Dr. Jodi Bailey currently serves as the Vice President for Student Affairs at Temple University, where she leads a broad portfolio encompassing student engagement, residential life, crisis response, student conduct, and comprehensive wraparound services. At the core of her leadership is a strategic focus on retention, belonging, and persistence—exemplified by Temple’s development of an Essential Needs Hub, where essential needs and wrap around services are provided to all students through cross-campus and community partnerships.

A recognized national leader in higher education, Jodi was featured in The Chronicle of Higher Education (2024) for her thought leadership on the future of campus housing. Jodi has been  featured speaker at both the national and executive levels. Most recently, Jodi was a featured speaker at the 2025 NASPA 2 Regional Conference, was a featured panelist discussing “The
Future of Student Affairs” for the Board of Trustees at D’Youville University (2024) and spoke onthe NASPA First Scholars Network Leadership Panel (2023), where she highlighted scalable
approaches for supporting first-generation student success.

Jodi also serves as Temple University’s liaison to the University Innovation Alliance (UIA), a national coalition of public research universities committed to improving graduation rates for
low-income, first-generation, and underrepresented students. She currently co-chairs the NASPA Task Force on Student Success, helping to define and drive national priorities for equitable outcomes across the student lifecycle. With more than two decades of experience at large public institutions, Jodi is known for her operational expertise, student-centered advocacy, and collaborative approach to institutional transformation. She serves as an adjunct faculty in the higher education program at Temple University and has taught or guest lectured at Rutgers New Brunswick, Pace and Seton Hall Universities as well as UVA.

Jodi has advised colleges and universities across the country on student engagement strategy, leadership development, and mission-aligned transformation. Her work is grounded in data-
driven decision-making and results-oriented planning, helping institutions build systems that improve student outcomes while advancing equity and institutional effectiveness.
She currently serves on the Board of Directors for Campus Philly and the editorial board for the NASPA Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice. Her leadership roles within NASPA
include past Region II Director, Senior Student Affairs Liaison, and Executive Board member.

Jodi holds a Ph.D. in Educational Research and Administration from Seton Hall University, where her dissertation explored grit as a predictor of persistence for first-generation Latino students. She earned her M.Ed. in Higher Education Administration and B.A. in English and Communications from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Throughout her career, Jodi has earned a reputation as a results-driven, equity-minded leader who delivers institutional change. Whether advancing student success models, shaping national strategy, or building cross-sector coalitions, she brings a powerful blend of vision, expertise, and execution that drives lasting impact across higher education.

Darrien Davenport is Associate Vice President and Dean of Students at Temple University, a role he has held since January 2025. In this capacity, he provides executive leadership for student

advocacy, crisis response, student conduct and community standards, disability resources, student support and basic needs initiatives, and university-wide behavioral intervention and

CARE systems. As a senior leader within the Division of Student Affairs, he advances a student-centered, equity-driven framework that integrates wellness, accountability, belonging, and

institutional coordination across Temple’s campuses.

A native of Philadelphia, Darrien brings more than twenty-five years of professional experience, including over fifteen years in higher education spanning student affairs, student success,

enrollment management, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and executive search consulting. His leadership is grounded in strengthening systems that promote access, persistence, and holistic

student development, particularly for first-generation students, students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, and LGBTQIA+ students.

Prior to joining Temple, Darrien served as a consultant with WittKieffer, where he supported executive search and leadership strategy initiatives across higher education and healthcare

organizations. He also held several senior leadership roles at Gettysburg College, including Interim Chief Diversity Officer, Assistant Vice President of College Life, Assistant Secretary to

the Board of Trustees, and Executive Director of Multicultural Engagement. In these capacities, he led institution-wide diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging strategy; partnered closely with

senior leadership and the Board of Trustees; and oversaw key student life operations and

inclusive excellence initiatives.

Earlier in his career, Darrien served at York College of Pennsylvania as Interim Dean of Enrollment Management, Assistant Dean of Student Affairs, and Director of Intercultural

Student Life and Global Programming, where he advanced enrollment strategy, student engagement, and cross-cultural programming efforts.

Throughout his career, Darrien has remained committed to teaching, mentorship, professional development, and cross-sector collaboration. He holds a B.S. in Economics from West Chester

University, an M.S. in Leadership and Business Ethics from Duquesne University, and an Ed.D. in Higher Education Administration from Northeastern University. He resides in Harrisburg,

Pennsylvania, with his family.

Kato began her career at an educational publisher, helping open franchised English classrooms for children. She later earned a master’s degree in Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) in the United States. Upon returning to Japan, she joined the Society for Testing English Proficiency (Eiken) and developed Eiken Jr., now taken by more than 80,000 young learners annually.

She joined Temple University, Japan Campus (TUJ) in 1997. As director of public relations and later manager of external relations, she led negotiations with the Japanese government that resulted in TUJ’s 2005 designation as a Foreign University, Japan Campus, enabling the university to sponsor student visas in Japan.

In 2008, she became associate dean for enrollment management, overseeing admissions, student services, career development, counseling, marketing and communications, and selected non-degree programs. She was appointed senior associate dean for TUJ in 2014. Under her leadership, TUJ’s undergraduate enrollment has grown from approximately 500 to 3,300 students.

Maureen Gordon has worked in higher education for twenty years, spending most of her career facilitating education abroad programs that promote student development and global learning. Gordon is an experienced leader in international education with demonstrated success in program management, communication strategy, and crisis response. She held multiple positions in Temple University's Education Abroad Office before joining Arcadia Abroad as director of health, safety and security. In this role, Maureen oversaw student support, crisis management and program safety for Arcadia's global centers, and later added enrollment, retention and student success to her portfolio. In 2021, Gordon returned to Temple as executive director of Education Abroad and Overseas Campuses. She is active in the field of international education and currently serves as the Vice Chair for the Forum on Education Abroad Council. A two-time Temple alumna, Maureen holds a bachelor's in studio art and a master's degree in educational leadership and policy studies.

Maura Zerella holds an MA in Comparative Literature from Università degli Studi di Napoli “L’Orientale” and a Post-Graduate Diploma in Student Affairs and Campus Life from LUMSA University in Rome. Her international background includes academic and professional experience in both the United Kingdom and the United States, where she served as a Teaching Fellow in Italian Language and Culture at Bowdoin College.

As Assistant Director for Student Life at Temple University Rome, Temple University’s longest-running study abroad campus, founded in 1966 and located in the heart of Rome, Maura, with the support of a small but mighty team, oversees a comprehensive portfolio that includes student health and safety, housing operations, crisis response, well-being initiatives, and student engagement programming for a diverse population of U.S. and international undergraduates. She works closely with colleagues in both Rome and Philadelphia to develop proactive support structures, manage emergencies, and ensure policy compliance within a cross-cultural and international higher education framework. Her work centers on holistic student support, risk management, student development, and fostering inclusive, student-centered campus environments abroad.

Omneya Badr is an educator and student affairs professional who gained a culturally diverse higher education experience studying, teaching and working in Bahrain, Qatar, Egypt, UK and USA.

Badr serves on NASPA’s Board of Directors and is the director of NASPA’s Global Division (2024-2026), past director of MENASA NASPA area (2022-2024), and the 2021 and 2022 MENASA* Conference chair.  Badr held teaching and academic advising positions at New York Institute of Technology Bahrain, Bahrain Institute of Business and Finance, Qatar University and Trinity University USA. She is a frequent presenter at NASPA and NACADA conferences and her research interests are culturally based Academic Advising, supporting First generation students, FYE, and cross-cultural communication.

She holds an MBA from the University of Bath – UK, a Certificate of Entrepreneurial & Small Business Operations from the Academy of Arts, California - USA & a BA in Management from the American University in Cairo - Egypt.  She recently acquired a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Workplace Certificate from the University of South Florida - USA. 

As an educator, Omneya enjoys giving back to the profession and is interested in creating professional development opportunities for global Student Affairs professionals and encouraging research and sharing knowledge among counterparts around the world.