The following candidates are running for election to serve as Officers of the Kentucky Academic Advising Association. Elections will take place during the KACADA 2009 Conference. (April 2-3, 2009, Louisville, KY).
Jason Browning
Undergraduate Advising Practice Analyst
University of Louisville
I am presently the undergraduate advising practice analyst at the University of Louisville. I joined the University in October 2007, with the charge to incorporate new technologies into our advising practice.
Initially, I steered the implementation of AdvisorTrac, a centralized advising center management software, across eight academic units and over sixty academic advisors. Since that time, I have also been charged with several other initiatives, including a complete revision of the university-wide undergraduate advising web page, a redesign of the online undergraduate university catalog, and joint management of the degree audit initiative. Further, I develop and manage the advising assessment process across the University.
The Office of Undergraduate Advising Practice oversees and guides undergraduate advising practices across all academic units of the University. Operating out of this office has given me the benefit of exposure to multiple and varied advising centers, student populations, and practices. I have cultivated successful relationships across units, attempting to appreciate unit uniqueness, but identifying commonalities when possible. This macro level exposure to advising practice provides a valuable perspective when considering the wide variety of advising models across KACADA member institutions.
During my time at the University, I have had the opportunity to become involved with NACADA at the local, regional, and national level. I have authored several articles on AdvisorTrac and advising center management. In addition, I have also had the opportunity to interact with several other universities throughout the country about AdvisorTrac and advising practices.
Technology provides a potential avenue to increase the activity in KACADA throughout the Commonwealth. With schools and campuses located throughout the state, videoconferencing and screen-sharing applications provide opportunities to conduct routine meetings and business. These solutions become particularly important in times of financial distress.
I am most interested in the KACADA President position for the opportunity to increase the stature and reach of the organization. Prior to higher education, my background is in business administration, finance, and corporate risk management. This experience affords me the ability to mesh corporate management and organizational practices with the unique operating context of higher education.
I hold a bachelor of arts in accounting and economics from Bellarmine University and a master of business administration from Xavier University. In addition, I am pursuing my Ph.D. in college student personnel at the University of Louisville.
My exposure as a student and employee to both public and private institutions provides me a unique perspective on the unique obstacles faced by each type of institution. In addition, I hope during my time as KACADA president to enhance the presence of both private institutions and the Kentucky Community & Technical College System in the affairs and activities of the organization.
Megan Larabell
Student Affairs Officer II (Academic Advisor)
University of Kentucky
I am interested in the position of President Elect because I sincerely believe in the power of advising, and I would love the opportunity to promote it! I am very interested in getting more involved in KACADA. I truly enjoy meeting other advisors, and would ultimately like to build a network of colleagues and friends across the state.
I am an advisor who has been very involved in professional advising associations since I became an advisor. I have presented at the Region III NACADA Conference and the NACADA National Conference. I will also be a presenter at the upcoming KACADA conference in Louisville in April. These conferences have created some of my fondest memories, as I love to network with other advisors to have fun and exchange ideas.
I am approachable and outgoing. I am comfortable with public speaking, and I have experience in several areas of student affairs, so I pride myself in being able to see the big picture, in regards to the goals of higher education.
I would love to implement some campus visits around the state. I know that I am personally extremely interested in the approach that other advisors take and how advising in perceived on various campuses. I also think it would be refreshing to be able to see fellow advisors more than once or twice a year.
I would like to set up designated travel times and destinations, so that KACADA advisors would have opportunities to visit several other Kentucky institutions. These campus visits would facilitate the exchange of ideas and the building of relationships, and they would promote collaboration.
I would also love to beef up the KACADA website by possibly creating a position that would be in charge of updating and adding to the website on a regular basis. Additionally, I think it would be rewarding to give awards each year to Kentucky advisors who go above and beyond and who are nominated by fellow Kentucky advisors.
I would love the opportunity to serve the advising community of Kentucky and would be honored to even be considered for the President Elect position.
Aaron Raider
Academic Advisor
Eastern Kentucky University
I obtained a BBA and MPA degree from Eastern Kentucky University where I currently serve as academic advisor for the College of Justice & Safety. Being a part of campus governance started my love for the field of higher education.
As a recruiter for the College of Justice & Safety I was introduced to the world of advising only by chance when a warm body was needed to fill in. Through that experience I developed an appreciation for good advising and wanted to make sure that it happened on my campus. Now I want to make sure that each student walks away with a positive interaction with their advisor on all campuses in the state.
I am also very interested in seeing and our state association advance in numbers and purpose. Although numerous advisors across the state have been involved on the regional and national level of NACADA through conference attendance and presentations, there seems to be less opportunity at the state level.
I want to foster a community of advisors who share information and knowledge at this level where each of us bring something new and different to the table. What works on your campus may or may not work on another campus, but with dialogue and open communications we can build that bridge to create advising communities that reflect our intentions of producing responsible and educated citizens of the commonwealth.
Since our association is only in the infancy stage, the most important obstacle we face is building lines of communication and opportunities for collaboration. I also want to build a network of advisors who can rely on each other for assistance in areas that have succeeded but also in areas that have failed.
Shannon Tumblin
Student Affairs Officer II (Academic Advisor)
University of Kentucky
I am currently working on my PhD in higher education administration with a focus in student affairs and have been working in the field for approximately four years. My experience in higher education has been fulfilling and I wish to expand on my possibilities in the field.
I have been working at the University of Kentucky for a little over a year now as an academic advisor and have been very involved on campus and in the Lexington community.
I enjoy meeting and working with others and feel that being a part of KACADA’s executive committee would allow me to interact with others that share the same passion for higher education as I do.
As far as goals to accomplish, I feel that I can work closely with the other officers to help spread the word about KACADA to increase membership and help in any programming for workshops and conferences that are planned throughout the year.