Kim Kruchen-Spaulding has worked in higher education for the past 10 years in a variety of roles, including academic affairs, student activities, assessment, and strategic resources. She holds an M.Ed. from the University of Virginia where she interned for the Council for Advancement of Standards and conducted research. Kim served as the Director of the Office of Assessment & Planning in the Division of Student Affairs at CU Boulder from 2017-2022. In April 2022, she began a new role at CU Boulder as the Associate Director for Strategic Initiatives. Her current work focuses on change management, researching effective strategies that impact students, and developing reporting practices for the division.

Shaun came to UF in 2017 to direct the new Office of Assessment and Research in its mission to champion a culture of evidence-based decision making for Student Life. Prior to this role Shaun served the University of West Florida for 12 years in a progression of experience including creating the Outdoor Adventures program, supervising Recreational Sports programming, instructing undergraduate and graduate courses, and managing assessment initiatives for Student Affairs. His leadership style and strategies for building assessment capacity draw from his bachelors in animal behavior, masters in experiential education, and doctorate in physical education and health.

Erica Eckert, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor of Higher Education Administration in the College of Education, Health, and Human Services at Kent State University. Before becoming a faculty member, she served for 15 years in a variety of administrative roles managing assessment, accreditation, program review, technology and data systems, survey development and data analysis, and academic and admissions operations.  She teaches courses on technology, business and finance, and assessment and accreditation in higher education and co-authored Business Practices in Higher Education: A Guide for Today’s Administrators (2nd ed.)  Dr. Eckert’s research explores how higher education organizations navigate systems and structures, including assessment and accreditation.

Darby Roberts, Ph.D. is director of Student Affairs Planning, Assessment & Research in the Division of Student Affairs at Texas A&M University. She has been working in student affairs assessment since 1998. As a faculty member in the Student Affairs Administration in Higher Education master’s program at Texas A&M, Darby has students submit professionally written documents in her student affairs assessment class. She has been actively involved in the NASPA Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Knowledge Community (twice as co-chair), as well as the Student Affairs Assessment Leaders organization. In 2023, she co-authored Student Affairs Assessment: Theory to Practice (2nd ed.) and co-edited Assessing Student Leadership, a monograph in the New Directions for Student Leadership series. She also co-edited Learning is Not a Sprint: Assessing and documenting student leader learning in cocurricular involvement. In the past several years, Darby has also contributed chapters to several books on student affairs assessment and student learning. She frequently presents at conferences and consults with campuses on their assessment needs. 

Shannon Dean-Scott, Ph.D. is an associate professor in the student affairs in higher education program at Texas State University. She has taught research and assessment courses for 10 years and was a practitioner leading various assessment projects prior to her faculty role. She is involved in the NASPA Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Knowledge Community and co-edited the book, Using the CAS professional standards: Diverse examples of practice which was endorsed by NASPA, ACPA, and CAS. Her current research focuses on multicultural consciousness of undergraduate students, assessment practices, and teaching pedagogies.

Peter Lake is a professor of law, Charles A. Dana Chair, and the Director of the Center for Excellence in Higher Education Law and Policy at Stetson University College of Law. He has spent 30 years in the classroom teaching law students and served as Stetson’s interim director of Title IX compliance in 2015. He is an internationally-recognized expert on higher education law and policy. He has been quoted or referred to in hundreds of newspapers and court opinions throughout the United States, including the Supreme Courts of California and Massachusetts in 2018. Professor Lake, an award-winning academic, has authored numerous law review articles, books, and other publications. Professor Lake is a highly sought-after speaker, and he has served as a presenter or keynote speaker at several hundred international, national, regional, and local meetings. He has trained thousands of campus personnel on student safety and other issues, including student mental health, alcohol and drug abuse, Title IX and sex discrimination, and First Amendment issues. Professor Lake is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School and serves as a Senior Higher Education Consulting Attorney at the law firm of Steptoe & Johnson PLLC.

Dr. Jennifer R. Hammat joined Florida Gulf Coast University in 2023 as the Associate Vice President for Student Engagement, Student Success & Enrollment Management. Prior to FGCU, she served as the Dean of Students at the University of Southern Indiana and at George Mason University as the University Title IX Coordinator. She served in a variety of roles at The University of Texas at Austin, as the Associate Vice President for University Compliance Services, Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs, Title IX Coordinator, and Clery Act Coordinator. Dr. Hammat has facilitated the implementation of Title IX requirements and best practices for the past 9 years. Before her Title IX work, she worked for sixteen years in Student Affairs with Student Conduct, Student Media, Greek Life, Residence Life, Contract Management, Policy Implementation, Strategic Planning, Enterprise Risk Management, Minors on Campus, and Student Government practices. 

Dr. Hammat earned her B.A. in Organizational Communication from Murray State University, and her M. Ed. and Ed. D. in Higher Education Administration, both from Texas Tech University. 

Jacob Sapp is an attorney who focuses on civil rights compliance within higher education settings. As a former institutional compliance officer and Title IX administrator, he helps his clients navigate complex situations while ensuring all processes and procedures meet legal and regulatory standards.

Specifically, Jacob has experience managing Title IX processes, including report intake, the implementation of supportive measures, and formal complaint gatekeeping, as well as preparing notices of allegations and managing informal resolutions, sanctioning, and recordkeeping. He’s also served in the role of decision-maker for various clients and is able to provide interim Title IX coordination. Jacob has drafted and updated non-discrimination policies for Title VI, Title VII, Title IX, and ADA/504 on behalf of colleges and universities and serves as a civil rights investigator, conducting interviews and authoring investigative reports.

Serving as counsel to a variety of clients within higher education, Jacob leads training events for students and employees on topics such as VAWA, hazing, and bystander intervention, as well as advises college leadership personnel on institutional compliance, risk management, and other evolving legal topics.

Jacob is an experienced presenter, creating and delivering civil rights training presentations for various national associations and institutions of higher education.

Dr. Jill Dunlap is the director for research and practice at NASPA, based in Washington, DC. Prior to joining NASPA, Jill worked closely with college student survivors of sexual violence for more than 14 years at three different campuses. In 2014, Jill served as a non-federal negotiator representing four years of public institutions on the VAWA negotiated rulemaking committee. Jill has her Ph.D. in political science and public administration from Northern Illinois University, where her dissertation work focused on the experiences of students impacted by sexual violence on campus.

Peter Lake is a professor of law, Charles A. Dana Chair, and the Director of the Center for Excellence in Higher Education Law and Policy at Stetson University College of Law. He has spent 30 years in the classroom teaching law students and served as Stetson’s interim director of Title IX compliance in 2015. He is an internationally-recognized expert on higher education law and policy. He has been quoted or referred to in hundreds of newspapers and court opinions throughout the United States, including the Supreme Courts of California and Massachusetts in 2018. Professor Lake, an award-winning academic, has authored numerous law review articles, books, and other publications. Professor Lake is a highly sought-after speaker, and he has served as a presenter or keynote speaker at several hundred international, national, regional, and local meetings. He has trained thousands of campus personnel on student safety and other issues, including student mental health, alcohol and drug abuse, Title IX and sex discrimination, and First Amendment issues. Professor Lake is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School and serves as a Senior Higher Education Consulting Attorney at the law firm of Steptoe & Johnson PLLC.

Dr. Jennifer R. Hammat joined Florida Gulf Coast University in 2023 as the Associate Vice President for Student Engagement, Student Success & Enrollment Management. Prior to FGCU, she served as the Dean of Students at the University of Southern Indiana and at George Mason University as the University Title IX Coordinator. She served in a variety of roles at The University of Texas at Austin, as the Associate Vice President for University Compliance Services, Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs, Title IX Coordinator, and Clery Act Coordinator. Dr. Hammat has facilitated the implementation of Title IX requirements and best practices for the past 9 years. Before her Title IX work, she worked for sixteen years in Student Affairs with Student Conduct, Student Media, Greek Life, Residence Life, Contract Management, Policy Implementation, Strategic Planning, Enterprise Risk Management, Minors on Campus, and Student Government practices. 

Dr. Hammat earned her B.A. in Organizational Communication from Murray State University, and her M. Ed. and Ed. D. in Higher Education Administration, both from Texas Tech University. 

Jacob Sapp is an attorney who focuses on civil rights compliance within higher education settings. As a former institutional compliance officer and Title IX administrator, he helps his clients navigate complex situations while ensuring all processes and procedures meet legal and regulatory standards.

Specifically, Jacob has experience managing Title IX processes, including report intake, the implementation of supportive measures, and formal complaint gatekeeping, as well as preparing notices of allegations and managing informal resolutions, sanctioning, and recordkeeping. He’s also served in the role of decision-maker for various clients and is able to provide interim Title IX coordination. Jacob has drafted and updated non-discrimination policies for Title VI, Title VII, Title IX, and ADA/504 on behalf of colleges and universities and serves as a civil rights investigator, conducting interviews and authoring investigative reports.

Serving as counsel to a variety of clients within higher education, Jacob leads training events for students and employees on topics such as VAWA, hazing, and bystander intervention, as well as advises college leadership personnel on institutional compliance, risk management, and other evolving legal topics.

Jacob is an experienced presenter, creating and delivering civil rights training presentations for various national associations and institutions of higher education.

Dr. Jill Dunlap is the director for research and practice at NASPA, based in Washington, DC. Prior to joining NASPA, Jill worked closely with college student survivors of sexual violence for more than 14 years at three different campuses. In 2014, Jill served as a non-federal negotiator representing four years of public institutions on the VAWA negotiated rulemaking committee. Jill has her Ph.D. in political science and public administration from Northern Illinois University, where her dissertation work focused on the experiences of students impacted by sexual violence on campus.

Joshua Braaten attended West Virginia University and earned a Bachelor of Science in Sports Management – envisioning a career in the business sector of scholastic or collegiate sport. After graduating from WVU, Joshua began a profession in academia – but as an Academic Advisor at American Public University System where he developed a great passion for student services/coaching within higher education. He has now spent a decade working in a student services role at the collegiate level. Most recently, Joshua has been promoted to Senior Success Coach within the Success Coaching Unit at George Mason University.

Rebecca Mattern is a 2x Patriot, earning both her Bachelor’s degree in Integrative Studies and her Master’s degree in Counseling and Development from George Mason University. During her graduate program, she worked as a Graduate Assistant and Academic Coach with Learning Services and as the Graduate Career Counseling Intern with Career Services. Rebecca joined the Student Success Coaching team at George Mason in Summer 2022.

Sam Hediger is a PhD student at the George Mason Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution, working to better understand conflict systems and peacebuilding’s power to address them. While attaining his master’s degree in Conflict Resolution at Portland State University, he worked for three years as a Graduate Peer Mentor, supporting both students and faculty in their renowned University Studies undergraduate program. Sam is also a Student Success Coach at George Mason University.

Flannery Wickham has been an ADVANCE student Success Coach working with matriculated students from Northern Virginia community college since the Summer of 2022. Before joining George Mason University, Flannery worked as a College Life Coach at her alma mater, Florida State University. Flannery moved to the NOVA region to attend graduate school at George Mason and just recently graduated with her Masters in Higher Education and Student Development.

Dr. Mylien Duong is the Senior Director of Research at the Constructive Dialogue Institute (CDI), a non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated to equipping the next generation of Americans with the mindset and skill set to engage in dialogue across differences.

Trained as a clinical psychologist, Dr. Duong has spent the last 12 years developing psychology-based tools for educational spaces, with an emphasis on tools that are evidence-based, easy to implement, and feasible for real-world settings. She began her career as an Assistant Professor at the University of Washington in the Department of Psychiatry. There, she led federally funded research projects to develop and evaluate evidence-based psychological interventions for children and adolescents in educational settings. She then became a senior research scientist at the Committee for Children, a leading provider of social emotional learning curricula for K-12 and out of school settings.

She has a deep passion for translating psychological research into effective education materials that can be used in everyday life. She’s developed programs to prevent student depression, substance abuse, and delinquency, and to foster student growth mindset, belonging, and emotion management. She also has worked extensively with the adults who provide care for youth, including teachers, case workers, and school mental health providers, to attend to their own well-being, develop awareness of their implicit biases, and build effective classroom communities.

She has received over $20 million in grant funding and published over 50 scientific articles and book chapters, and her educational tools have been used by over 100,000 educators across the United States.

She lives in Seattle, Washington, with her husband and her dog, Luke.

Peter Lake is a professor of law, Charles A. Dana Chair, and the Director of the Center for Excellence in Higher Education Law and Policy at Stetson University College of Law. He has spent 30 years in the classroom teaching law students and served as Stetson’s interim director of Title IX compliance in 2015. He is an internationally-recognized expert on higher education law and policy. He has been quoted or referred to in hundreds of newspapers and court opinions throughout the United States, including the Supreme Courts of California and Massachusetts in 2018. Professor Lake, an award-winning academic, has authored numerous law review articles, books, and other publications. Professor Lake is a highly sought-after speaker, and he has served as a presenter or keynote speaker at several hundred international, national, regional, and local meetings. He has trained thousands of campus personnel on student safety and other issues, including student mental health, alcohol and drug abuse, Title IX and sex discrimination, and First Amendment issues. Professor Lake is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School and serves as a Senior Higher Education Consulting Attorney at the law firm of Steptoe & Johnson PLLC.

Dr. Jennifer R. Hammat joined Florida Gulf Coast University in 2023 as the Associate Vice President for Student Engagement, Student Success & Enrollment Management. Prior to FGCU, she served as the Dean of Students at the University of Southern Indiana and at George Mason University as the University Title IX Coordinator. She served in a variety of roles at The University of Texas at Austin, as the Associate Vice President for University Compliance Services, Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs, Title IX Coordinator, and Clery Act Coordinator. Dr. Hammat has facilitated the implementation of Title IX requirements and best practices for the past 9 years. Before her Title IX work, she worked for sixteen years in Student Affairs with Student Conduct, Student Media, Greek Life, Residence Life, Contract Management, Policy Implementation, Strategic Planning, Enterprise Risk Management, Minors on Campus, and Student Government practices. 

Dr. Hammat earned her B.A. in Organizational Communication from Murray State University, and her M. Ed. and Ed. D. in Higher Education Administration, both from Texas Tech University. 

Jacob Sapp is an attorney who focuses on civil rights compliance within higher education settings. As a former institutional compliance officer and Title IX administrator, he helps his clients navigate complex situations while ensuring all processes and procedures meet legal and regulatory standards.

Specifically, Jacob has experience managing Title IX processes, including report intake, the implementation of supportive measures, and formal complaint gatekeeping, as well as preparing notices of allegations and managing informal resolutions, sanctioning, and recordkeeping. He’s also served in the role of decision-maker for various clients and is able to provide interim Title IX coordination. Jacob has drafted and updated non-discrimination policies for Title VI, Title VII, Title IX, and ADA/504 on behalf of colleges and universities and serves as a civil rights investigator, conducting interviews and authoring investigative reports.

Serving as counsel to a variety of clients within higher education, Jacob leads training events for students and employees on topics such as VAWA, hazing, and bystander intervention, as well as advises college leadership personnel on institutional compliance, risk management, and other evolving legal topics.

Jacob is an experienced presenter, creating and delivering civil rights training presentations for various national associations and institutions of higher education.

Dr. Jill Dunlap is the director for research and practice at NASPA, based in Washington, DC. Prior to joining NASPA, Jill worked closely with college student survivors of sexual violence for more than 14 years at three different campuses. In 2014, Jill served as a non-federal negotiator representing four years of public institutions on the VAWA negotiated rulemaking committee. Jill has her Ph.D. in political science and public administration from Northern Illinois University, where her dissertation work focused on the experiences of students impacted by sexual violence on campus.

Bryant Jackson, Ed.D., serves as the Chief of Police at the University of South Dakota and as an adjunct graduate faculty member in the University of South Dakota educational leadership program. He graduated from the Federal Bureau of Investigations National Command Course cohort #4 and the Northwestern School of Police Staff and Command. Before entering law enforcement, Dr. Jackson served in the US Marine Corps. He has completed an undergraduate degree in transportation and logistics management, a graduate degree in emergency and disaster management, and a Doctor of Education degree in adult and higher education leadership.

Cindi Albrightson, M. Ed. serves as the Title IX & Compliance Coordinator and Campus Safety Advisor for Southwestern Oklahoma State University (SWOSU). She previously served as an Instructor and Interim Chair of the Department of Engineering Technology, teaching Safety and Environmental Regulations courses. Cindi serves on the Custer County Local Emergency Planning Committee and the Custer County Full Scale Emergency Response Team. She has experience with OSHA, PEOSH, EPA, and ADA. Cindi completed her undergraduate degree in Industrial Technology with a specialization in Industrial Supervision and her graduate degree in Education at SWOSU. 

Sonja Ardoin, Ph.D. is a learner, educator, facilitator, and author. Proud of her rural hometown of Vidrine, Louisiana; her working-class, Cajun roots; and her first-generation college student to Ph.D. journey, Sonja holds degrees from Louisiana State University, Florida State University, and North Carolina State University. She considers herself a scholar-practitioner of higher education; she served as an administrator for 10 years before shifting to the faculty in 2015. She currently serves as an associate professor of higher education and student affairs at Clemson University. Sonja studies social class identity, college access and success for rural and first-generation college students, student and women’s leadership, and career preparation and pathways in higher education and student affairs. Sonja has published six books, one monograph, and numerous book chapters and journal articles. She stays engaged in the broader field through ACPA, AFLV, ASHE, the Center for First-generation Student Success, NASPA, SACSA, and several journal editorial boards. She enjoys books, traveling, music, sports, laughing, and spending time with her husband, daughter, and pup. Learn more about Sonja's work here.