Dr. Edward F. Martinez is the Founder and Principal of Level Up Consulting and Strategies, LLC, where he partners with leaders and organizations to strengthen their purpose, presence, and performance. Drawing on more than three decades of experience across community colleges, private institutions, residential and specialized higher education settings, Dr. Martinez provides executive coaching, inclusive excellence strategies, and transformative leadership development experiences that empower professionals and organizations to thrive. A nationally recognized thought leader, Dr. Martinez serves on the NASPA Foundation Board, is a SUNY Hispanic Leadership Fellow, and is a NASPA Pillar of the Profession Award recipient. In addition to his consulting and national leadership roles, he serves as the Associate Dean for Student Affairs at Suffolk County Community College, functioning as the Senior Student Affairs Officer for the Ammerman Campus. 

For the past three years, Eddie Martinez has been actively engaged in advancing conversations about artificial intelligence in higher education, serving as both a presenter and panelist at NASPA Annual Conferences. Prior to its publication in April 2026, Eddie reviewed AI with Intention: The Leadership Guide for Higher Education, authored by Dr. Claire L. Brady, and provided a written endorsement of the book.

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.

Dr. Jhenai Chandler is Vice President for Research, Policy, and Student Success at NASPA, where she leads work focused on student success, campus well-being, and creating conditions that help students thrive. Drawing on nearly two decades of experience in higher education, research, policy, and student affairs, she advocates for evidence-based approaches to student safety, health, and belonging. A first-generation college graduate and former parenting student, Dr. Chandler understands firsthand the transformative power of higher education. As the parent of a current college student, she is especially passionate about ensuring campuses are places where students feel safe, supported, and empowered to speak up for themselves and others.

Dr. Amelia Parnell is an accomplished higher education executive and an internationally recognized thought leader regarding current issues and emerging trends in the field. She is a passionate advocate for higher education as a tool for personal advancement and impact, and she seeks opportunities to partner with organizations and individuals who share her sincere commitment to centering students' needs.

In her prior role as vice president for research and policy for NASPA, Dr. Parnell led many of the association's scholarly and advocacy-focused activities and fostered partnerships with college administrators, researchers, grant makers, and other higher education professionals.

As a frequent keynote speaker at national and regional conferences, Amelia presents on topics related to higher education, student affairs, college affordability, student learning outcomes, and institutions' use of data and analytics. She has been quoted in The Wall Street Journal, the Chronicle of Higher Education, Inside Higher Ed, and PBS NewsHour.

Amelia recently completed four years of service on the Board of Directors for EDUCAUSE, where she was Chair of the Finance & Investment Committee and the Audit Committee. She is also the past chair of the Higher Education Equity Network (HEEN), a collective impact network representing more than 25 organizations at the forefront of addressing racial equity in higher education.

Amelia enjoys opportunities to teach, and she is energized by making complex concepts easy to understand. She has had enriching engagements with students and peers as an adjunct instructor and lecturer and she is the author of the book, You Are a Data Person, which she wrote to encourage all higher education professionals to discover and embrace their unique data identity.

Amelia holds a Ph.D. in higher education from Florida State University and master’s and bachelor’s degrees in business administration from Florida A & M University.