with student leadership, course instruction and design, living-learning communities, and assisting organizations through their transition to a curricular approach for residential education. Bryan graduated from Eastern Kentucky University with Bachelor’s Degrees in Political Science and Public Relations and Clemson University with a Master’s Degree in Counselor Education – Student Affairs. Bryan is active within the Southeastern Association of Housing Officers. His professional interests include: sustainability, assessment, organizational change, student learning, and the application of urban planning and design principles to learning and community development on college campuses.
PAUL BROWN
(he/him/his) @paulgordonbrown
Dr. Paul Gordon Brown is a scholar, consultant, and speaker specializing in residential curriculum and curricular approaches to student learning outside the classroom. Paul has nearly 20 years of professional experience in higher education and student affairs, holding positions within residence life ranging from Resident Assistant to Dean of Students. Paul holds a PhD in Higher Education from Boston College and has taught in the Higher Education Programs at Boston College and Merrimack College. Paul currently serves as the Director of Curriculum, Training, and Research for the higher education technology software company, Roompact. An experienced Presenter, Paul has had accepted and given over 80 refereed presentations at international and regional conferences. He has also visited over 30 colleges and universities providing workshops on how to develop curricular efforts and presented at nearly 150 institutions in total. Paul has also served as a faculty member for the Institute on the Curricular Approach (Residential Curriculum Institute) for multiple years, was a faculty member for ACUHO-I’s National Housing Training Institute. Paul is a prolific author, writing self-published work on residential curriculum and numerous peer-reviewed book chapters and articles on technology and student learning.
ASHLEY DOBBS
(she/her/hers)
Ashley Dobbs serves as the Assistant Director for Residence Education and Staff Development in University Housing at Georgia State University. In her role she oversees a first-year residential area, the Residential Curriculum, and all recruitment, selection, training and hiring processes for student and graduate staff in the department. Before this role, she served as the Assistant Director for Residence Education at the University of Kansas and has also held positions at the University of West Georgia and University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Ashley is actively involved in the field, serving as the Georgia College Personnel Association president, a course instructor in the Counseling and Student Personnel Services Masters program at the University of Georgia, advisory board member for the African American Male Initiative program at Georgia State, and on the Alumni Directorate Board for the College of Family and Consumer Sciences at UGA. She earned her master’s in educational leadership from Valdosta State University and as proud triple dawg, both bachelor’s degrees and her Doctorate of Education in student affairs leadership from the University of Georgia.
COCO DU
(she/her/hers) @CocoDu2
Coco serves as the Assistant Dean for Residential Life at Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesota. She is responsible for providing leadership for the development and implementation of a vibrant and holistic residential life program, with particular attention given to programs that support students in their transitions in the first and second years. Coco leads Residential Life to foster student learning consistent with the College’s educational mission and core values. The over-arching educational priority is that students will understand their individual responsibility to work towards just and equitable local, national, and global societies. Prior to coming to Macalester College, Coco has worked at the University of Minnesota as well as St. Catherine University, a liberal arts college for women. Her professional interests include social justice, particularly focusing on the intersection of identities and residential curriculum. Coco loves to read anything written by bell hooks. In her free time, Coco makes art that focus on justice and healing. You may check out her various art expressions on Facebook page “COCO can DU art�. Coco can be reached via Twitter @CocoDu2.
KATHLEEN GARDNER
(she/her/hers) @KathleenGTweets
Kathleen Gardner serves as the Director of Residence Life at Central Michigan University. She previously held positions in residence life at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Washington University in St. Louis, the University of Maryland, and the Illinois Institute of Technology. Beyond her roles with housing, Kathleen has provided leadership for assessment within student affairs and has served as the campus coordinator for a retention program. Kathleen’s past ACPA leadership experience includes Chair of the Commission for Housing and Residential Life, Co-Chair of the Presidential Taskforce on Sustainability, Program Chair for the 2016 Convention in Montreal, Co-Chair of the 2012 and 2014 Residential Curriculum Institute, and RCI/ICA faculty member since 2010. She co-authored two publications about the work experiences of new professionals in student affairs, co-authored a publication about sustainability in higher education, and authored a chapter about creating a culture of assessment within university housing programs. Kathleen has served as an on-campus consultant with more than 20 colleges and universities as they designed and implemented a curriculum beyond the classroom. Kathleen received her Master’s and Bachelor’s Degrees from the University of Maryland and is a doctoral candidate at Central Michigan University. Her research interests include socially just assessment that fosters equity and inclusion.
HELENA GARDNER
(she/her/hers)
With a passion for learning and learners, Helena currently serves as the Assistant Director for Community Development for Housing and Dining Services at Colorado State University. Helena supervises residence hall staff in developing learning environments for residents. CSU’s curricular approach to learning “Live 7 Learn” has developed under Helena’s leadership and she continues to look for opportunities to expand within the Division of Student Affairs. With 18 years in Higher Education, Helena has worked at large, small, public and private institutions. She and her son enjoy D.C. movies and engaging in deep conversations about music, culture and changing the world.
STEVE HERNDON (he/him/his) @SteveHerndon10
Steve serves as the Assistant Vice President for Student Development and Executive Director of Housing and Residence Life at The University of Dayton. As the Assistant Vice President, Steve supports the Dean of Students in advocating for students’ academic and personal success. Specifically, he serves as a Title IX investigator and as a member of the Division of Student Development’s Campus Awareness, Response and Evaluation Team (CARE), the Dean of Students after hour on - call rotation for crisis management and the University’s hearing board. As the Executive Director of Housing and Residence Life, Steve oversees a department that houses over 6,500 undergraduate students in traditional residence halls, apartments and 400 university-owned houses and employees 30 fulltime professional staff, 20 graduate staff and approximately 360 undergraduate student staff. Steve’s other responsibilities include collaborating with his leadership team and campus partners in the development and implementation of the department’s residential curriculum and learning living communities in the residence halls, apartments and student neighborhoods. Prior to Steve’s arrival at the University of Dayton, he worked in University Housing at the University of Arizona and North Carolina State University, where he obtained his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in English. Steve is a member of the Association of University Housing Officers- international (ACUHO-I), the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) and ACPA-College Educators International. Since 2015, Steve has served as faculty for ACPA’s Institute on the Curricular Approach. Steve also has served as faculty for GLACUHO’s 2018 Mid- Level Institute and the 2019 James C. Grimm National Housing Training Institute.
DAVID HIBBLER, JR
(he/him/his) @DHibbTweets
David Hibbler, Jr serves as the Associate Director for Residential Education at the University of South Florida. This is David’s second year as a member of the ICA faculty. David received his Bachelor’s degree from Butler University, a Master’s degree from Colorado State University and is a doctoral candidate at the University of South Florida. His research interests include the racialized roles strain of black midlevel administrators and disrupting the preconceived socialized narratives on students with marginalized identities. For the past three years, David served as the Participant Experience chair for the ACUHO-i James C. Grimm National Housing Training Institute at USF. As a scholar-practitioner one of his focus areas includes creating organizational structures needed to effectively and efficiently develop and implement a curricular approach. To serve his students in this way, he draws from his experience as the Butler University mascot. Much like Hink, the Butler Bulldog, or any institution’s beloved mascot, David is the biggest cheerleader and supporter for his students and staff. Just as a mascot works to make a difference in the outcome of the game, David aims to make a difference in the lives of his students and staff.
REX JACKSON
(he/him/his) @jacksrex
Rex Jackson is the Associate Director for Residence Life at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. In this role he is responsible for developing and implementing the vision and direction of the residence life program, serves as part of the central management team for University Housing, and leads the department’s assessment efforts. Rex has worked with a residential curriculum for the past 10 years in various roles while at SIUE. In his current role he is responsible for developing, implementing, and assessing the Curriculum for Engagement and Learning, as well as training the staff in residential life (student, graduate, and full-time) on the curriculum. In addition to his work in University Housing, Rex is also a committed activist for the LGBTQIA+ community and is one of the editors for Trans* Policies & Experiences in Housing and Residence Life and a member of the leadership team for the SIUE Safe Zone Committee. He has served on ACPA’s Commission for Housing and Residential Life and the program teams for the 2016 and 2017 Annual Conventions. Rex received his master’s degree in College Student Affairs Leadership from Grand Valley State University and his bachelor’s degree in Fisheries and Wildlife from the University of Missouri–Columbia.
JASON JOHNSON (he/him/his) @greppson
Jason Johnson serves as Associate Director for Academic Initiatives at Indiana State University where he engages his team in their ongoing curricular journey, partners with faculty to co-create integrative living-learning communities, and explores student impact through leading departmental assessment. Jason’s own transformational learning experiences began as an undergraduate at the University of Vermont where he found incredible friends and mentors, a commitment to social justice education, and a desire to serve students as a career. Following his first role as a Resident Assistant, he stayed at UVM as an AmeriCorps VISTA, followed by full-time roles as an Assignments Coordinator and an Office Manager while pursuing his master’s in Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration part-time. After 12 years in Vermont, Jason found himself at the other VT, Virginia Tech, as a Residential Learning Coordinator where he was part of HRL’s initial transition to a curricular approach. Four years as an RLC was followed by 3 as Assistant Director for Living Learning Programs during an exciting time filled with expansion of academic initiatives at Virginia Tech. Jason joined the ISU family in 2017, excited for new opportunities to shape living and learning for a whole new community of students.
ALAN J. C. JONES (he/him/his)
Alan J. C. Jones has served the University of Kansas for five years and is currently the Assistant Director for Residence Life at KU Student Housing. In his current position, Jones supervises two complex directors and five graduate students. Those employees who lead four residence halls and serve nearly 1,700 KU students. Because of this leadership skill, Jones also was tapped to lead the KU Student Housing Residential Curriculum and Living Learning Communities. Jones earned his Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Central Michigan University and his Master's degree in Higher Education from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. Jones has served as Chair for the Social Justice Committee for the Upper Midwest Region of ACUHO-I for the past three years. In 2016, he also led the inauguration of UMR-ACUHO-I People of Color network. This is Jones's first year serving as faculty for the Institute on the Curricular Approach. Jones's passions include working out, playing video games (particularly Kingdom Hearts, Madden, and Far Cry), using assessment to make current practice better, and — closest to his heart — supporting underrepresented students in the education system.
AMANDA KNERR
(she/her/hers) @arknerr
Amanda R. Knerr currently serves as the Executive Director, Residential Life and Housing at Indiana State University. Amanda Knerr received her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Wittenberg University; her master’s degree in Student Affairs Administration in Higher Education from Ball State University; and her Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration from The Pennsylvania State University. Amanda has had the privilege of working at the University of Alaska Southeast; Penn State Erie, The Behrend College; and Penn State, University Park prior to coming to her current role at Indiana State University. Amanda’s research interests include curriculum development and instructional pedagogy, engaged scholarship, social entrepreneurship, and the development of professional identity. Amanda has participated in a variety of ACPA leadership roles including being a Past-Chair of the Commission for Assessment and Evaluation and invited faculty for the ACPA Student Affairs Assessment Institute and ACPA Residential Curriculum Institute. In 2017, Amanda was honored as an ACPA Diamond Honoree.
ASHLEY LEMMONS
(she/her/hers) @OnCall24_7
Ashley serves as an Associate Dean of Students at Lehigh University. She works with the offices of Community Service, Student Athlete Leadership, Student Engagement, and Residence Life in understanding and implementing the student life curriculum known as bLUeprint. Prior to Lehigh Ashley served in positions at the University of South Carolina, University of Miami, and University of Georgia. She completed her master’s degree in counseling psychology at Auburn University and is currently pursuing a doctorate in organizational leadership at Northeastern University.
HILARY LICHTERMAN
(she/her/hers) @HilLichterman
Dr. Hilary Lichterman serves as the Associate Director of Residence Life at the University of South Carolina and is happily serving in her 15th year as a professional in Student Affairs. Her dissertation, Organizational Perspective on Implementing the Residential Curriculum Approach: An Ethnographic Case Study, is the first published research on the curricular approach in student affairs and specifically in housing and residence life. Hilary has presented at numerous local, regional, and national conferences, maintains involvement in ACPA and ACUHO-I, and has conducted on-site consultations and external reviews on the curricular approach in student affairs and housing and residence life with five campuses. She served as the Co-Chair of ACPA’s 2013 Residential Curriculum Institute (RCI) and as an RCI faculty member from 2014-2018. Hilary earned a bachelor’s Degrees in Spanish for the Professions and Psychology from Marquette University (Milwaukee, WI), a master’s Degree in Student Affairs Administration in Higher Education from Ball State University (Muncie, IN), and a Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Administration in Higher Education at the University of South Carolina (Columbia, SC). Her professional interests include the curricular approach in student affairs, living and learning communities, organizational culture and change, staff training and development, and emergency preparedness.
ALEXANDRA MARTINEZ (she/her/hers) @marti5acc
Alexandra Martinez currently serves as an Assistant Director of Residence Life at Central Michigan University. In this role, Alex oversees the daily operations of the south residential community, co-chairs the paraprofessional staff training and inclusion committee, and leads the Inclusion Assistant Program. This program, rooted in the Office of Residence Life’s educational priority, learning goals and outcomes, focuses on connecting, supporting, and educating students with marginalized and/or underrepresented identities. Her experiences include advancing curriculums, cultivating campus partnerships, exploring the role paraprofessional and professional staff in how curriculums are expressed, developing training experiences, and contributing to a learning organization. Alex has a background in hospitality management, K-12 education training, colligate athletics, and program review. She holds a M.Ed. in Higher Education from Upper Iowa University, a B.A in Physical Education and Health from Graceland University, and an Ontario College Diploma in Hotel and Restaurant Management from Niagara College of Applied Arts and Technology.
BONNIE MCGAHEE
(she/her/hers) @bonniemcgahee
Bonnie McGahee serves as the Assistant Director of Educational Development at San Jose State University in sunny California. Within her role, Bonnie is responsible for the overall implementation of the curricular approach throughout University Housing Services. Bonnie also serves on the Student Affairs division wide curriculum implementation team. Prior to her time at SJSU, Bonnie was an active member of ACPA’s statewide chapter MCPA serving on the executive board for two years and chairing the Support Staff Conference. She has received the Dedication to Professional Service Award for the State of Maryland and has presented at multiple regional and statewide conferences on adopting a curricular approach to student learning in the residence halls. Bonnie’s passion areas include student learning, diversity, inclusion and assessment. Bonnie completed her Master’s degree at The University of Baltimore in Negotiation & Conflict Management and has a Bachelor’s degree from Gwynedd Mercy University.
JORDAN MCLINDEN (he/him/his) @acejordon
Jordon McLinden is the Manager, Student Support & Case Management at Western University. He has worked at four institutions over his 9-year career, specializing in residence student conduct administration and curriculum development. Holding a Masters of Education (Post-Secondary Studies) in non-academic misconduct, Jordon has presented on student conduct and the curricular approach at many local and international conferences and has been provincially awarded and internationally recognized for his peer-based mentorship program, Residence Bounce Back. Most recently, Jordon undertook a full conduct program review to continue to improve the third version of his educational conduct curriculum grounded in relevant theory, intentional learning outcomes, developmental sanctions, and meaningful assessment. When he’s not supporting students, Jordon can be found working on his game, and enjoying a round of golf.
CRAIG ORCHOLSKI
(he/him/his) @CraigOrcholski
Craig Orcholski currently serves as the Assistant Director for Residential Education at the University at Buffalo. He’s been a member of the Institute faculty since 2015 and has been attending the Institute since 2013. Craig has worked at his current and former institutions with residential curricula with a particular focus on creating buy-in among professional staff members. Craig has accomplished this through ongoing training, feedback and honest conversations to make sure the implementers of this approach understand their role and responsibilities. Craig enjoys working with new departments and schools to a curricular approach to help them work through the initial obstacles and challenges of shifting their mindset on the work with their students. In his free time, Craig finds great enjoyment in board games, video games, trivia games‌really just games in general. Craig is always up for a good chat so feel free to come up, introduce yourself, and connect.
JAMES PENVEN (he/him/his) @VTrunnerdude
Jamie Penven is the Assistant Vice President for Student Success and Retention at Radford University. In this role he works collaboratively with university offices to implement a comprehensive student success and retention plan for Radford University undergraduate students. Jamie previously served as a co-chair and a faculty member for RCI 2014 and 2015. Penven holds a Ph.D. from Virginia Tech in Higher Education, a master's degree in counseling from Marshall University and a bachelor's degree in sociology from West Virginia Wesleyan College. Most recently, Jamie served as director of Housing and Residential Life at Radford University. Prior to this he served as an associate director, assistant director and area coordinator for housing and residence life at Virginia Tech. He also worked at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington as a residence coordinator. Jamie is currently a member of the Association of College and University Housing Officers-International, Virginia Association of College and University Housing Officers, and the Residential College Society. Additionally, he serves as an Associate Editor for the Journal of College and University Student Housing with ACUHO-I and co-chair for the Residential College Society executive team. Jamie's research interests include student learning, residential colleges and living learning communities, and student success initiatives.
ERIC PERNOTTO
(he/him/his) @ericpernotto
Eric Pernotto is the Associate Director of Residential Learning for University Housing & Dining at Clemson University. Within that role, he has had the opportunity to collaborate with Academic and Student Affairs partners on Clemson’s nationally recognized Living-Learning Communities (LLCs) and Faculty in Residence program. In his time at Clemson, he facilitated a redesign and implementation of the residential experience into a curricular model called the Residential Experience Model focused on student learning and engagement. He also serves as chair for the development of a division-wide curriculum. He has presented on engaging faculty partnerships and developing LLCs and has provided site visits and consulting for various institutions. Eric began his career in the classroom as an instructor before moving into higher education. Eric obtained his undergraduate degree in Biology from Roanoke College and his M.Ed. from the University of Notre Dame. He is currently a doctoral student in Educational Leadership at Clemson University with a research focused on staff education, design, and implementation of the curricular approach.
QUAN PHAN (he/him/his) @quanphan94
Quan Phan is an international person from Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam. He has been in Oklahoma for 9 years, and he is currently serving as the Curriculum Coordinator for Residence Life at the University of Oklahoma. Quan has his B.A. in Human Relations, his M.Ed. in Adult and Higher Education, and he just starts his journey on getting his Ph.D. in Adult and Higher Education. As a new professional in the field of student affairs, he focuses his work and study on student success, curricular approach, as well as social justice education. Quan is a self-proclaimed “higher education nerd.� In his free time, he enjoys reading, learning, and expressing through all kind of artistic forms: from fine art to musical theater.
ASHLEY ROBINSON
(she/her/hers) @ashleynrobinson
Ashley Robinson is a scholar-activist, speaker, and consultant. For more than six years, she led the development and implementation of initiatives to enhance student learning and development in student affairs and residence life. As a PhD student in Leadership and Education Policy at the University of Connecticut, her research focuses on how university policies and actors impact the lived experiences of minoritized students, specifically related to incidents of racial bias and racial harm. Her work is rooted in feminist and critical theoretical approaches to pedagogy, learning, and organizations, and she is also active as a labor and community organizer. As a consultant, she assists student affairs organizations in reimagining learning, supervision, and program development in humanizing ways.
ARDELL SANDERS
(he/him/his) @ardellsanders
Ardell Sanders (he, him, his) serves as the Director for Residential Education at Indiana State University. Prior to that he served as the Assistant Director of Residential Education where he oversaw training, the Social Justice Educator team, and the Multicultural Men Achieving Scholarship (MMAS) and the Multicultural Women Achieving Scholarship (MWAS) communities. Previously, Ardell served as the Director for the Men’s Achievement Center at North Carolina Central University. In that role he focused on student retention, academic success, and developing global citizens. Before that, Ardell was involved in positions related to the recruitment, retention, and development of students including serving as the Associate Director of the African American Male Initiative, as an Academic Counselor, and as program director for the EAGLE STAR Mentoring Program. His passion for curriculum work has led him to a newfound research focus and commitment to adding to the field’s body of knowledge. As a Ph. D. student in the Higher Education Leadership program at Indiana State University, Ardell hopes to fuse his love of all things curricular with his social justice advocacy to aid colleges and universities in creating dynamic educational environments for students, faculty, and staff.
ERIN SIMPSON
(she/her/hers) @ErinSimp
Erin Simpson (she, her, hers) is the Director for the Gender + Equality Center and Coordinator for the OU Advocates at the University of Oklahoma. In this role, Erin directs the gender-based violence prevention programs, advocacy response to sexual assault, women’s outreach programming, and LGBTQIA2-S education and programming for all three University of Oklahoma campuses. She has previously served in Residence Life at the University of Oklahoma, focuses on the first-year experience, curriculum development, assessment, and graduate student development. Erin currently holds two degrees in education and women’s and gender studies. She is a doctoral candidate in the Educational Leadership and Policy Studies program at OU. Erin is an active member of ACPA and considers the Association her professional home. She served as a directorate board member and then the Chair of the Coalition for Women’s Identities. She served the Governing Board as the Assembly Coordinator for Coalitions and Networks and the co-chair of the Nominations and Elections Task Force. Erin has found several homes within ACPA; she has also served as faculty for the Institute on the Curricular Approach and has co-chaired ICA twice.
FRANK W. TIERNEY (he/him/his) @frankwtierney
Frank W. Tierney serves as the Coordinator for Academic Initiatives at the University at Buffalo. This is Frank's second year as a member of the RCI faculty. Having specifically studied Curriculum and Instruction for Inclusive Education during his Master's program, Frank has a passion for developing curricular components at all levels. He deeply enjoys sequencing strategies, building assessment tools, and has a commitment to training field professional and paraprofessional staff in understanding their roles as strategic educators. Frank's background as a teacher has energized him to craft his efforts around developing engaging and easily assessable learning opportunities for students, while specifically focusing on student success skill building within his institutional role. Frank additionally enjoys the branding and universal design aspects of developing a curriculum, making it accessible to both students and campus partners. He completed both of his degrees at SUNY Fredonia and has an unrequited love for the Buffalo Bills.
BRIAN TU (he/him/his)
Brian Tu serves as the Assistant Director for Residential Life at Florida International University located in Miami, FL. This is Brian’s first year as a member of the ICA faculty. Brian received both his is Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from The University of Iowa in Biology and Higher Education and Student Affairs respectively. In his current role at FIU, Brian responsibilities includes residential curriculum development and implementation, living learning communities, academic initiatives, residential life committees, first-year experience, and professional staff recruitment and selection. Brian’s previous experience in the curricular approach goes beyond his current role at FIU, where he was a live-in staff member at the University of Kansas implementing a curricular approach there as well. Brian has a passion for student learning and development and working on being admitted to the Higher Education doctoral program at FIU. Other passionate areas include development of new professional staff in the field of student affairs, as well as a focus on holistic wellness and health.
JIM TWEEDY (he/him/his)
Jim is the Director of Residence Life & Housing at the University of Delaware and focuses his professional energies on exploring the connections between residence life staff inputs into the student experience and the resulting student learning and development gains. Jim received his M.S. in Adult and Higher Education from Montana State University and his Doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of Delaware. Jim has worked in residence life since his first RA job in 1986 and continues to value every minute of the experience. Jim is the co-author of Beyond Seat Time and Satisfaction and Shifting to Curricular Approaches to Learning beyond the Classroom published in About Campus. Jim also co-developed the first ACPA Residential Curriculum Institute.
SARA WILLS
(she/her/hers) @saramwills
Sara Wills serves as the Manager, Integrated Learning & Assessment at Western University, leading the development and assessment of an integrated learning curriculum across the student experience. Prior to this role, she worked at Carleton University assessing the Residence Life curricular approach and achievement of outcomes across various educational plans, including first year, upper year, community development, and student conduct. She was also directly responsible for the development, implementation and assessment of the staff hiring and training plans. With certifications and research interests in strengths-based leadership and career development, she can often be found meeting with students, colleagues and groups about individual purpose, team development and career exploration as well. Sara is currently serving on the Commission for Assessment and Evaluation Directorate Board, held a faculty and planning committee role on the 2019 ACPA/CACUSS Student Affairs Assessment Institute (SAAI), and is returning as a Curriculum Co-Chair for the 2020 SAAI. Sara earner her Honours Bachelor of Arts from Lakehead University and her Masters of Education in post-secondary studies at Memorial University of Newfoundland.