NASPA Online Learning Community

Book Launch and Conversation: In the Middle: Leading as a Mid-Level Professional in Student Affairs

Includes a Live Web Event on 04/16/2026 at 2:00 PM (EDT)

Mid-level professionals in student affairs serve as vital connectors between senior leaders, staff, and students, yet their unique challenges are often overlooked. Join the authors of NASPA's new book In the Middle: Leading as a Mid-Level Professional in Student Affairs, as they discuss strategies for navigating institutional politics, influencing without positional authority, and sustaining professional growth. Participants will reflect on their own experiences, gain practical leadership tools, and reframe the power of leading from the middle.

Learning Outcomes:

  1. Identify common challenges and opportunities faced by mid-level professionals in student affairs 
  2. Reflect on their own professional experiences to recognize strengths, growth areas, and leadership potential 
  3. Explore approaches for influencing change without positional authority 
  4. Recognize the value of mid-level professionals in shaping organizational culture and advancing student success

Gigi Secuban, Ed.D.

Vice President of Inclusive Excellence and Belonging

Montgomery College

Dr. Gigi Secuban serves as the vice president for inclusive excellence and belonging at Montgomery College in Rockville, Maryland. She brings more than 25 years of higher education experience, including inaugural vice president roles for inclusive excellence at Texas State University and Ohio University. Previously, Secuban held leadership positions at the University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign, where she oversaw the renovation of the Bruce D. Nesbitt African American Cultural Center, and at the University of Arkansas, where she served as senior associate director for the freshman engineering program, director of the multicultural center, director of student affairs and diversity services in the College of Education and Health Professions, as well as an assistant director of undergraduate admissions. Her work centers on advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB); promoting student success; and fostering campus environments where all individuals are valued, supported, and heard. She has led initiatives focused on cultural and resource centers, inclusive excellence planning, DEIB fundraising and branding, and campus climate assessment. Secuban earned her Doctor of Education in higher education administration, Master of Science in health science, and Bachelor of Arts in psychology—all from the University of Arkansas. A proud 32-year member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., she is a charter member of the Phi Alpha Omega Chapter in Northwest Arkansas.

C. Spencer Platt, Ph.D.

Associate Professor, College of Education

University of South Carolina

Dr. C. Spencer Platt is an associate professor of higher education administration at the University of South Carolina. He directs the Community College Leadership Alliance and previously led the university’s Center for Innovation in Higher Education. With more than 20 years of experience in student affairs, community engagement, diversity and equity, and academic affairs, Platt’s research focuses on access and excellence in education, particularly the experiences of underrepresented students, faculty, and staff at predominantly White institutions. He has secured over one million dollars in extramural funding from the National Science Foundation and the National Endowment for the Humanities. His publications include articles in numerous peer-reviewed journals and three books: Multiculturalism in Higher Education: Increasing Access and Improving Equity in the 21st Century (Information Age, 2020); Comprehensive Multicultural Education in the 21st Century: Increasing Access in the Age of Retrenchment (Information Age, 2019); and From Boyhood to Manhood: Deconstructing Black Masculinity Through a Lifespan Continuum (Peter Lang, 2015). Platt regularly presents at national and international conferences, including AERA, ASHE, the International Conference on Doctoral Education, and the International Colloquium on Black Males in Education. He earned a PhD from the University of Texas at Austin, an MS from the University of Dayton, and a BA from the University of South Carolina.

Darryl Holloman, Ph.D.

Vice President for Student Affairs

Spelman College

Darryl B. Holloman, PhD, serves as vice president for student affairs at Spelman College. He previously held leadership roles as associate vice president for student affairs and dean of students at Georgia State University and as assistant vice president for student life at Columbus State University. With more than 30 years of experience in higher education, Holloman’s career spans a broad portfolio encompassing student affairs administration, institutional governance, and faculty engagement. He has held faculty appointments at Rutgers University–Newark, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Columbus State University, and Georgia State University. Holloman is a published scholar with numerous articles and book chapters to his credit. His research explores how educational environments are shaped by cultural identity and difference. A frequent conference contributor, he has presented more than 80 research papers at national and international meetings, including those of NASPA–Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education, the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE), the American Educational Research Association (AERA) Divisions F and J, the Association of College Unions International, NACADA: The Global Community for Academic Advising, ACPA–College Student Educators International, and the Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities.

There are no CE credits offered for this event. 

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