As the first member of the Board from outside North America I will apply my familiarity and connections with other systems of advising towards several of our strategic goals in particular:

I will encourage the further development of new and existing instruments that help our members to connect globally such as international webinars, advisor exchanges, and publications by members from across the globe. New technologies allow us to communicate globally, from simple online meetings and a more intensive use of social media to interactive seminars including members from various countries and advising systems. I will actively support further collaboration on initiatives like these with other national and international associations in the field.

I will commit myself to making ‘scholarship’ an inclusive notion, rather than an exclusive one. It is important to help members realize that you do not need to write lengthy dissertations to engage in a scholarly approach to the field. We... Display More...

As the first member of the Board from outside North America I will apply my familiarity and connections with other systems of advising towards several of our strategic goals in particular:

I will encourage the further development of new and existing instruments that help our members to connect globally such as international webinars, advisor exchanges, and publications by members from across the globe. New technologies allow us to communicate globally, from simple online meetings and a more intensive use of social media to interactive seminars including members from various countries and advising systems. I will actively support further collaboration on initiatives like these with other national and international associations in the field.

I will commit myself to making ‘scholarship’ an inclusive notion, rather than an exclusive one. It is important to help members realize that you do not need to write lengthy dissertations to engage in a scholarly approach to the field. We need to show how the use of theory and data can help advisors position themselves more strongly within their institutions, and make their voices be heard. I will focus on making global resources available to our members and providing assistance in their effective use: through easy access, pointers for critical reading and concrete application to practice.
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I implemented and led an advising program for University College Maastricht, in the Netherlands. As the first college with an open curriculum, UCM was looking for new system of advising, as we could not rely on habit or tradition in Dutch higher education. I was able to convince staff and faculty of the importance of advising as guidance and mentoring, rather than mere problem solving, and to lead the way in this development. To this day UCM continues to be a leader in this kind of academic advising in the Netherlands.

I initiated and chaired NACADA’s first International Conference outside North-America, in Maastricht in 2013. The conference drew advisors from 20 different countries who enjoyed meeting and exchanging experiences with colleagues from widely different advising systems. I subsequently joined the board of the Dutch advising association and played a leading role in developing their new vision on advising, which we also presented at the NACADA Las Vegas annual conference,... Display More...

I implemented and led an advising program for University College Maastricht, in the Netherlands. As the first college with an open curriculum, UCM was looking for new system of advising, as we could not rely on habit or tradition in Dutch higher education. I was able to convince staff and faculty of the importance of advising as guidance and mentoring, rather than mere problem solving, and to lead the way in this development. To this day UCM continues to be a leader in this kind of academic advising in the Netherlands.

I initiated and chaired NACADA’s first International Conference outside North-America, in Maastricht in 2013. The conference drew advisors from 20 different countries who enjoyed meeting and exchanging experiences with colleagues from widely different advising systems. I subsequently joined the board of the Dutch advising association and played a leading role in developing their new vision on advising, which we also presented at the NACADA Las Vegas annual conference, from where it was used as a source of inspiration for the development of the NACADA Core Competencies.

Both examples illustrate my ability to develop a vision and to make it work; to see the bigger picture and to take into account the possibilities and limitations of the actual context. They also illustrate my ability to inspire people to be creative. This combination of vision, sense of reality, and inspiration in my view are essential attributes of members of the Board of NACADA.  
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Inclusivity to me is about feeling safe, recognized and uniquely valued. Regardless of who you are as a professional in the field of advising you should feel welcomed and inspired by NACADA, whether you want to be a leader or a learner, or both. Which path of professional development you follow should be determined by opportunities as you define them and decisions that you make. I believe that NACADA offers such an environment, but we can do better. Two areas where I would like to make a contribution are:
•Assess where and why members may not feel included or enjoying equitable opportunities for engagement. To make NACADA truly inclusive we need to understand what that means to our members, and how they experience the association. The numbers tell us part of the story, but we will need to complement this with more personal accounts and perspectives.

•Promote the idea of ‘scholarship’ as an activity that empowers and creates opportunities. To me scholarship is about reading... Display More...

Inclusivity to me is about feeling safe, recognized and uniquely valued. Regardless of who you are as a professional in the field of advising you should feel welcomed and inspired by NACADA, whether you want to be a leader or a learner, or both. Which path of professional development you follow should be determined by opportunities as you define them and decisions that you make. I believe that NACADA offers such an environment, but we can do better. Two areas where I would like to make a contribution are:
•Assess where and why members may not feel included or enjoying equitable opportunities for engagement. To make NACADA truly inclusive we need to understand what that means to our members, and how they experience the association. The numbers tell us part of the story, but we will need to complement this with more personal accounts and perspectives.

•Promote the idea of ‘scholarship’ as an activity that empowers and creates opportunities. To me scholarship is about reading and learning as much as it is about research and writing articles on the practice and theory of advising. I would like to explore ways in which the association can help its members to adopt a scholarly attitude and benefit from that in their daily work. We can help members set a course for their professional development not unlike the planning of a curriculum, e.g. by using online technology such as electronic portfolios. Scholarly activities would play an integral role within that endeavor.   Display Less...

• I joined NACADA in 2005.
• In 2007 I participated in the Burlington, Vermont Summer Institute, after which I was appointed as a member of the Summer Institute Advisory Board, 2007-2009.
• From 2008-2013 I was member of the Task Force on Internationalization, which was later renamed Working Group Globalization, the precursor of the current standing committee on Global Initiatives (GIC).
• I joined the GIC as member in 2013, and was elected chair in 2015
• I was chair for the International Conference in Maastricht in 2013.
• In 2014 I chaired the group that organized the first European NACADA Research Seminar, in collaboration with the Dutch association for advising, LVSA.
• From 2014-2016 I served as member on the Advisory Board for the Annual Conference.
• As chair of the GIC I am currently serving on the Regional Review Task Force and the sub-committee charged by the Board with identifying benchmarks and their assessment concerning inclusivity and equity within... Display More...

• I joined NACADA in 2005.
• In 2007 I participated in the Burlington, Vermont Summer Institute, after which I was appointed as a member of the Summer Institute Advisory Board, 2007-2009.
• From 2008-2013 I was member of the Task Force on Internationalization, which was later renamed Working Group Globalization, the precursor of the current standing committee on Global Initiatives (GIC).
• I joined the GIC as member in 2013, and was elected chair in 2015
• I was chair for the International Conference in Maastricht in 2013.
• In 2014 I chaired the group that organized the first European NACADA Research Seminar, in collaboration with the Dutch association for advising, LVSA.
• From 2014-2016 I served as member on the Advisory Board for the Annual Conference.
• As chair of the GIC I am currently serving on the Regional Review Task Force and the sub-committee charged by the Board with identifying benchmarks and their assessment concerning inclusivity and equity within the association as mentioned in Strategic Goal #4.

• I presented concurrent sessions and preconference session at various annual and international NACADA (and UKAT and LVSA) conferences on advising curricula, vision development and international advising issues;
• I contributed to the new edition of the pocket guide “What is academic advising. An introduction to the Field” and the publication on the Core Competencies,
• and I am currently co-editor of the new publication venue the NACADA Review: Academic Advising Praxis and Perspectives that will launch Spring 2018.

• During the 2013 Annual Conference in Salt Lake City I received an award for Outstanding Advising Administrator, as well as the NACADA Leading Light Award.
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