Goal 1: Continue to encourage members to join the Community Steering Committee.
I would like to include more voices in the decision-making and planning processes. To do so, I plan to send out to the listserv and facebook pages information on what steering committee responsibilities look like day-to-day. As well, I would review the presenter information from regional conferences and reach out to advisors who presented on liberal arts topics.

Goal 2: Establish regular advising chats/talks for advisors in the community
These talks would be an opportunity for advisors to share their best practices and to garner feedback for potential conference presentations. This could also be a way for those who were not able to make it to national and regional conferences to see the presentations given, but in a new format.

Goal 3: Share monthly “short-reads” through social media.
Continued learning is such an important piece of advising. I would like to highlight relevant articles and... Display More...

Goal 1: Continue to encourage members to join the Community Steering Committee.
I would like to include more voices in the decision-making and planning processes. To do so, I plan to send out to the listserv and facebook pages information on what steering committee responsibilities look like day-to-day. As well, I would review the presenter information from regional conferences and reach out to advisors who presented on liberal arts topics.

Goal 2: Establish regular advising chats/talks for advisors in the community
These talks would be an opportunity for advisors to share their best practices and to garner feedback for potential conference presentations. This could also be a way for those who were not able to make it to national and regional conferences to see the presentations given, but in a new format.

Goal 3: Share monthly “short-reads” through social media.
Continued learning is such an important piece of advising. I would like to highlight relevant articles and encourage community members to begin their relationship with research through reading and discussing current topics.
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I serve as co-chair of a campus-wide Appreciative Advising Committee. As part of this, I am proud of two accomplishments—creating online resources, which includes an online training and  peer shadowing process, and coordinating our campus-wide advising challenge and subsequent conference proposals.

This work demonstrates a few of my strengths and values:
As a leader, I like to ask—what’s not working? At my university, I saw that advisors did not have opportunities to reflect. This motivated me to consider ways we can continue the cycle of learning for advisors. Beyond the monthly advising challenges, I co-created the peer shadowing process—which includes self-reflection, an interview with a committee member, a shadowed appointment, and a follow-up meeting to discuss the experience. I view it as vital that advisors see themselves as learning alongside their students and am always looking for ways to include learning in any initiative I take on.

I enjoy mentoring others to... Display More...

I serve as co-chair of a campus-wide Appreciative Advising Committee. As part of this, I am proud of two accomplishments—creating online resources, which includes an online training and  peer shadowing process, and coordinating our campus-wide advising challenge and subsequent conference proposals.

This work demonstrates a few of my strengths and values:
As a leader, I like to ask—what’s not working? At my university, I saw that advisors did not have opportunities to reflect. This motivated me to consider ways we can continue the cycle of learning for advisors. Beyond the monthly advising challenges, I co-created the peer shadowing process—which includes self-reflection, an interview with a committee member, a shadowed appointment, and a follow-up meeting to discuss the experience. I view it as vital that advisors see themselves as learning alongside their students and am always looking for ways to include learning in any initiative I take on.

I enjoy mentoring others to be successful, however they define this. Many committee members had a goal of presenting; some had a goal of researching and writing a proposal. I coordinated our conference submissions and assessment efforts. Something I am proud of, each member was able to present at a local, regional, or national conference, and the writing of the proposal was a shared responsibility. Throughout the process, we worked as a team and were served best by each other’s strengths.

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As an advisor, I emphasize the importance of creating spaces where students feel they can invest their potential. This also translates to advising and advising communities. As advisors—we are learners, too. Equally as important as it is for students, advisors need spaces where they feel they can invest in and push themselves, a community that encourages them not to settle. Necessary as well, is a community that recognizes that each member comes with voice and with value. My advising practice is grounded in the work of bell hooks and Paolo Freire, and as a democratic educator, I firmly believe that learning is not confined to a university; it happens in a community. I want to build this kind of community for Liberal Arts advisors in NACADA—a place where we can discuss the intersections of liberal arts with other advising communities and topics. Our students come to our offices with intersectional identities—our professional conversations should reflect this as well. As an advising... Display More...

As an advisor, I emphasize the importance of creating spaces where students feel they can invest their potential. This also translates to advising and advising communities. As advisors—we are learners, too. Equally as important as it is for students, advisors need spaces where they feel they can invest in and push themselves, a community that encourages them not to settle. Necessary as well, is a community that recognizes that each member comes with voice and with value. My advising practice is grounded in the work of bell hooks and Paolo Freire, and as a democratic educator, I firmly believe that learning is not confined to a university; it happens in a community. I want to build this kind of community for Liberal Arts advisors in NACADA—a place where we can discuss the intersections of liberal arts with other advising communities and topics. Our students come to our offices with intersectional identities—our professional conversations should reflect this as well. As an advising community, we should be prepared to talk about the value of the Liberal Arts, but also be prepared to talk about the value our students bring to the Liberal Arts, no matter their identity, background, or values. We must find these intersections and understand them. I hope to take the conversation of liberal arts out of the ivory tower and discuss the everyday—why do we need liberal arts learning in the everyday and how can we use liberal arts advising in the everyday. Display Less...