É«»¨ÌÃ

DSAES News
July 21, 2022

A large gathering of student affairs and enrollment services professionals from across the É«»¨Ìà System came to the É«»¨Ìà campus in May to attend the annual leadership conference, which returned to an in-person format this year after going virtual because of COVID-19.

The 2022 É«»¨Ìà System Student Affairs and Enrollment Services Leadership Conference — Ready 4 What’s Next — returned for its sixth year, drawing 210 attendees from É«»¨ÌÃ, É«»¨Ìà Clear Lake, É«»¨Ìà Downtown and É«»¨Ìà Victoria.

Dozens of experts from across all four campuses presented on best practices, collaboration and building bridges, new horizons and professional development topics.

“It was so exciting to have everyone back in person to learn from and enjoy their colleagues from across the É«»¨Ìà Ssytem,” said Mara Affre, É«»¨ÌÃS SAES Leadership Conference co-chair.

Dr. Ruth Lopez Turley, the new director of the Kinder Institute for Urban Research at Rice University, was the conference’s keynote speaker, discussing what’s next for Houston’s education pipeline. The conference also featured a panel of students from across all four campuses called É«»¨ÌÃS Talks: Student Voices. These students shared their experiences, providinggreat insights on how to best serve our students: Alyssa Greene, a freshman from É«»¨ÌÃ; Alexis Staropoli, a junior from É«»¨Ìà Clear Lake; Irvin Solano, a senior from É«»¨Ìà Downtown; and Trisanya Dennie, a sophomore from É«»¨Ìà Victoria.

Held on May 20 in the É«»¨Ìà Student Centers, É«»¨ÌÃS SAES Leadership Conference Co-Chair Don Yackley said the entire day was a success. “It was wonderful to come together, share best practices, and engage in fellowship with colleagues,” he said.

In addition to Affre and Yackley, the conference was organized and hosted by the 2022 committee:

• Dr. Karla Hernandez DeCuir, Assistant Provost for Distance Learning, É«»¨ÌÖVictoria
• Dr. Yvonne Hernandez Friedman, Assistant Vice President for Student Engagement, É«»¨ÌÖClear Lake
• Brandon Lee, Director of Residence Life, É«»¨Ì×Victoria
• Sandi Martin, Director of Marketing and Communications, Division of Student Affairs & Enrollment Services, É«»¨ÌÃ
• Dr. Courtney McElroy, Assistant Director of Residence Life, Student Housing & Residential Life, É«»¨ÌÃ
• Jarell Miller, Residence Life Coordinator, Student Housing & Residential Life, É«»¨ÌÃ
• Kyle Perkins, Program Manager, Campus Visits, É«»¨ÌÃ
• Dr. Scott Radimer, Director of Assessment and Planning, Division of Student Affairs & Enrollment Services, É«»¨ÌÃ
• Kristina Raymond, Director, Transfer Relations, É«»¨ÌÖDowntown
• Rhonda Scherer, Associate Director, Sports & Fitness, É«»¨Ì×Downtown
• Kara Hadley-Shakya, Executive Director of Recruitment & Admissions, É«»¨Ìà — Clear Lake