Terry L. Allison is Professor of English at Indiana University South Bend where he served as Chancellor from 2013-2018. He received his AB in Economics and Political Science and a Master’s in Library and Information Science from the University of California, Berkeley and a Master’s in Comparative Literature and PhD in Literature from UC San Diego. Before coming to IU South Bend, Allison was chair or co-chair of the Women’s Studies program at California State University San Marcos, Dean of the College of Arts and Letters at California State University, Los Angeles, and Provost at Governors State University. He served as co-chair of the Program Planning Committee, Secretary/Treasurer, and now serves as Executive Director of LGBTQ Presidents in Higher Education. Allison has authored works in several fields, including literature, film, and theatre. His most recent works include a book of poetry, CSU Haiku, and a book chapter about a queer aquatic spectacle known as “The Pink Flamingo,” and he is currently writing several plays. He has been awarded multiple government and foundation grants and was a Fulbright Administrative Fellow to the Republic of Korea.
Dr. Nancy “Rusty” Barceló is nationally known for her work on equity and Inclusion. She has served as President of Northern New Mexico College, Interim Vice President at Central Connecticut State University, Visiting Special Assistant to the Chancellor at University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign, Vice President/Vice Provost for Equity & Diversity at University of Minnesota & Vice President/Vice Provost for Minority Affairs & Diversity at the University of Washington. Dr. Barceló held various positions at the University of Iowa from 1975 to 1996, focusing on diversity in Academic and Student Affairs.
Gerri worked in the computer industry for over 30 years, leaving as Senior technical Marketing consultant She is a master carpenter and Construction contractor. She drove long haul Tractor Trailers over 550,000 miles. Gerri started her political career in 2017 when she was elected to the Somersworth School Board for 2 terms. She is now running for a third term. In 2018 She was elected to her first term as a NH State Representative and started her second term this year. Gerri is a Leader in NH’s Transgender Community and has been educating people about transgender concerns for over 20 years. She has spoken at events for Speak Out Boston, PFLAG NH, Freedom NH, the NH Conference of UCC Churches as well as in the NH State Legislature.
While Marge’s professional career has focused on financial services operations and customer management, holding executive roles with Capital One (EVP), Wells Fargo Advisors (COO) and Barclaycard (COO), Marge has also had the opportunity to serve higher education in a number of different roles. She currently is Chair of the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, served on the board of Longwood University as its Chair and spent a year as Longwood’s Interim President. She also has served as Chair for Virginia’s Workforce Development Council, and has served on the business school advisory board for the University of Richmond and the business school foundation board of Virginia Commonwealth University. She and her wife Julie reside in Charlottesville, VA, where she also serves on the University of Virginia’s Physicians Group Board and has enjoyed the opportunity to teach a session on Globalization and International Business through UVA’s McIntire School of Commerce for the past several years.
Raymond E. Crossman is a social justice activist and educator. He was prepared as a psychologist and family therapist and, since 1992, has served as faculty in clinical psychology. He is currently the longest-serving LGBTQ university president in North America. He was appointed president of Adler University in 2003, and during his tenure, the institution has grown from a small graduate psychology school enrolling about 200 students to a university dedicated to advancing social justice – enrolling more than 1,800 students at its Chicago, Vancouver (BC), and online campuses. He co-founded LGBTQ Presidents in Higher Education in 2010 and co-chaired the organization from 2015 – 2018. In 2015, he chaired the first national conference for development of LGBTQ leaders in higher education. In 2017, he became the first university president to publicly disclose his HIV status, and he has used his personal story to advocate for marginalized communities. He received his B.S. (summa cum laude) in Psychology and Fine Arts from Fordham University; he earned his M.A. and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Temple University; and he studied at Philadelphia Child Guidance Clinic.
Dr. Aaron Devor, PhD, FSSSS, FSTLHE, is a former Dean of Graduate Studies (2002-2012), and a professor of Sociology, at the University of Victoria in British Columbia, Canada. He established and holds the world’s first Chair in Transgender Studies; initiated and hosts the international, interdisciplinary Moving Trans History Forward conferences; and founded and is the subject matter expert for the world’s largest Transgender Archives. He has been studying and teaching about transgender topics since the early 1980s and has published widely on transgender topics, including as an author of four books and editor of one. Devor’s opinions are frequently sought by the media, and he has delivered public lectures to audiences around the world, including more than 35 keynote and plenary addresses. He is a national-award-winning teacher, a Fellow of the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality, and an elected member of the International Academy of Sex Research.
Erika Endrijonas, Ph.D., was named the 16th president of Pasadena City College in January 2019.
Prior to her service at PCC, Dr. Endrijonas was president of Los Angeles Valley College, holding that position since August 2014. Previously, she was Executive Vice President and Accreditation Liaison Officer at Oxnard College in the Ventura County Community College District for five years, and prior to that, she served nine years at Santa Barbara City College as Dean of Educational Programs. Dr. Endrijonas has served on the statewide California Community College boards of the Chief Instructional Officers, the Chief Student Services Officers, and the Association for Occupational Education. Dr. Endrijonas served on the Valley Industry and Commerce Association (VICA) board, where she co-chaired the Education Committee, in addition to having served on the board and the management committee of the Valley Economic Alliance. She currently serves as the Chair of the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) board, Chief Executive Officers of the California Community Colleges (CEOCCC) board member, the co-chair of the national LGBTQ Presidents in Higher Education board, the co-chair of the California Community College Women’s Caucus, a member of the Intelecom Board of Directors, and a member of the Pasadena Bio Collaborative Board.
Dr. Endrijonas holds a bachelor’s degree in History from California State University, Northridge, and a Master’s and Ph.D. in History from the University of Southern California.
James Gandre has been President of Manhattan School of Music (an international conservatory in New York City with 1000 students from more than 50 countries and nearly every state) since 2013. Previously, he was Provost/EVP (2007-2013), Dean of Chicago College of Performing Arts (2000-2007), and Interim Dean of the College of Education (2006-2007), all at Roosevelt University.
As a performer, Jim has appeared as a soloist with The Cleveland Orchestra, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, and members of the San Francisco Symphony, as well as at the Pepsico Summerfare with the London Classical Players. His professional choral engagements include more than 175 performances with the New York and Israel Philharmonics, Aix-en-Provence Festival (France)/Warsaw Symphony, Metropolitan Opera and Royal Concertgebouw Orchestras, and the San Francisco Symphony as well as more than 20 commercial recordings and national television appearances including The TODAY Show, Live from Lincoln Center, and The Pet Shop Boys. In these performances, he has worked under such conductors as Bernstein, Mehta, Sir Colin Davis, Rostropovich, Chailly, de Waart, Hogwood, and Norrington.
A Wisconsin native, he earned his BMus from Lawrence University, an MMus from San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and his EdD from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Richard J. Helldobler, PhD, was appointed eighth president of William Paterson on July 1, 2018. President Helldobler previously served as interim president of Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago from July 2016 to March 2018. Prior to his appointment as interim president, he served as Northeastern’s provost and vice president for academic affairs. Prior to joining Northeastern, he served as vice president for academic affairs at Shepherd University in West Virginia from 2009 to 2012. President Helldobler joined Shepherd after nearly two decades at California University of Pennsylvania, where he served as chair of the Department of Theatre and Dance, dean of the College of Liberal Arts, and associate provost/associate vice president for academic affairs.
Dr. Elizabeth L. Hillman is the 14th President of Mills College. She brings to Mills extensive experience in higher education administration and instruction and a distinguished background working on key gender and women’s issues.
Hillman’s expertise in sexual violence and gender issues in military organizations and culture has brought her national and international recognition. She has been an expert witness testifying before Congress on numerous occasions, including at the Congressional Women’s Caucus hearing to address nonconsensual pornography in the U.S. Military (Marines United). She is a sought-after educator and speaker on the topics of sexual assault and harassment, and women’s leadership and rights. In 2013–2014, she served on the Response Systems to the Adult Sexual Assault Crimes Panel (RSP), and also chaired the RSP’s Comparative Systems Subcommittee.
Hillman is a founding member of the President’s Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, and currently serves as interim president/chair of ACAA Presidents Council, on the executive committee of the Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities, the board of the Women’s College Coalition, and as a member of the NCAA Division III Chancellors and Presidents Advisory Group. She was appointed to serve on a blue-ribbon study group, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine Committee Addressing Sexual Harassment in the Science, Engineering, and Medical Workplaces, that released a path-breaking report in 2018.
Hillman is the former provost and academic dean at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, where she also served as the chief academic officer. Prior to her position at Hastings, Hillman served as professor of law and director of faculty development at Rutgers University School of Law and taught at Yale University and the US Air Force Academy. She also was an officer in the US Air Force, where she served as a space operations officer and orbital analyst.
She received her Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from Duke University in 1989 and an MA in history from the University of Pennsylvania in 1994, and went on to receive a JD from Yale Law School in 2000 and a PhD in history with a focus on women’s history from Yale University in 2001.
Dr. Merrill Irving, Jr. is a visionary leader with an accomplished record of serving diverse learning communities championing underserved and nontraditional students. He became the fourth president of Hennepin Technical College on July 1, 2015. Dr. Irving oversees the college’s mission of providing excellence in career and technical education for employment and advancement.
Dr. Irving, Jr. regularly presents at local and national events on such topics as career and technical education, creating pathways from college to career and higher education excellence and access. He is committed and focused on systematic and transformational changes embedded in equity and inclusion to create structure, culture and management that fosters belonging and engagement of diverse populations.
Dr. Irving is engaged in local, state and national communities of interest including being appointed by the State of Minnesota Governor to the Workforce Development Board and the Young Women’s Initiative of Minnesota Council. Other roles include serving as a member of the President’s Round Table (PRT, an affiliate of the National Council of Black American Affairs (NCBAA) and LGBTQ Presidents and Chancellors in Higher Education. He is a former chair of the Commission on Diversity, Inclusion and Equity.Dr. Irving earned a Bachelor of Arts and Masters of Public Administration from West Virginia University. He also holds a Doctorate of Education in Psychology from the University of Southern California.
Theodora J. Kalikow is President Emerita of the University of Maine, Farmington, where she served from 1994-2012. She also served as President of the University of Southern Maine during 2012-14. Kalikow holds degrees from Wellesley College, MIT, and Boston University. She is an active educational consultant and serves on the Board of Trustees of Breakwater Learning.
With over 17 years of higher education experience, Dr. Lewis carries an established record of advancing equity, cultivating local and national partnerships, and helping institutions realize strengths and outcomes. Dr. Luca Lewis currently serves as the Vice President for Student Services at Whatcom Community College in Bellingham, Washington since July 2015. Prior to Whatcom Community College, Luca was the Dean for Student Success and Retention at Edmonds Community College, and Director for High School Programs at Bellevue College. He entered the community college system in Washington State as adjunct faculty in sociology in 2006, teaching at various institutions before formally pursuing an administrative leadership pathway. Prior to his experience with community colleges, he worked in various instructional and education leadership capacities for the Washington State Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, University of Washington Tacoma, Washington State University, and the University Idaho. Dr. Luca Lewis is recognized as a collaborative and inclusive leader who positions students, employees, and communities for growth and success. Serving as one of the very few out and accomplished transgender leaders in higher education at the executive level in the country, Dr. Lewis has advanced culturally inclusive strategies and practices with higher education institutions, school districts, city municipalities, researchers and scholars, nonprofit organizations, and business and industry professionals.
Dr. Daniel López, Jr. currently serves as President of Harold Washington College, one of the City Colleges of Chicago. Throughout his 25 year career, he has led academic and student affairs units at public and private higher education institutions with a laser focus on student success. He is currently the Board President for the Illinois Latino Council in Higher Education (ILACHE) and Board member of Diversifying Faculty in Illinois (DFI). Dr. López is a proud graduate of the HACU Academia de Liderazgo Ignagural Class of 2020.
Dr. Chicora Martin serves as the Vice President of Student Life and Dean of Students for Mills College in Oakland, California. Before coming to Mills, Chicora was at the University of Oregon for fourteen years serving as the Assistant Dean of Students and Director of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Education and Support Services while also leading the Center for Multicultural Academic Excellence and Bias Response Team. Chicora’s national leadership positions include past co-chair for the National Consortium of LGBT Resource Professionals, current ACPA Senior Student Affairs Officer Advisory board and Region V Knowledge Community Chair and LGBT Mentor committee member for LGBT Issues as part of NASPA.
Brenda Phillips, Ph.D., is the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and Professor of Sociology at Indiana University South Bend with over thirty years of higher education experience. She has served as a Dean, Associate Dean, Graduate Program Coordinator (Fire and Emergency Management), and Founding Director (Women’s Studies). She is an author of Disaster Volunteers, Disaster Recovery, Introduction to Emergency Management (lead author), Qualitative Disaster Research and Mennonite Disaster Service. She co-edited Social Vulnerability to Disasters and Women and Disasters and has a forthcoming book on Business Continuity Planning (including pandemic planning) with Dr. Mark Landahl. Dr. Phillips earned the Blanchard Award for excellence in emergency management education and the Myers Award for work on the effects of disasters on women. She was inducted into the International Women’s Hall of Fame for Emergency Management and Homeland Security in 2013.
Dr. Kent Porterfield serves as Vice Provost for Student Affairs at Gonzaga University. He promotes an educational experience that emphasizes the development of the whole student – intellectual, spiritual, cultural, physical, and emotional. He earned his doctorate (Ed.D.) from the University of Missouri – Columbia in Educational Leadership & Policy Analysis, and has master’s and bachelor’s degrees from Northwest Missouri State University. His career in higher education spans more than three decades. Prior to Gonzaga, Dr. Porterfield served as Vice President for Student Development at Saint Louis University for nearly 14 years, and as Vice President for Student Affairs at Northwest Missouri State University from 1997-2006. Dr. Porterfield is a national leader in the student affairs field, having served as President of the American College Personnel Association (ACPA) in 2014-2015. He has been honored with ACPA’s Annuit Coeptis Senior Professional Award and Diamond Honoree recognition for outstanding contributions in the field of student affairs.
Dr. Marisa Richmond teaches history and women’s and gender studies at Middle Tennessee State University. She is the current Chair of the Metro (Nashville) Human Relations Commission, one of only two openly transgender members of the Democratic National Committee, and a Member of the Board of the Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative.
She just finished serving as a member of the ad hoc Nashville Mayor’s Council on the Status of Women and the Davidson County General Sessions Court Judicial Equity Collective. Previously, she served many years as the President and Lobbyist for the Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition.
She is a prolific author and speaker on transgender rights, and has served on many boards at the Local, State, and National levels. She has been recognized for her work with many awards.
She has three degrees, all in U.S. History. Her A.B. is from Harvard University, her M.A. from the University of California, Berkeley, and her Ph.D. from George Washington University.
Dr. Christina Royal is the fourth president of Holyoke Community College, and the first woman, multi-racial, and queer leader to serve in this capacity. She has served in progressively responsible roles in both academic institutions and corporate environments. Prior to her presidency at HCC, she served as the Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs at Inver Hills Community College. Dr. Royal was recognized by BusinessWest as a 2020 Woman of Impact. She was also recognized for outstanding leadership on the issues of diversity, equity and inclusion by the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) and Cengage in 2021. Dr. Royal is also the recipient of the 2012 United States Distance Learning Association International Award for Outstanding Leadership by an Individual. Dr. Royal earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mathematics and a Master of Arts degree in Educational Psychology, both from Marist College, and a Doctorate in Education with a specialization in instructional design from Capella University.
Dr. Barbara Russo, CEM currently serves as the Program Director for the Graduate Program in Emergency Management at Brevard College (N.C.) where she also leads the undergraduate program in Criminal Justice. She has been involved with the fire and emergency services for more than 24 years, beginning as a volunteer firefighter and eventually ending her career as the Division Chief of Training and Standards for the City of Jacksonville (N.C.) before returning to the classroom upon completion of her doctorate. She proudly bills herself a “pracademic”, spending 25 years in the classroom developing courses, curricula and teaching fire and emergency management courses to students at the undergraduate and graduate levels while continuing to practice in the field as a certified emergency manager. Prior to assuming her role at Brevard College, she served as the University of Mississippi’s first-ever campus Emergency Manager. She continues to teach, consult and serve as a disaster reservist while dedicating her career to increasing diversity in the fire and emergency services.
Dr. Richard (Dick) Senese is president of Capella University. During his tenure, Capella has expanded its FlexPath offerings, invested in academic innovation, and established the Capella Fellows program to promote social justice. Active in higher education leadership, Dr. Senese serves on the President’s Forum board, is the treasurer of LGBTQ Presidents in Higher Education, and has served on the UPCEA board and public policy committee and ACE’s Transfer Credit Task Force. In addition to his work in higher education, he is a board member and past board chair of the Center for Victims of Torture and serves on the development committee of the St. Paul and Minnesota Community Foundation. In 2019, he was named a recipient of the Business of Pride award by the Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal for his commitment and contributions to the LGBTQ community.
Charlita Shelton, PhD has an extensive background in higher education as a university President for two different colleges, Vice President of Academic Affairs, and Organizational Diversity Officer. Currently she serves as Chief of Staff to the President at Gonzaga University and is President Emerita of University of the Rockies (now transitioned to University of Arizona Global Campus.
Dr. Shelton has received many accolades in diversity, equity, and inclusion. She is well-published and has given presentations across the U.S with a focus on structural inequality, social justice, first-generation African American students college completion, women in leadership, and institutional climate. She was a visiting scholar lecturing at both the University of Bradford in England and at Ankara University in Turkey. Dr. Shelton has been featured numerous times in Profiles in Diversity Journal as an award winner, Women Worth Watching Award and Diversity Business Award in 2011. In 2010 she was honored as a Champion of Diversity.
She is a board member of the The Colleges of Law, Santa Barbara/Ventura, LGBTQ Presidents in Higher Education where she is a founding member.
Dr. Shelton holds a master’s degree in educational administration from National University, a master and a doctorate in human development from Fielding Graduate University and lastly Dr. Shelton is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps serving during the early 1980’s.
Dr. Regina Stanback Stroud is an anti-racist activist and committed practitioner facilitating racial and equity literacy development. She dedicated 35 years of her life’s work to being a higher education leader and educator – including service as the Chancellor of Peralta Community College District , the President of Skyline College, various administrative positions and faculty in Nursing. She is now the CEO of RSS Consulting, LLC.
Dr. Stanback Stroud served President Barack Obama on his President’s Advisory Council on Financial Capability for Young Americans. Her work in equity and leadership is recognized by the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges’ statewide “Regina Stanback- Stroud Diversity Award and the Western Regional Council on Black American Affairs’ Dr. Regina Stanback Stroud Leadership Achievement Award, both awarded to individuals committed to leadership excellence, equity and social justice.
Dr. Stanback Stroud holds a Doctorate and Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership from Mills College, a Master’s Degree in Human Relations from Golden Gate University and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing Sciences from Howard University. Dr. Stanback Stroud’s scholarship and expertise has focused on student equity and diversity; education/industry collaboratives; economic empowerment and anti-poverty strategies; community workforce and economic development; and regional and state educational policy.
Dr. Edward Summers is an inspiring educator, leader, public intellect, and a compassionate community builder and advocate for a more just world. He is the Founder, President, and CEO of his second startup nonprofit organization, The Thinkubator, and has spent more than 16 years in higher education, nonprofit management and leadership, community and workforce development, and as an entrepreneur. He has expertise in strategy, innovation, evaluation, public policy, higher education, and management. He holds a Ph.D. in public and urban policy and a master’s in philosophy from The New School, a master’s in public administration, and a Bachelors in political science from Marist College.
Isaac W. K. Thweatt is a fundraiser, strategist, performing artist, and clinician who currently serves as associate dean at Emerson College (Boston, MA) in the School of the Arts. Prior to this position, he held leadership roles at Columbia University and American University. Originally from southcentral Virginia, Isaac has remained passionate about showcasing art in all forms; connecting people with their passions philanthropically; increasing educational attainment; and reducing intersectional marginalization.
Representative Ritchie Torres is a fighter from the Bronx who has spent his entire life working for the community he calls home. Like many people in the South Bronx, poverty and struggle have never been abstractions to him, and he governs from a place of lived experience.
Ritchie’s mother single-handedly raised him, his twin brother, and his sister in a public-housing project. She paid the bills working minimum-wage jobs, which in the 1990s paid $4.25 an hour. While Ritchie grew up with mold, lead, leaks, and no reliable heat or hot water in the winter, he watched the government spend over $100 million dollars to build a golf course across the street for Donald Trump. In 2013, at the age of twenty-five, Ritchie became New York City’s youngest elected official and the first openly L.G.B.T.Q person elected to office in the Bronx.
At the City Council, Ritchie stood out, and during his seven-year tenure he tenaciously tackled problems big and small for the Bronx and New York City. He passed over forty pieces of legislation, including legislation protecting the City’s affordable housing stock and tackling the city’s opioid epidemic. As the Chairman overseeing NYCHA, he held the first committee hearing ever in public housing, which led to a $3 billion-dollar FEMA investment, the largest in NYC history. As Chair of the Oversight & Investigations Committee, Ritchie has led investigations into the heating outages and lead poisoning at NYCHA, the Taxi Medallion scandal, the City’s controversial Third-Party Transfer program, and Kushner Companies.
Ritchie currently lives in the South Bronx and represents NY-15 in the South Bronx. He is a member of the Committee on Financial Services and serves as the Vice Chair of the Committee on Homeland Security.