Meet The Gehring Team

Chair & Assistant Chair

Dr. Jeremy Zilmer (Gehring Academy Chair) is the Dean of Students at Bowling Green State University. In addition, Jeremy serves as Senior Deputy Title IX Coordinator and Clery Compliance Coordinator. Jeremy also serves as the chair of the BGSU CARE Team. Jeremy has worked in higher education since 2008 with experiences in Residence Life, Fraternity and Sorority Life, Student Conduct, and Student Care and Support.

Jeremy has a Bachelor's degree from the University of Wyoming, Master's degree from Bowling Green State University, and a Doctor of Education from Bowling Green State University where his dissertation focused on examining the moral and ethical implications of Title IX compliance. Jeremy’s previous roles with the Donald D. Gehring Academy includes serving as assistant academy chair, track coordinator, and faculty member.

 

Léna Crain, Ph.D. (Gehring Academy Assistant Chair) serves as Dean of Students at Baldwin Wallace University. Dr. Crain is a frequent trainer and speaker on alternative resolution, conflict resolution skill building, cultural dimensions of conflict, and planning and assessment. She has served on the ASCA Board of Directors and with the Donald D. Gehring Academy as a Faculty Fellow, Faculty, and Track Coordinator. In her broader career in higher education, Dr. Crain has been recognized as an ACPA Diamond Honoree and Annuit Coeptis Scholar. Dr. Crain earned her Ph.D. from the University of Maryland.

 

Mediation & Conflict Coaching

Vin J. Ciampolillo [champ-o-lil-o] (Track Coordinator) (he/him/his) serves as Deputy Title IX Coordinator for the Office of Equal Opportunity and Institutional Equity (OIE) for Bentley University. This role primarily focuses on investigating complaints of Bentley University’s institutional equity system, as well as developing, facilitating, and assessing alternative dispute resolution pathways. Prior to Bentley, Vin worked at Cornell University in similar roles.

Vin also served as a Gehring Academy Faculty member for the following tracks: 2021 Mid-Level/Aspiring Directors; 2021 Conflict Resolution Mini-Track; 2022 Restorative Justice (summer and fall offerings); and 2023 Advanced Restorative Justice. Additionally, Vin serves as a mediator, conflict coach, and arbitrator for New York State through the Community Dispute Resolution Center (CDRC).

Dr. Patience D. Bryant (Faculty) (she/they) is the executive director for Black student academic success at California State University, Fullerton. Prior, she served as the inaugural director for Black/African American Equity at San Jose State University, where she also served as the campus Interim Deputy Diversity Officer. Additionally, she served as the director for student conduct and ethical development at California State University, Long Beach, where she oversaw the creation and implementation of the university’s first restorative justice program, WAVE (Welcoming Accountable Voices and Education), and served as the university’s chief judicial officer.

Dr. Bryant holds a doctorate in conflict analysis and resolution from Nova Southeastern University and previously worked at the University of Mississippi and Texas A&M University, Commerce, where she led the introduction of restorative justice to their traditional student conduct process.

Dr. Bryant has been featured as a contributing author in multiple books, including "Black Women Navigating Historically White Higher Education Institutions and the Journey Toward Liberation", "Student Conduct Practice (2nd Ed)" and the ACUHO-I/ASCA collaborative book "Conduct and Community: Residence Life Practitioners Guide". They have been a member of the ASCA Board of Directors (including serving as the 2022-2023 President) and have also previously been faculty for the Donald D. Gehring Academy.

With over 30 years in higher education, Joe DeGearo (Faculty) holds a Ph.D. in Social Work and an MBA in Management. Joe's passion for fostering positive communication and mutually beneficial conflict resolution began in his undergraduate days when this passion led him to become a Certified New York State Conflict Resolution Mediator in 1987.

Joe's experience extends to higher education settings, where he has held various roles in student conduct practice and oversight since 2002. Committed to continuous professional development, Joe completed the Gehring Academy's Mediation Track in 2003. He also designed and taught two conflict resolution courses at Adelphi University, demonstrating his continuing interest in applying and sharing problem-solving mediation and conflict coaching approaches in higher education.

Dr. Denise Balfour Simpson (Faculty): As the associate dean of students, I support several accountability- and restorative-based initiatives for Davidson College students and student organizations, and provide oversight to case management, student conduct, residence life, and academic access and disability resources. My philosophy on student accountability rests with working collaboratively with students, staff, and faculty to cultivate an educational, restorative, and inclusive experience where students can learn, grow, and thrive. Before coming to Davidson, I supported academic policies and services at Duke Kunshan University (located in the Jiangsu province of China), and I have additional experiences in student conduct, crisis response, case management, residence life, campus recreation, student activities, and as an adjunct faculty member.

My professional passion lies in creating transformative experiences for students - sometimes during their greatest time of need, and the development of new student affairs professionals. I have several publications related to restorative practices, campus leadership, supporting student conduct programs, and high-impact practices surrounding student engagement.

Mary Beth Mackin Foundations of Professional Practice

Matthew Scruggs, Ed.D (Track Coordinator) (he/him/his) currently serves as the Assistant Vice President for Student Development at the University of Lynchburg in Lynchburg, Virginia. In his AVP role, he oversees the Community Development portfolio for Student Development. This portfolio includes serving as the Chief Conduct Officer within the Community Expectations and Restorative Practices office and supervising the Directors of the Center for Community Engagement, and the Office of Housing and Residence Life. He serves as an Adjunct Professor with the College of Education, Leadership Studies, & Counseling at the University of Lynchburg. He also serves the University of Lynchburg as the Chair for the Staff Advisory Committee. He has served as a Faculty Member with ASCA’s Gehring Academy’s Aspiring Directors track, Academic Integrity mini-track, and is currently serving as the co-Chair of the ASCA Academic Integrity Community of Practice. This is Matt’s second year serving as Track Coordinator for the Gehring Academy’s Foundations Track.

Matt has worked in the field of Student Affairs professionally since 2006 with his career split fairly evenly between Residence Life and Student Conduct. He earned his Bachelor’s degree from Ferrum College, his Master’s degree from Virginia Tech, and his Doctorate degree from the University of Lynchburg. When not working or teaching, he spends his time with his wife of nearly 12 years, his 8-year-old son, and 5-year-old daughter, and puppy. Matt is an avid fan of most sports, vintage video games, and superheroes.

James Bond, J.D. (Senior Faculty) (he/him/his) is entering his 20th year as a staff member in student conduct at the University of Maryland College Park. He started as a Coordinator in the Rights and Responsibilities Office in the Department of Resident Life. Since then, he’s served as an Assistant Director in the Office of Student Conduct, Interim Director, and now as its Director. In this capacity, he reports to the Dean of Students, sits on the Behavioral Evaluation and Threat Assessment Team, and serves as the Deputy Title IX Coordinator for the campus.

James is active in the Association of Student Conduct Administration, having served on its Board of Directors, Gehring Academy Faculty two times, the Goldstone Foundation, several committees, and as a presenter at numerous ASCA Annual Conferences.

Dr. Brian M. Glick (Faculty) (he/him/his) currently serves as the director of student conduct and community standards at Adelphi University, located in Garden City, New York. Previously, he served in student conduct positions at Northern Illinois University, and residence life positions at Southeast Missouri State University and Elmhurst College.

Glick’s doctoral research established that the practice of student conduct, is a profession, as defined by published criteria. Glick earned a doctorate in education from Northern Illinois University, a Master of Science in college student personnel administration from the University of Central Arkansas, and bachelor of arts in communication from Kansas State University. Glick has a long history of involvement with the Association for Student Conduct Administration, including long-time service with the Public Policy Legislative Issues Committee, the Membership Engagement Committee, the Equity and Inclusion Committee, and the Director/Senior-level Community of Practice. Glick also currently serves on the ASCA Board of Directors and was a Gehring Academy faculty member in 2022.

Alex Lewin (Faculty) is the Director of Student Conduct and Community Standards at the University of Toledo in Toledo, Ohio. Alex has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography and Media from the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), an MA in College Student Personnel from Bowling Green State University (BGSU) and is pursuing her doctorate in Leadership Studies at BGSU. Alex is passionate about infusing social justice into her work in higher education by helping to revise policies and processes, supporting others in using equitable practices, and creating environments that are inclusive for students and colleagues. This will be Alex's second year serving as faculty for the Gehring Academy.

April Pavelka (Faculty) currently serves as the Associate Director for Student Accountability in the Office of the Dean of Students at the University of Utah. She serves as the primary conduct officer, conducts admission reviews, serves as a core member of the BIT team, and assists with case management. In addition to her conduct work, she has experience in a wide range of student affairs functional areas like recreational sports, wellness coaching, facility management, student organization advising, and more. In her spare time she teaches group fitness classes, snuggles with her cat, Winnie, and explores the mountains of Utah by way of hiking, backpacking, climbing, skiing, and paddleboarding.

Keith E. Robinder, Ph.D. (Faculty) currently serves as the vice president for student support programs at St. Louis Community College and serves as the chief student affairs officer for the Wildwood campus. He provides districtwide leadership for the counseling department, student advocacy & resource centers, childcare resource & referral program, and student affairs assessment.

Robinder joined STLCC in 2019 as the vice president for student affairs at STLCC-Meramec. Before that, he worked for 10 years as an assistant, associate and interim Dean of Students at Iowa State University. Earlier in his career, he served as the director of student life and community engagement at Laramie County Community College. Over the years, Robinder has taught undergraduate and graduate courses focused on student success, leadership, student development, and program assessment and evaluation. He began his student affairs career as a live-in residential life staff member during his undergraduate and graduate studies, and early professional career. He has over 25 years of experience in student conduct administration, behavioral intervention, and student success.

Robinder earned both a doctorate in community college leadership and a master’s degree in student affairs and higher education from Colorado State University.

Mathew J.L. Shepard (Faculty) is the Director of the Office of Student Conduct at New York University in New York City where he oversees all non-academic misconduct, including residence hall incidents, bias/discrimination allegations, study away incidents, and student organization misconduct. He has served as faculty at ASCA's Gehring Academy the past two years and is co-chair of ASCA's Assessment Committee.

Prior to NYU, Mathew worked at the University of Maryland-College Park and Loyola University Maryland in Baltimore. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Kansas (Rock Chalk!) and his master's in education from the University of Vermont. Mathew is a doctoral candidate in higher education administration at NYU and is researching academic integrity policy (de)centralization at public research universities.

Sevyn Hardy (Fellow) was born and raised in Vanceboro, North Carolina. He attended Clemson University where he earned his Master’s Degree in Counselor Education with an emphasis in Student Affairs. Sevyn is also a proud alumnus of East Carolina University, where he earned his Bachelor’s in Interpersonal/Organizational Communication. His professional experience includes Student Conduct, Crisis Management and Accessibility Services. In his spare time, Sevyn enjoys beekeeping, plants and R&B music.

Title IX & Sexual Misconduct

Dr. Kristen Harrell (Track Coordinator) (she/her/hers) currently serves as an Assistant Vice President in the Division of Student Affairs. Dr. Harrell received her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of Washington, her Master of Science in Student Affairs in Higher Education from Colorado State University, and her Doctor of Philosophy in Higher Education Administration from Texas A&M University. Dr. Harrell has worked in a variety of functional areas within student affairs including student conduct, sexual violence prevention, alcohol and other drug education, and residence life. Dr. Harrell currently provides administrative supervision of the Department of Multicultural Services, Disability Resources, the Don & Ellie Knauss Veteran Resource and Support Center, and Student Community Standards. Her work also includes oversight of Civil Rights appeals pertaining to student respondents.

Jessica Galanos (Faculty) is a former university administrator and litigator with experience in the areas of sexual misconduct, hazing, civil rights, student conduct, employment law, accreditation, governance, and regulatory compliance. She is a trained and experienced civil rights investigator and hearing officer, with experience in every step of the Title IX resolution process – conducting intake meetings, reviewing incoming matters for jurisdictional concerns, conducting thorough and impartial investigations, adjudicating cases as a hearing officer, reviewing cases on appeal, and supervising the process as a Title IX Coordinator. Jessica regularly advises higher education clients on a variety of legal issues under Title IX, Title VII, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Collin’s Law, the Clery Act, and various other federal and state regulations, drawing from her own experience working at a large public university and representing universities in litigation.

Kristi Patrickus (Faculty) is the Student Advocacy Program Attorney at the University of Oregon (UO). She graduated with Juris Doctorate from UO in 2021 and became a member of the Oregon State Bar and Missouri Bar Association shortly thereafter. During her time as a law student, Kristi worked in the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards where she performed numerous functions, including adjudicating conduct cases and administering sanctions. In her current role, Kristi provides legal advice, counsel, and direct support to students and student organizations involved in conduct matters, grievances, and other processes at the UO. Kristi currently serves on various committees including the Student Conduct Advisory Committee at UO and the Oregon Criminal Defense Lawyers Association Education Committee.

Kristi is actively involved in the Association for Student Conduct Administration (ASCA) where she currently serves as the co-chair for the Public Policy and Legislative Issues Committee and Conduct Professionals with JDs Community of Practice. Kristi’s work extends into presentations at national conferences and for state bar associations. Her research on due process protections for students in university conduct systems is published in Volume 47 of the "National Association of College and University Attorneys Journal of College and University Law."

Randall Williams (Faculty) has served in the field of higher education for almost 20 years. With a passion for student development, he has served in various areas, such as Student Conduct, Residence Life, and Title IX. He currently serves as the Assistant Director of Student Accountability at Vanderbilt University.

Randall enjoys sports, particularly, basketball, football, as well as track and field. A self-proclaimed sneakerhead, he also enjoys collecting sneakers (much to the chagrin of his wife). Randall also enjoys traveling and watching good TV shows with his amazing wife, Tamika. They have been married since 2018.

Student Organization Conduct

Dr. Stephanie M. Wright (Track Coordinator) is native of Bridgeton, New Jersey and member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. Her commitment to service, leadership, and excellence, has groomed her to be an innovator in the areas of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs and Student Development. Wright is committed to the overall betterment of fraternity and sorority life, with a particular interest in advocacy for Culturally Based Fraternal Organizations (CBFOs). Her work aims to address systemic issues within institutional policies, address organizational misconduct, restore community standards, and set students and student organizations on a path to success.

Stephanie is a dynamic speaker and presenter, addressing topics of student leadership, service, and hazing at various colleges and universities. With an extensive repertoire of knowledge, Stephanie can be found presenting and facilitating conversations at several conferences with both students and professionals to challenge their ideologies in Student Affairs.  Stephanie founded the Cultural Greek Leadership Conference (CGLC), a Northeast based conference for CBFOs in 2013. Stephanie wanted to create a developmental space where CBFOs felt as though they belonged and could engage in dialogue specific to their organizations.

She founded SMW Services, LLC in 2017 to provide consultation and developmental programming to organizations and institutions.

Stephanie is a 2003 graduate of Ramapo College of New Jersey with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications: Public Relations and matriculated on to complete a Master of Arts in Administration and Supervision from Montclair State University in 2007 and a Master of Arts in Journalism and Communication: Public Relations from Kent State University in 2014. She completed her doctorate in Organizational Leadership from Stockton University in 2022.

Wesley Bolton (Faculty) serves as the Associate Director of Student Conduct & Student Conduct Investigator at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. His career has primarily been in student conduct and student care, with roles focused on both functional areas. In his current capacity, Wesley oversees the investigation and adjudication of cases related to academic dishonesty, student organization conduct, sexual misconduct, and general student conduct. Additionally, he is an active member of UTC's Sexual Misconduct Response Team, Students of Concern Team, Behavioral Intervention Team, Threat Assessment Team, and Hazing Prevention Committee.

Wesley earned his Bachelor’s degree in History from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga followed by a Master’s degree in College Student Personnel from Bowling Green State University.

Christine Nye (Faculty) (she/her/hers) currently serves as the Associate Director for Group Behavior and Development at Cornell University. Prior to joining Cornell in September of 2021, Christine served in various roles in Residence Life and Student Conduct at Southeast Missouri State University, the University of Rochester, and the College of New Jersey. Christine has developed a passion for working with the nuances of organizational behaviors. Her focus on organizational behavior includes collaborative approaches to working with all stakeholders to address root causes of behavior and provide multi-faceted support to student organizations for continued success. She has over a decade of experience with individual and organizational investigations and adjudication, alternative dispute resolution, conflict resolution, restorative practices and incorporating restorative approaches in student conduct work. Christine previously served as a Faculty Fellow and Faculty for the Gehring Academy for the Equity and Inclusion Track.

Christine earned her Bachelor of Arts in Women’s Studies and Sociology from the University of Delaware in 2004 and her Master of Arts in Education in Student Affairs from Western Kentucky University in 2007.

Christina Parle (Faculty) (she/they) is an equity, inclusion, and diversity (EID) educator and consultant with her company, Social Responsibility Speaks, and currently serves as the Director of Student Life at Avila University. Christina’s career experience is in student development, accountability, and fraternal organizations. Christina has served on the Association for Student Conduct Administration’s (ASCA) Board of Directors for six (6) years and is presently the Past President. Much of her work is rooted in unlearning, conflict resolution, and effective communication. Christina’s particular interest is in language and its impacts. Christina has specific experience in building effective systems, policies, and procedures, curriculum writing, and leadership education.

Christina is a Kansas City, Missouri native. Prior to her work at Avila University, Christina served as the Director of Chapter Services and Conduct at Zeta Beta Tau (ZBT) Fraternity. She also previously served as the Assistant Director of Student Conduct and Community Standards at the University of Kansas (KU) where she was the Student Housing liaison and then transitioned to a focus on student organization misconduct. Before KU, she served as a Fraternity and Sorority Advisor at Western Carolina University where she advised the Panhellenic, Interfraternity, and National Pan-Hellenic Councils.

Christina earned her bachelor’s in criminal justice and political science at the University of Central Missouri and attended Penn State where she earned her master’s in higher education with an emphasis in student affairs. While at Penn State, she completed a graduate assistantship in student conduct and served as the primary advisor for the National Pan-Hellenic Council and the Multicultural Greek Council for a semester.

Tamera Dunn-Perry (Fellow) (she/her/hers) currently works at Michigan State University as the inaugural Assistant Director in the Office of Student Support & Accountability focused on student organization conduct investigations. Tamera has worked at Michigan State since March 2022. Prior to Michigan State, Tamera has worked professionally at multiple institutions in housing and residential life roles and has obtained a certification in project management. Tamera is a proud first-generation college student and graduate.

Personally, Tamera enjoys watching and attending sporting events, cooking & baking gluten-free meals, trivia nights and board games, and spending time with her husband and dog while exploring both their Michigan home and "off-season" vacation sites.

Case Management

Rachael Stark, Ph.D. (Track Coordinator) joined the Division of Student Affairs at Temple University in November 2011 as the Associate Dean of Students with direct responsibility for the CARE Team, Temple’s behavior intervention team. Since the summer of 2016, she has been serving as the Senior Associate Dean of Students. Her current portfolio focuses on student resiliency and includes Disability Resources and Services, the Cherry Pantry and the CARE Team. As of May 2023, Dr. Stark is serving as the interim Associate Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students providing leadership to New Student, Parent & Family Programs, Student Activities, the Office of Student Conduct & Community Standards as well as the offices listed above.

Rachael earned her doctorate from Colorado State University with a focus in College and University Leadership. Her research area focused on the moral behavior of Resident Assistants. She also attended The Ohio State University where she earned a Master of Art in Higher Education and Student Affairs and a Bachelor of Art in Psychology. Rachael is also an adjunct instructor in the Higher Education Master’s Program at Rowan University. This will be Rachael's second year as the Track Coordinator for the Case Management & Conduct track that the Gehring Academy.

Erin Kaplan (Faculty) (she/her/hers) serves as the Associate Dean and Director of Student Conduct at Swarthmore College in Swarthmore, PA. Erin earned her Master of Education in College Student Affairs from Rutgers University New Brunswick and is currently pursuing her Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership from Manhattanville University.

Erin has been a member of Higher Education Case Managers Association (HECMA) Mid-Atlantic Region since 2016 and has been a member of ASCA since 2013. Through ASCA, from 2020-2023, Erin served as the Co-Chair for the Women and Student Conduct Community of Practice (CoP), and in 2023, Erin served as the Co-Chair for Region 10. Currently, Erin serves on the ASCA Board of Directors as a Director of Large and remains involved with the Women and Student Conduct CoP, Region 10, and the Equity & Inclusion committee. Erin has attended five Gehring Academy tracks and is thrilled to serve as faculty this summer.

Dr. Lynsey Listau (Faculty) serves as the Executive Director of Institutional Equity and Student Conduct at Pensacola State College. In this role, Dr. Listau oversees student conduct, institutional equity, discrimination complaints, Title IX, case management, wellness services, counseling services, relationship violence prevention, the Pirates CARE Team, and basic needs support. Over the last three years, Dr. Listau has received and managed over $1.8 million in grants to create and enhance student support services on campus. Dr. Listau also has experience working in residence life, fraternity and sorority life, new student orientation, and student activities. Dr. Listau also serves as an adjunct faculty member in the University of West Florida College Student Affairs Administration program.

Dr. Listau received her BA from the University of Tennessee, her MAEd from Virginia Tech, and her Ed.D. from the University of South Alabama.

Dr. Kyle R. Williams (Faculty) (he/they) is the founder of #DrKRWSpeaks, established with the motto of “Empowering Higher Education for All”. DrKRWSpeaks strategically collaborates with institutional leadership and corporate leaders to cultivate a welcoming and inclusive environment with the purpose to ensure that everyone is able to find their own Sense of Mattering, enabling community members to create a student and employee-centered atmosphere conducive to their overall success.

A native of Cincinnati, OH, Dr. Williams completed a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Otterbein University, a Master of Science in Educational Leadership from Old Dominion University, and a Doctorate in Education from Texas A&M University-Commerce. Their doctoral research focused on the influence of mattering on the persistence of Black males at a Regional Predominately White Institution.

Dr. Williams previously served as Special Advisor to the Senior Vice President and Dean of Campus Life and subsequently as Associate Vice President and Dean of Students. In these roles, they assisted with the assessment and implementation of divisional and enterprise-wide initiatives to support staff and student flourishing.

Currently, he serves as the Chair for the Raymond H. Goldstone Foundation Board for the Association for Student Conduct Administration. Dr. Williams has also previously served as the Chair for the Equity & Inclusion Committee and Faculty within the annual Gehring Academy for Mid-Level Aspiring Directors and as a founding faculty member for Equitable and Inclusive Practices, Case Management, and Student Conduct.

His contributions to the field of higher education have been recognized by his alma maters. Otterbein University awarded him the Diversity Alumni Award in 2019, and Old Dominion University recognized him as a Darden Fellow by the Darden School of Education. He was also named a 2024 Diamond Honoree by the American College Personnel Association (ACPA). Dr. Williams resides in Atlanta, GA, and is a furry father to his pup, Gladiator Huck Harrison. He is also a Lifetime Member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.

Dr. Bryan Koval (Fellow) is the Director of Student Support Resources at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA. As part of the Office of the Dean of Students, he leads a team that is focused on non-clinical case management for students of concern. In addition to his current case management role, Bryan has worked in residential education and student conduct in various positions across his 19+ year career in higher education and student affairs.

Bryan completed his undergraduate studies and his master’s in higher education from Penn State University, and his doctorate in higher education administration from George Washington University. Out of the office he is likely listening to podcasts, collecting vinyl records, or following Pittsburgh sports and the English Premiere League.

Senior Conduct Officers

Danny Shaha, Ed.D. (Track Coordinator) (he/him/his) serves as an Assistant Vice President (AVP) for Student Affairs at Penn State University. In this capacity, he oversees or has overseen various essential offices including the University’s offices of Student Accountability and Conflict Response, Sexual Misconduct Reporting and Response, Student Care and Advocacy, Off Campus Student Support, Respondent Support, Fraternity and Sorority Compliance, and Student Legal Services. He also co-chairs the University's Behavioral Threat Management Team, oversees the Care team, and holds responsibility for the University’s response to student-related crises, providing functional supervision to the Directors of Student Affairs at Penn State’s 19 Commonwealth Campuses. During the first year of his tenure as an AVP, Danny also served as the University’s Title IX Coordinator.

Before assuming the AVP role, Danny served as the Senior Director of the Office of Student Conduct (OSC) at Penn State for seven years. During this time, he also held the position of Deputy Title IX Coordinator. From November 2015 to July 2017, Danny took on the additional role of Interim Director of the University’s Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life.

Prior to joining Penn State, Danny served in various capacities at The Ohio State University, Texas A&M University, and the College of William and Mary. He also served as a Special Agent in the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Danny recently completed a year-long fellowship with the University of California National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement, serves on the board for the University of Vermont Legal Issues in Higher Education Conference, and serves as an adjunct instructor for the University of Southern Mississippi and Virginia Commonwealth University teaching courses in leadership, behavioral threat management, culture change, and free speech.

Alexis Piñero-Benson (Faculty) serves as Director and provides leadership for the Office of Community Standards at the University New Hampshire in establishing a preeminent and education-centric student conduct program focused on ethical development and rehabilitation, and is responsible for the overall administration of the university-wide conduct system including component campuses at UNH College of Professional Studies in Manchester and online and the Franklin Pierce School of Law in Concord.

Alexis was the recipient of ASCA’s Individual Award of Excellence in 2021; a peer-nominated award for individuals who have made significant contributions to the development of their campus and community, service to the profession and demonstrated their commitment to education and mentoring.

In previous experience, Alexis served as Assistant Director of Community Standards at Berklee College of Music and was one of the institution’s Equity and Title IX Investigators for student complaints of harassment, discrimination, sexual misconduct and Title IX, and also held other professional roles at Mitchell College, Barry University, and was Director of Campus Life with the Bowdoin International Music Festival, Assistant Dean of Students at the Brevard Music Institute and Festival, and Assistant Director of Student Life at the Tanglewood Music Festival (BUTI & TMC).  Prior to UNH, he was Vice-Chair of Equity & Inclusion for ASCA's Region 10 and Treasurer for SUNY-Student Conduct Association.

A native of New York, Alexis is a two-time graduate of Shenandoah Conservatory of Music, holding master's and bachelor’s degrees in voice performance. and is a lifetime member of Phi Mu Alpha (ΦΜΑ) Sinfonia Fraternity. A 2018 alum of the Susan Vogt Leadership Fellows Program, Alexis has also obtained certifications from ATIXA, SUNY-Student Conduct Institute, Restorative Community Practices of Vermont, and Management of Aggressive Behavior International.

Dr. Tara Shollenberger (Faculty) has worked in the field of higher education for 18 years. She earned her bachelor’s degree at Franklin Pierce College in Psychology. Then she earned her Master’s in Sport Psychology from Texas Tech University, earning her doctorate in education from North Carolina State University in 2014. Starting at High Point University in 2007, she has held a variety of roles, academic advisor, Director of Student Conduct, Assistant Dean of Students and Assistant Vice President for Student Life, she joined the faculty in the Stout School of Education in 2022. She teaches primarily in the doctorate program track for higher education. She researches in areas that include threat assessment teams in higher education, gun violence, policy/law and code review and women in leadership.

 

Dr. Sarah Shupp (Faculty) is currently the Associate Dean of Student Affairs & Deputy Title IX Coordinator at Lebanon Valley College (LVC) in Annville, PA. At LVC, she oversees student engagement, service and community engagement, spiritual development, and student conduct/title IX. Previously, she has worked in career services, drug and alcohol education, and student conduct. Her research interests include exploring college students' experiences with student conduct programs through a narrative inquiry lens. Sarah is an active member of the Association for Student Conduct Administration (ASCA) and currently serves on their Board of Directors.