
Leveraging Artificial Intelligence and Innovation at Community Colleges
Artificial Intelligence (AI) represents a transformative force in education, promising to enhance teaching, learning, and administrative processes across institutions. Community colleges, as crucial pillars of higher education accessibility and workforce development, stand to benefit significantly from integrating AI technologies. The panelists will outline the rationale, benefits, and strategies for integrating AI at community colleges, emphasizing improved educational outcomes and operational efficiencies.
Learning Outcomes
1. Articulate how artificial intelligence can be integrated into community college systems to enhance administrative efficiency, support faculty, and improve student outcomes
2. Evaluate the ethical implications of using AI in educational settings, including data privacy, bias in AI algorithms, and ensuring equitable access to AI-driven resources
3. Develop strategic plans for implementing AI technologies, including assessing readiness, selecting appropriate AI tools, and measuring the impact on educational outcomes

Claire Brady
President
Glass Half Full Consulting, LLC
Claire Brady, EdD is an approachable executive consultant specializing in artificial intelligence adoption and executive leadership development in higher education. Drawing from her executive experience as Vice President for Student Affairs at Lake-Sumter State College and Ana G. Méndez University, Claire brings firsthand understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing today's student affairs leaders. Her leadership journey spans roles at AGMU, LSSC, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Michigan State University, and Alma College, giving her deep insight into diverse institutional contexts (public, private, community college, and HSI).
A sought-after speaker, trainer, and executive coach, she works closely with VPSAs to help them strengthen executive presence, navigate leadership transitions, and scale institutional impact.
Executive Coaching for VPSAs: Claire offers one-on-one leadership coaching designed to help VPSAs navigate complex institutional dynamics, enhance decision-making, and lead AI transformation efforts with confidence. Whether you are stepping into a new role or President, preparing for the next phase of your career, restructuring, or looking to optimize your leadership approach, Claire provides customized, results-driven coaching tailored to your unique needs.
AI & Digital Transformation Consulting: As a national thought leader in AI adoption for student affairs, Claire guides institutions in integrating ethical, practical AI solutions that enhance student success, streamline administrative processes, and improve engagement while maintaining institutional values.
A first-generation American and college graduate, Claire remains actively involved in national, regional, and local boards and associations. She holds deep expertise in student affairs restructuring, strategic planning, enrollment management, student success initiatives, digital transformations, accreditation, and organizational design.

Edward Martinez, Ed.D.
Associate Dean of Student Affairs
Suffolk County Community College
Dr. Edward F. Martinez is the Associate Dean for Student Affairs and Campus Senior Student Affairs Officer at Suffolk County Community College, the largest multi-campus community college in the SUNY system. With 30 years of experience across diverse higher education settings, Dr. Martinez is a nationally recognized leader committed to bridging academic and student affairs to create transformative learning environments. A first-generation college graduate, his research focuses on the experiences of community college students and professionals. Dr. Martinez has served in national leadership roles, including on the NASPA Board of Directors and currently serves on the boards of the NASPA Foundation and The Higher Education Consortium for Student Affairs Certification. A SUNY Hispanic Leadership Fellow and recipient of NASPA’s prestigious “Pillar of the Profession” award, he is also the founder and principal of Level Up Consulting and Strategies, LLC, helping individuals and institutions elevate student success through inclusive excellence, coaching, and strategy.

Mordecai I. Brownlee, Ed.D
President
Community College of Aurora
Dr. Brownlee is an inclusive educator who proudly served as the sixth president of the Community College of Aurora. Within the first two years of his presidency, President Brownlee has already brought about significant change and improved the student success agenda at the Community College of Aurora. These successes include CCA embarking upon its first capital project in 24 years, record-breaking capital and scholarship fundraising, the hiring of CCA’s largest and most diverse faculty ranks in the college’s history, improved student completions by more than 20%.
Dr. Mordecai publishes frequently, including serving as a columnist for EdSurge. He also teaches for Lamar University and the University of Charleston. Dr. Mordecai has been featured on several local, state, and national platforms including the American Association of Community Colleges Community College Journal, NASPA Leadership Exchange, EdUp Experience, EdTech Magazine, and Colorado Sentinel. In 2023, Dr. Mordecai was named 40 Under 40 by the prestigious Denver Business Journal and the Community Leader of the Year by the Aurora Chamber of Commerce. In 2022, he was featured by Diverse: Issues in Higher Education Magazine as a “New School” leader representing the next generation of college presidents.

Scott Peska
Assistant Provost of Student Services
Waubonsee Community College
Dr. Scott Peska serves as Assistant Provost of Student Services at Waubonsee Community College, overseeing disability resources, admissions, athletics, records, and financial aid. He chairs the Campus Assessment Team and serves as a Title IX Deputy Coordinator. His previous roles include Dean for Students at Waubonsee and Associate Director for Orientation at Northern Illinois University (NIU), where he established the Office of Support & Advocacy following the 2008 campus shooting. Dr. Peska holds communication degrees from Illinois State University and a doctorate in higher education administration from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He teaches at NIU and serves on NASPA's IV-E regional board and the National Center for First-Year Experience advisory board.
Continuing Education Credits
This session counts for 1.0 CSAEd-CORE credit
NASPA has been approved by the Higher Education Consortium for Student Affairs Certification to provide CE credit for Certified Student Affairs Educators (CSAEd). NASPA is solely responsible for all aspects of this program.
Guidelines for earning CE credit:
No partial credit will be rewarded.
Participants must also complete the feedback survey in the Online Learning Community.
1 Credit is available for attending the live session or viewing the on-demand recording.
To receive CSAEd credit, attendees must complete the feedback survey that offers the certification in each session. Once you have attended all the live sessions or watched the on-demand sessions for which you would like to request credit, visit the Continuing Education (CE) website to fill out the Student Affairs Education Certification Request Form for all the sessions. All certificants must fill out one for the live session and a separate one for the on-demand sessions. Visit the Continued Education (CE) website to learn more regarding deadlines and receive your certificate of completion for the Virtual Conference.