Region Chairs, together with their Steering Committees, and within the missions of NACADA, determine the needs of NACADA members and how best the regional governance can fill those needs. The Region Chairs report to the Regional Division Representatives.
Region 4 Chair - (elected, term October 2018 - October 2020). Nominee must be a current member of the region for which she/he is being nominated as chair and must have been a member of the region for at least one year prior to taking office (Associate Members are not eligible).
Lindsey N Byrd
Pensacola State College Pensacola, FL
Platform
Platform Statement: Part I
1. If elected to this position, what will you attempt to accomplish that will help to meet the strategic goals of the Association? (1500 characters or less)
Expanding the scholarship of academic advising is extremely important to me. I stumbled upon an academic advising job seven years ago, and since then, I’ve sought to be the best advisor I can be whether it be helping students succeed or helping advisors be successful in their roles. I knew within a month on the job that I wanted to make advising a career. I have a passion for advising students and helping them gain the confidence they need to succeed in their lives. The same goes for my advising colleagues. Being an advisor requires unique talents; it is much more than reading a degree plan to students. If elected chair, my hope is to launch the Region 4 Mentor/Mentee program into high gear so advisors across our region can network with one another and take the first steps to getting involved in NACADA. I hope to get the state advising associations connected with one another to further the drive-in conference attendance rates. I also would like to create a Region newsletter that would...
Expanding the scholarship of academic advising is extremely important to me. I stumbled upon an academic advising job seven years ago, and since then, I’ve sought to be the best advisor I can be whether it be helping students succeed or helping advisors be successful in their roles. I knew within a month on the job that I wanted to make advising a career. I have a passion for advising students and helping them gain the confidence they need to succeed in their lives. The same goes for my advising colleagues. Being an advisor requires unique talents; it is much more than reading a degree plan to students. If elected chair, my hope is to launch the Region 4 Mentor/Mentee program into high gear so advisors across our region can network with one another and take the first steps to getting involved in NACADA. I hope to get the state advising associations connected with one another to further the drive-in conference attendance rates. I also would like to create a Region newsletter that would go out quarterly highlighting what’s going on in AL, FL, GA, and MS.
Platform Statement: Part II
2. Describe an accomplishment on your own campus or within NACADA of which you are proud. What do you believe your accomplishment demonstrates about your abilities as a leader? (1500 characters or less) For nearly three years, I have served as the Chair for the Distance Advising for Online Education Advising Community (previously commission). During this time, I have served as a mentor to advisors on the steering committee as well as advisors within the advising community that want to get more involved in NACADA at the regional and national levels. As an advising community, we have routinely set, met and exceeded the strategic goals we developed each year to help further NACADA’s own strategic goals. These goals have helped advisors become more confident in their roles when advising students at a distance. The same advisors that helped set the foundation for the advising community serve along with me at regional and national conferences, immersing themselves in NACADA by working the volunteer desks, presenting at conferences, and networking with fellow colleagues.
Platform Statement: Part III
3. Why are you interested in serving in this leadership position or what influenced you to run for this leadership position? (1500 characters or less) I wish to serve as Region 4 Chair to help foster a regional community of advisors. I want to increase communication across the states so that we can better connect with each other to learn best practices and be sounding boards for new ideas. Advisors must be confident in their roles in order to succeed in them. I am a firm believer that retention of advisors is just as important as the retention of our students and I hope to serve as a mentor to advisors in our region.
Platform Statement: Part IV
4. Please describe how you will work to promote the enhancement of inclusivity throughout (or within) the association. (1500 characters or less) NACADA, and our Region, is made up of higher education professionals, not necessarily just those serving in a primary advising role. Aside from advisors, there are directors, academic tutors, office administrators, and business analytic/IT support personnel that make up the membership of our region (just to name a few). The advising roles vary as well, some focusing on residential on-campus advising and some focusing on distance advising. Regardless of your role in the advising community, it is important to recognize you and your contribution to our profession. I hope to further the discussion on how to best work together to help serve one another in our daily roles in order to make advising stand out in Region 4 and globally.
Past Involvement in NACADA
5. Outline your past involvement in NACADA:
a. Years in NACADA
b. National Offices Help and Accomplishments Achieved
I have been advising for seven years and a member of NACADA for four years. I have advising non-traditional, FTIC, online, residential, undergraduate and graduate students.
I was appointed the Distance Advising Commission Chair from 2015-2016 and elected into the position for 2016-2018. I have served as the Executive Editor for FLACADA, the state of Florida advising association, for one year, and participated as a mentee in the inaugural Region 4 Mentor/Mentee program, which I now co-chair. I have served as a proposal reader, session evaluator, conference volunteer and conference presenter at both the regional and national levels of past NACADA conferences.
NACADA Executive Office
Kansas State University
2323 Anderson Avenue, Suite 225
Manhattan, KS 66502-2912
Phone: (785) 532-5717 Fax: (785) 532-7732
e-mail:
nacada@ksu.edu
