Dr. Jasmine A. Lee is a diversity, equity, inclusion and justice scholar, practitioner, trainer and coach. She currently serves as the Vice President of Equity and Inclusive Excellence at Goucher College in Baltimore, MD. In this capacity, she works with students, staff and faculty to create inclusive campus environments through direct programming and strategic Divisional leadership.Dr. Lee’s background encompasses campus climate studies and crisis response, inclusive  hiring and supervision best practices, teaching and inclusive classroom pedagogy, diversity action planning and equity assessments, strategic student success outreach and academic advising, as well as traditional diversity and inclusion programming.

Beyond a 15-year career in higher education, Dr. Lee also works with k-12 institutions, non-profit organizations, and faith-based communities to provide training, consulting, coaching and organizational change services; partnering with clients to curate unique and engaging solutions that lead to sustainable and measurable change. Dr. Lee is a qualified administrator of the Intercultural Development Inventory® (IDI), a certified diversity trainer with the National Coalition Building Institute, Restorative Practices trainer, and a certified Mental Health First Aid instructor, and uses these skills to ensure human dignity, love, truth, honesty and empathy are a part of all approaches to organizational change.

As a social worker, Dr. Lee holds a BSW from Eastern Michigan University and a MSW from the University of Michigan. She earned her Ph.D. at Michigan State University, where she used Critical Race Theory as a framework to study the experiences of Black, first-generation, low- income college students pursuing degrees at a Predominantly White Institution. She is a published author with work focused on academic advising for students of color, intergroup dialogue, and social justice education, with forthcoming work on radical love in the academy and cultivating belonging in first year seminars.

Dr. Lee is whole human who loves cartoons, traveling, laughing at corny jokes, hanging out with her puppy, and spending time with family and friends. She is an active member of many organizations, including NACADA – National Association for Academic Advising, ACPA – Student College Educators International, and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. More than anything Dr. Lee wants people to know that she believes in the world changing and redeeming power of radical revolutionary love, and asks you to consider the words of Valerie Kaur: “revolutionary love is the choice to enter into wonder and labor for others, our opponents, and for ourselves in order to transform the world around us.”

Jennifer Celaya Davis (she/her) serves as Associate Vice President for Student Life at California State University, Los Angeles.  In this role, she provides support to the directors of New Student and Family Engagement, the Office for Students with Disabilities, Career Center, and Veterans Resource Center. She sees her role as encouraging and supporting team members so they can create experiences that help students achieve their academic, personal, and professional goals.

Recently, she was asked to serve as the Interim Executive Director of the University-Student Union in addition to her AVP responsibilities. This opportunity is particularly special as Jennifer began her Student Affairs career as a coordinator in the University-Student Union. Jennifer held several roles at the U-SU including Director of the Center for Student Involvement.

Jennifer has worked on the Cal State LA campus for 24 years and recently got to experience the thrill of being a Cal State LA graduate when she earned her Ed.D. in Educational Leadership. Jennifer has a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Chapman University and a master’s degree in Educational Leadership and Policy from the Ohio State University. 

Dr. Heather French currently serves as Associate Vice Chancellor and Dean of Students at University of California, Merced. In her role she oversees several campus departments that offer services to support students outside of the classroom, and she provides advocacy and direct support to students. Previously Dr. French held Vice President for Student Affairs roles at Fontbonne University and University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis, served as Dean for Student Development and Engagement at Holy Names University, and held various roles in housing and residence life, first year experience and multicultural services within the UC and CSU systems.

Dr. French received her B.A. in Human Studies from Bradford College,  her M.A. in Counseling Psychology from Humboldt State University and her Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from Saint Mary’s College of California. In her spare time, she enjoys baking, reading, writing, travel, teaching Zumba (dance fitness) for students and colleagues, and spending time with her wife, Angela, grown-up kiddo, Simon, and three pets. 

Dr. Naomi Querubin Abesamis (she/her/siya) has spent her entire career in higher education for 27 years and specifically in the California community colleges for 16 years. Naomi is currently the Director of Student Life and Leadership at Fullerton College. She is an innovative, creative, and transformational leader who has a passion for student leadership development, and is committed to advancing diverse, equitable, inclusive, accessible, and anti-racist initiatives for marginalized students so that all students have a sense of belonging and a brave space to thrive. Naomi is a second generation Filipina American and is first in her family to hold two master’s degree and a doctoral degree. Naomi has a B.A. in Liberal Studies from the University of California, Riverside, a MBA in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix, a M.A. in English (Literature; Rhetoric & Composition) and an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership, with an emphasis in Community College Leadership. Her dissertation was a first of its kind and focused on Filipino learning communities and student success programs at California community colleges. She is a founding board member of the Filipinx Community College Collaborative and is one of three conference chairs for the Asian Pacific Americans in Higher Education (APAHE) 2024 National Conference. In addition to her published dissertation, Naomi is also a poetess and a creative writer, is the author of Inner Victory, A Collection of Filipina American Poetry, and has had her poetry and short fiction stories published in various anthologies and publications. In between juggling her career as a community college practitioner and taking care of her family, Naomi hopes to write a historical fiction novel one day about her ancestors from the Philippines.

Dr. Frangelo Ayran currently serves as the Senior Associate Dean of Students at California State University, Los Angeles, where he has worked through various roles since 2006. He also serves as an adjunct faculty member of the Higher Education Student Affairs program at the University of San Francisco for the past four years where he’s taught Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education and the Student Affairs and Academic Affairs. A “triple Don”, Frangelo received all of his degrees from the University of San Francisco. He earned his Ed. D. from the USF Organization & Leadership doctoral program, studying how student affairs leaders navigate, resist, and create institutional logics to serve students of color through their engagement practices and opportunities. Prior to that, he received his Master’s degree in Education from the School of Education’s Organization & Leadership program. He holds undergraduate degrees from the USF College of Arts & Sciences where he double-majored in Biology and Philosophy. With more than 20 years of student affairs experience and in his current role at Cal State LA, Frangelo works with campus-wide engagement, wellness, and basic needs programs through the Center for Student Involvement, the University Food Pantry, and other division-wide initiatives that are built on collaboration and student-centeredness and foster student involvement, personal development, and health and wellbeing. He also leads the Division of Student Life’s Assessment Council through which he works with leaders in the telling of Golden Eagle stories in the form of data gathered through surveys and other measurement tools. In the classroom. Dr. Ayran encourages his students to explore, critique, and reconstruct student affairs theories and field practices to make them work for the students who will benefit from them. Beyond the classroom, Frangelo encourages students to find engagement opportunities both on and off campus that will help fill their cups, connect them to Cal State LA, and more importantly aid in their overall academic and personal success. As a manager, Dr. Ayran works toward fostering a developmental and ethic of care approach with his teams and the experiential journey they get to co-create while working with one another. When he is not supporting campus programs, you can find him, power walking through campus, enjoying an ice-cold sugar red free redbull, spending time with his husband, Jeffrey, and their two dogs Momo and Jojo, building a Lego Stars Wars spaceship while watching anything Star Wars, or dreaming about having the time to start a student affairs podcast.

Samantha is the AANAPISI Work-Based Learning Experiences Project Coordinator. Through this role she hopes to empower Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander (AANAPI) students to broaden their career paths, provide career readiness opportunities, and prepare them for graduation. She coordinates the Annual Criminology Career Fair for students to network with agencies in Criminology-related fields, especially encourage AANAPI students to attend the event. She also coordinates site visits for students to tour local Criminology- related agencies, Alumni Panel events, and collaborative workshops. Samantha is passionate about serving students and guiding them to reach their full potential despite the barriers they may encounter in higher education. She is empathetic and strives to be a positive role model for all AANAPI students. Samantha is also a proud 2x Fresno State Alumna with a Bachelor’s in Sociology, minor in Criminology, and a Master’s in Counseling- option in Student Affairs & College Counseling.

Gaonoucci Belle Vang (she/her/hers) is a first-generation Hmong American scholar, organizer, and philanthropist.  Belle is passionate about serving communities of color and emphasizes the importance of creating equitable spaces for community members and its youth to thrive.  She trusts that community is the foundation of change.

Sergio Gallardo Palma serves as the RISE Program Manager at Pepperdine University. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Music and an Master of Arts in Religion from Pepperdine University. Sergio has served RISE since 2021, and obtained a CLCI Professional Life Coach certification in 2022. Sergio co-leads the RISE Coaching initiative, coaching both undergraduate and graduate students, and training coaches.

Agustin Garcia Badillo oversees the Pride Center. Their goal as the Pride Center Coordinator is to create a safe space for LGBTQIA2S+ folks especially those with intersecting identities (BIPOC, Undocumented, people with Disabilities, etc) to live and speak their truth as they wish. A few identities that have molded their pedagogy when working alongside minoritized people is being a Reconnecting-Indigenous person, navigating most of their education as Undocumented, and being Non-Binary. They also hope to build a support system that transcends beyond a room, center, and university. They’ve worked alongside many historically marginalized communities (LGBTQIA2S+, BIPOC, Low-Income, Undocumented, people with Disabilities, and First-Generation students) and together they’ve tackled external issues that communities have internalized or dealt with. They’ve accomplished the work of dealing with trauma through therapy, other holistic forms of healing, mentoring, and programming. .It takes a community to build or re-build something and the work starts within us.

Ashley Gutierrez has passionately supported first generation students across the elementary, middle school, high school, and college levels. She attended Reedley Community College for 4 years and transferred to Fresno State where she obtained her BA in History in 2018. After taking 3 years off of school, she returned back to Fresno State to pursue her master's degree and has worked in different Fresno State programs such as Academic Success Coaching, the Transfer Success Center, and Dog Days Orientation. In 2023, Ashley was nominated for the Graduate Dean's Medalist Award for her contributions to the Fresno State campus community, as well as successfully earning her Master's in Student Affairs & College Counseling. She is currently the Counselor/Coordinator for the Dual Enrollment/High School Enrichment program at Reedley Community College where she has taught college and life skills courses, while also providing equitable college access across the Central CA rural communities. She is hopeful that her presentation, "Forever Changed: The Lasting Impacts of COVID-19 on Latinx College Students & High Education", will help others understand how the pandemic is still affecting higher education campuses and college students. 

Janrey Javier is a first-generation student, cis-het male, Asian American, Filipino American, and child of immigrants. He finished his undergraduate studies at the University of Massachusetts Boston and his master’s at University of San Francisco, completing the MA Organization & Leadership program with a focus in Higher Education Leadership. His research interests centers around the experiences of Asian American student leaders and explores how race, education, and community engagement impacts their development. Janrey’s first exposure to ethnic studies was through the Asian American Studies department at UMass Boston, influencing him to co-trip lead an alternative spring break trip dedicated to Asian American mental health in response to anti-Asian hate incited during the COVID-19 pandemic. Inspired by his collaborative work with other Asian American student leaders, he studied Asian American student leadership development in Massachusetts public higher education institutions for his undergraduate honors thesis. After a harmful graduate school experience, Janrey took a leap of faith and moved to the San Francisco Bay Area to work full-time at California College of the Arts. Transferring to the University of San Francisco urged him to reflect on his previous experiences more critically, which led to his master’s thesis exploring the gaps of his previous research. Janrey currently works at the University of California, Berkeley and seeks to pursue a doctorate education to further study the phenomenon of Asian American student leadership using comparative racialization analysis.

Stacey Lee Gobir serves as the Director of Resilience-Informed Skills Education (RISE) Program within Student Affairs at Pepperdine University. In her time as a Student Affairs/Higher Education practitioner for a decade, she has served numerous positions across multiple departments and program areas such as Housing & Residence Life, the Office of Student Accessibility, and Student Conduct. She holds a Masters in Dispute Resolution from Pepperdine University's Caruso School of Law and has worked with the Los Angeles Superior Courts as a civil harassment mediator and with Stanford University as a community educator supporting veteran and nontraditional students.

Joey Leon (he/him) is an Assistant Director for the Student Outreach and Retention Center at UC Irvine. He provides support with student initiated outreach & retention projects which include overseeing mentorship opportunities and programming for underrepresented student communities. He received his BA in Psychology with a double minor in Sociology and Management from the UC Merced in 2014 and graduated from the Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration program (M.Ed.) at the University of Vermont in 2016. Joey previously served as a Resident Director for UC Berkeley and DePaul University for the past four years, and has been involved in various leadership roles within the ACPA community.

I am a Housing Management Software Specialist for University Housing Assignments. The housing software we utilize is StarRez. Our position focuses on managing and maintaining the software and building all the processes including applications, cancellations, exemptions, room changes, etc. We work with campus partners to enhance students' online housing experience. 

Conor McLaughlin (he/they series pronouns) is the Staff Learning and Development Specialist in the Center for Inclusive Excellence at San Diego State University. Conor previously was a Teaching Professor at Bowling Green State University in the Department of Higher Education and Student Affairs and has previously worked at University of San Diego, UC San Diego, San Diego State University, Cornell University, and Columbia University. Conor holds a Ph. D. in Leadership Studies from the University of San Diego. Conor enjoys coffee, photography, music, and cooking as pathways to building community.

Cat is the Director of Housing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

I am a Housing Management Software Specialist for University Housing Assignments. The housing software we utilize is StarRez. Our position focuses on managing and maintaining the software and building all the processes including applications, cancellations, exemptions, room changes, etc. We work with campus partners to enhance students' online housing experience.

Dr. Isis Stansberry currently serves as the Associate Dean of Students for Community Care at California State University, Los Angeles. A “true Golden Eagle”, Dr. Stansberry obtained her undergraduate degree in Criminal Justice and her graduate degree in Counseling from Cal State LA before earning her EdD from the University of Southern California in the Organizational & Leadership doctoral program. Dr. Stansberry has been a student affairs professional since 2006. In her current position, she is dedicated to supporting students' academic achievements by cultivating their problem-solving abilities and promoting wellness, care, and community building practices to overcome obstacles. Isis has been instrumental in promoting a welcoming and accepting campus environment for all. Her commitment to prioritizing students' needs has led to a focus on building inclusive spaces that celebrate diversity and inclusivity. Her vision is to create safe environments that encourage interaction between individuals from diverse backgrounds, ultimately enhancing the campus experience and fostering a greater sense of belonging with the goal of improved academic performance and higher retention rates for students.

Lisa Xiong is the AANAPSI Initiative’s Student Success Project Coordinator. She is a proud Hmong Woman, born and raised in Fresno, and is a graduate with a Bachelor’s in Forensic Behavioral Science from Fresno State. She is currently a Master’s student studying Counseling, options in Student Affairs, and College Counseling.  Through this Student Success Project Coordinator role, she is committed to empowering and advocating, creating platforms to spread AANAPI voices, implementing curriculums, developing cohorts, and directing AANAPI students. She coordinates and develops outreach and workshop plans to share resources and opportunities for AANAPI student success. She also coordinates the Asian American Pacific Islander Criminology (AAPIC) Peer Mentoring Program, implementing and developing interpersonal and professional skills. Lisa is excited to support AAANAPI students with a holistic approach to accomplishing their goals. 

Dr. Soua Xiong is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Counselor Education and Rehabilitation and Program Coordinator for the Student Affairs and College Counseling program at California State University, Fresno. His current research focuses on the engagement and success of Hmong Americans in higher education. His research seeks to identify equity-minded practices that improve the experiences and outcomes for Hmong college students. Prior to his current faculty role, Dr. Xiong worked as a student affairs educator in programs designed to increase college access and success of underrepresented students in higher education. He is also a Past-President of the California College Personnel Association (CCPA).