Mayra Olivares-Urueta, Ph.D. leads cross-sector regional strategies across North Texas to increase postsecondary enrollment and completion at the Economic Mobility Center. She brings more than 20 years of experience in community college leadership, student affairs, and enrollment management, including senior executive roles at Tarrant County College and Dallas College. Her work centers on equity-minded practice, student basic needs, and supporting Latinx and parenting students through systems-level change. She has been an active NASPA contributor as a presenter, proposal reviewer, and participant across multiple annual conferences and Community Colleges Institutes.

Brenda Ice leads Residential and Community Living at Brown University, overseeing residential education, housing operations, orientation, Greek Life, graduate housing, and capital planning. She brings more than 25 years of student affairs experience, with prior roles at Scripps College, UC Riverside, and several other institutions. She currently serves on the ACUHO-I Executive Board and co-chairs the Mentoring Committee for the NASPA Black Diaspora Knowledge Community. She earned her M.Ed. from Salisbury University and is completing her Ed.D. at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.

Chris "Topher" Ndiritu provides strategic leadership for residence education, student conduct, and holistic student development at the University of New Orleans. He began his career in student affairs at the University of Tennessee and has held roles at Davidson College and Old Dominion University, where he also served two terms as Student Body President. He is a NASPA NUFP alumnus, a 2022 NASPA Region III Outstanding New Professional Award recipient, and has been selected as the 2026 Director of the Dungy Leadership Institute. He currently serves as Vice President for Marketing for SACSA.

Rollie Carencia is originally from Los Angeles. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Media & Cultural Studies from University of California, Riverside, and his Master of Arts in Higher Education and Student Affairs from New York University.

Rollie currently serves as the Executive Director of Student Life at the School of Professional Studies at Columbia University, where he leads initiatives that enhance the student experience and foster vibrant, inclusive campus communities. With a strong foundation in student affairs, Rollie has contributed to several institutions, including the University of California, Riverside, Pratt Institute, New York University, and Columbia University, supporting student engagement.

Outside of his professional work, Rollie enjoys staying active through marathon running and cycling, and he is always on the lookout for his next culinary adventure.

Nora Kearney is originally from Buffalo, NY. She earned her Master of Arts in Student Affairs and Catholic University Leadership from Boston College, and holds a BA in Art History and Writing from Loyola University Maryland.

Nora currently serves as the Manager for Client Success at Ready Education. In this role, she helps lead initiatives that help institutions get the most from there use of CampusGroups. Most recently that focus has been on how clients can transition from simple data collection to true data operationalization, ensuring that student life is viewed as essential campus infrastructure.

With nearly a decade of experience in the EdTech space, Nora has contributed to the success of hundreds of institutions across four distinct platforms, including her work with Columbia School of Professional Studies. She is passionate about creating "work smarter" business processes that turn everyday student routines into actionable data to drive retention.

Outside of her professional work, Nora is regularly found at trivia nights, and is always interested in talking about why this is the year the Buffalo Bills will win the Super Bowl. 

Creston Lynch, Ph.D. serves as Assistant Vice President for University Life at George Mason University, Virginia's largest and most diverse public university, where he leads division-wide initiatives, oversees student retention and success programs, and supports implementation of the university's strategic plan. He has held senior leadership roles at Southern Methodist University, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Western Kentucky University, and Clemson University, building coalitions, strengthening campus climate, and advancing the student experience across institutional contexts. He has been active in NASPA for more than a decade, presenting at the Annual Conference and AVP Symposium and engaging with regional and national planning efforts. He holds a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration from the University of North Texas.

Garrett Naiman leads campuswide strategy and operations that advance student success, engagement, and well-being at the University of California, Santa Cruz. He brings more than 25 years of experience in higher education, grounded in the belief that every student deserves the opportunity to thrive. He has been an active NASPA contributor and most recently served on the 2025 Extended Learning Sessions conference subcommittee. He holds degrees from UC Santa Barbara, the University of Vermont, and the University of San Francisco.

Quincy D. Spencer provides strategic leadership for student engagement, belonging, and success at the University of Arkansas, overseeing a portfolio that includes transition programs, college access, student media, leadership and involvement, family programs, community engagement, and multicultural initiatives. His scholarship focuses on family engagement, first-generation student success, and second-year retention, and he draws on experience across large public universities, mid-sized institutions, and medical colleges. A past president of NODA, he is active in NASPA and AHEPPP and works as an independent higher education consultant. He holds a doctorate in Higher Education from the University of Arkansas.

As the Director of Innovation and Impact on the Quality Coaching team, Victoria Dunn manages work addressing scalable solutions for quality education-to-career coaching, especially technology-enabled or publicly available solutions. She also supports overall grant making and management across the team's portfolio including post-secondary education, transition coaching, and state-level supports. Victoria joined Strada in 2024. Previously, she led work in several national college access and success organizations, such as the Posse Foundation, Bottom Line, and KIPP Foundation. 

Elise Newkirk-Kotfila serves as the assistant vice president for strategy and partnerships at NASPA–Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education. Her work focuses on student success research and partnerships, and she leads the Advising Success Network, a dynamic network of national organizations partnering to engage institutions in holistic advising redesign to advance success for all students, including Black, Latinx/a/o, Indigenous, Asian, and Pacific Islander students and poverty-affected students. The network provides technical assistance and resources to guide colleges and universities through advising redesign initiatives and has supported over 267 institutions in 30 states. Prior to her work at NASPA, Elise served as the director of applied learning for the State University of New York (SUNY), where she led SUNY’s 64 campuses through an applied learning initiative which culminated in providing at least one high-quality experiential learning opportunity to 460,000 students. Elise has served on national advisory councils and boards, including on the executive board for the Society for Experiential Education. Elise holds a master’s degree from the University at Albany where she studied Women’s Studies and Public Policy with a research concentration on community-university partnerships and a bachelor’s degree in Women’s Studies from The College of Saint Rose.