Case Study Resource Editors

Dr. Tess Barker, ASCA Executive Director
She/Her/Hers

Dr. Tess Barker has served as Executive Director of ASCA since 2023. In this role, Barker serves as a voice and advocate for student conduct in higher education and represents conduct professionals, including nearly 2650 ASCA members, in the work they do.

Over a career spanning 25 years in higher education, Dr. Barker has been directly involved roles that shape the student experience on campus: conduct, student activities, fraternity and sorority life, study abroad, accessibility, women’s & LGBTQ+ centers, and residential life. Before coming to ASCA, she served as Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management at Indiana University Kokomo (IUK), where she oversaw student life, conduct, counseling, career services, the accessibility office, athletics, admissions, and financial aid. She also secured both the space and funding to establish a Multicultural Center at IUK to promote inclusion and belonging on campus.

Prior to IUK, Barker served as Chief of Staff to the Chancellor at the University of Michigan-Flint, where she managed high-level initiatives, including the development of UM-Flint’s Strategic Plan and responding to the Flint Water Crisis. Previously, she worked as Executive Director for the Iowa Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, during which the chapter was twice a finalist for National Chapter of the Year, and at NASPA in a role in which she supported the Center for Women; the Minority Undergraduate Fellows Program, and the James E. Scott Academy for Leadership. She is currently an affiliate adjunct professor teaching courses in

higher education law and policy at the University of Iowa, Indiana State University, and Eastern Michigan University.

Dr. Barker earned both her law degree and doctorate in education policy from the University of Iowa; a master’s in counseling and college student personnel from the University of Maryland –

College Park; a master’s in American Studies from the University of Michigan; and her bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Minnesota. She is currently working on a master’s degree in Philanthropic Studies from Indiana University. When not doing homework, she loves to read, listen to podcasts, and travel. She resides in Kokomo, Indiana, with her spouse, Bill, daughter Isabella, and dog, Rooney.

Dr. Amanda J. Mesirow, ASCA Assistant Executive Director
She/Her/Hers

Dr. Amanda J. Mesirow currently serves as the Assistant Executive Director for ASCA. She earned her PhD in the Education Administration and Foundations--Higher Education Administration program at Illinois State University, (Dissertation: “Who Will Guard The Guards Themselves”: A Phenomenological Discourse Analysis On How Whiteness And White Supremacy Are Upheld By White Hearing Officers On Community College Campuses.)

Mesirow has worked in Higher Education for 20 years and earned her MS in Counseling and Educational Psychology from Kansas State University. During her time in Higher Ed, she has held professional roles with residence life, student life, and conduct, and has served in volunteer leadership roles on international, national, and regional professional committees. She is a prolific writer and presenter; most often on topics of social justice and equity, particularly in conduct, care response, and queer student advocacy. Throughout her career, she has sought multiple professional development opportunities as a way of maintaining the most promising practices to serve our field and our students.

She also co-authored a chapter and wrote a case study for the ASCA and ACUHO-I joint publication, "Conduct and Community: A Residence Life Practitioner's Guide" (2018). Mesirow has worked on large public, small private, religiously-affiliated, and community college campuses. Additionally, Mesirow presents professionally through AJM Keynotes and Workshops. 

Mesirow’s personal life is largely devoted to her many nieces and nephews. In the community, she is involved with the Prison Solidarity Project, the Point Foundation, and Jewish Voice for Peace. She is proudly queer, disabled, and Jewish.

Josh Cutchens (he/him/his) has served as the Director of Member Experience & Operations of ASCA since 2023. He is a current doctoral candidate in the Educational Leadership program at Appalachian State University. His current dissertation research is Fairness, Equity, and Inclusion: A Social Constructionist Approach to Admissions Prior Conduct Policies and Procedures. Cutchens earned his M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction with a focus in College Student affairs from the University of South Florida and his B.A. in History from the University of Florida.

Cutchens has worked in Higher Education for almost 13 years and has held professional roles in student conduct and Title IX. He has served in multiple volunteer roles with ASCA from the State Coordinator for Florida, to the South Region Chair, to the Chair of the then Assessment Community of Practice, and as the Chair of the Public Policy & Legislative Issues (PPLI) Committee. He has also written two articles for ASCA Reflections.

Cutchens has an amazing wife (Amanda), two phenomenal daughters (Abigail and Emma), two spunky cats (Allie and Pringles), and one silly golden retriever (Cooper). In his free time, Cutchens partakes in Baking with the Cutchens where he and his two daughters bake delicious desserts.