Alan Nordyke has contributed more than three decades of his life to the campus housing profession, most recently as the director of residence and Greek life at the University of Central Missouri. During that time, he has recruited more than 200 new higher education professionals, many of whom remain in the profession today.
Outside of his campus, Nordyke has remained highly engaged with professional associations at the regional and international level. For the Upper Midwest Region-Association of College & University Housing Officers, he has been president, treasurer, committee member, a lifetime member of the traditions and awards committee, and a three-time RELI faculty member. He has served the ACUHO-I Foundation as the chair and in multiple other positions. Additionally, he was the Workforce Development Director for the ACUHO-I Executive Board and has been a member of committees for conference hosting, benchmarking, and awards. He has been a faculty member three times for the James C. Grimm National Housing Training Institute.
Michelle Boettcher began her career as a campus housing practitioner, spending several years at various institutions before completing her doctoral work and joining the student affairs and higher education faculty at Clemson University in 2014. The holistic experience she had as a housing and residence life professional, combined with an academic foundation, continues to inform her efforts as a writer and researcher.
Recently, Boettcher and co-author Dr. Cristóbal Salinas edited the book Law and Ethics in Academic and Student Affairs: Developing an Institutional Intelligence Approach. She has been published in The Journal of College and University Student Housing and served on its editorial board. More importantly, she has partnered with students and practitioners to highlight their expertise, bring them into the writing process, and support and encourage them to see themselves as practitioner-scholars. In the past eight years, she has partnered with several students, former students, and practitioners on ACUHO-I publications, including several articles that appeared in the Talking Stick. She notes that publishing through ACUHO-I outlets has been an intentional decision in her career and scholarly journey. While it is important to write for journals, she notes, it is also essential to highlight and promote information for and from practitioners.
To complete her Doctor of Education degree from Florida State University, Deanna Hughes explored the careers and lived experiences of Black women senior housing officers in her dissertation, “Making It Make Sense Using Black Girl Magic Blueprints: Examining the Career Pathways and Mindsets of Black Women Senior Housing Officers at Four-Year R1 and R2 Universities.” Hughes built upon an under-researched topic to illustrate the value of Sista Circles, mentorship, and advocacy networks and to provide practical models of inclusive supervision and pipeline development that housing departments can adopt to strengthen equitable advancement.
Hughes, an associate director for residential education at the University of South Florida, noted that despite their growing representation in entry- and mid-level administrative roles, Black women remain underrepresented in the upper-level positions. The study also highlights the need for tailored programs and initiatives to support Black women senior housing officers. By emphasizing the value and promise of Black women's leadership, this research aims to inspire and empower aspiring Black women leaders, while promoting intentional practices that amplify their impact on higher education.
During a time when campuses are increasingly focused on boosting enrollment figures, Mallory Sidarous’ Talking Stick article “Hand in Glove” struck a nerve with judges. For the article, she brought together a group of experienced professionals to discuss how housing departments can best support the admissions process. Her insightful questions touched on factors such as affordability, housing amenities, operational processes, and the role of student ambassadors. The result was a valuable resource that will help readers improve their work and better serve their incoming students.
Sidarous is the assistant vice chancellor for assessment and planning and director of university housing at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Along with contributing to ACUHO-I publications, she has also been active as the chair of the Mid-Level Leadership Institute, the ACUHO-I Business Operations Conference, and the Marketing and Communications Committee. She has also presented at a variety of regional and national ACUHO-I conferences, often speaking on marketing strategies, occupancy management, roommate matching, and supervision.
The complexity and enormity of the resident assistant role may seem overwhelming, yet year after year, students are asked to meet these heroic standards. In their manuscript, “Sometimes Superheroes Can’t Save Everyone: Rethinking the Resident Assistant Role,” the author team Chris Heasley, Katie Boone, and Kevin Conn explore the competencies asked of those in the RA role. Judges reported that the article offers a refreshing perspective on a topic that is critical to housing and residential life and sparks a seed regarding how campus housing thinks about this para-professional model and its long-term sustainability. With increased stressors on undergraduate students, this article illuminates many of the often-thought but rarely spoken concerns about the present RA role model and the scope of RA responsibility.
The authors are regular contributors to The Journal of College and University Student Housing. Heasley is an associate professor and chair of educational leadership, counseling, and social work at Saint Joseph’s University; Boone is an adjunct professor at Virginia Commonwealth University; and Conn is the executive director of student housing and residential life at California State University, Northridge.
As head of residence management and student life at the University of Pretoria, Lanché van Tonder leads one of the largest residence systems in Africa. As an active ACUHO-I member for more than a decade, he has contributed in multiple ways, including serving as Globalization Director on the ACUHO-I Executive Board. He has worked closely with colleagues worldwide to expand access and representation for non-U.S. members, focusing on building partnerships between ACUHO-I and regional affiliates in Africa, Asia, and Europe. He has hosted and participated in ACUHO-I study tours in both South Africa and the United States. He has coordinated visits of U.S. housing professionals to several South African universities, facilitating workshops on cultural intelligence and student engagement.
Within ACUHO-I’s Southern Africa Chapter, van Tonder has been a central figure in growing the Association’s influence and strengthening its connection to the global network. He has been co-director of the Roelf Visser Student Housing Training Institute since 2021, helping design the program and mentoring more than 300 housing professionals. Participants consistently describe his teaching style as approachable, values-based, and inspiring. He helped to organize annual conferences that now attract more than 200 delegates. He also led a task team to align the chapter’s professional competencies and ethics framework with ACUHO-I’s global standards, ensuring that the profession in South Africa continues to evolve in step with international best practice.
Throughout her career, Jillian Sturdivant has made numerous contributions to the campus housing and student affairs profession. Currently the assistant vice president and dean of students at Lincoln University, she has presented at conferences for several associations, including ACUHO-I, ACPA, and NASPA. She has been the keynote speaker for the University of Central Florida National Residence Hall Honorary and the National Council of Negro Women. She has also received multiple accolades for her contributions to higher education, such as the Office of Sorority and Fraternity Life Outstanding Campus Partner of the Year, the Student Development and Enrollment Services Institute Community Award, and the Commitment to Diversity Award at the University of Central Florida. One of her proudest achievements was contributing to the book The Table: Stories from Black Women in Student Affairs, which she co-authored with colleagues from across the country.
Sturdivant’s service to ACUHO-I has been valuable and varied. She has co-chaired the Professionals of Color Network, participated in the 2020 Leadership Academy, and been a faculty member for the James C. Grimm National Housing Training Institute and the Behavioral Health and Well-Being Institute. Through all these outlets and more, she has established a reputation for creating sessions that are both reflective and practical. Her presentation topics – including thriving strategies for Black women, supervision, self-empathy, self-empowerment, and social justice – reflect her belief that professional excellence must be rooted in personal wellness, authenticity, and equity.
As the director of residential life and housing at Binghamton University, Casey Wall has worked to remove barriers to access for students. In some cases, that meant reviewing room assignment processes, setting expectations for resident assistants, and expanding community development programs. It has also meant actively promoting diversity and inclusion to staff and students alike.
Among notable efforts in this area, Wall implemented a process in which all students are asked to choose between housing determined by gender identity or all-gender housing. This change required all residential students to consider the type of housing they wish to live in, rather than only the students who select all-gender housing. Doing so met the needs of LGBTQ students while also normalizing the options for all residential students. Wall is well known across campus for being quick to personally reach out to students who may be struggling to connect with others who share the same gender identity, allowing those students to find one another in a more comfortable setting and to fully participate in the residential experience. Additionally, they are a role model for their department, students, and professional organizations on how to show up as their most authentic self: exhibiting servant leadership to those around them and not seeking the spotlight, while allowing for transparent discussions on how to make spaces welcoming to all.
Vicka Bell-Robinson, the associate vice chancellor in student life for involvement and belonging at Indiana University-Bloomington, has built her career around creating spaces where students and staff feel welcome. As a result, she has been recognized in numerous ways, including being a past recipient of ACUHO-I’s James A. Hurd Award and being elected as the current president of GLACUHO.
Colleagues note that Bell-Robinson values creating powerful and effective cocurricular experiences for college students, while simultaneously providing leadership, vision, and support for staff. She does this by developing meaningful campus partnerships and utilizing data-driven decision making. For all her accomplishments, though, the impact she has made on her campuses and her professional colleagues could be best summed up in an essay she wrote for the Indiana University website, which included concise definitions of belonging: “belonging is everyone’s job,” “belonging involves kindness and meaningful interactions,” “involvement leads to belonging,” and “true involvement requires engagement.” By believing that and following a path in service to that ideal, she has strengthened the sense of belonging that all feel in her presence.
In his role as a graduate residence director at Texas State University, Caleb Myott oversees 13 resident assistants and advises a hall council of seven members supporting a residential community of 500 students. By collaborating with faculty and staff, Myott has strengthened the Honors and Terry Scholars Living-Learning Communities by creating programs that integrate academic and social engagement while enhancing the educational value of residential life. In addition, he serves as a Sustainability Fellow at his institution. In that role, he coordinates “Bobcats Give Back,” a large-scale donation initiative that mobilizes more than 50 volunteers and partners with 10 community organizations. This cross-campus collaboration and service-minded leadership has helped divert waste from landfills and promoted social responsibility among residential students.
Additionally, Myott completed an operations internship at Colorado College as part of the ACUHO-I Housing Internship Program. During that time, he performed a number of facilities assessments and coordinated sustainability efforts that improved residential operations.
A residence hall coordinator at the University of Delaware, Abigail LaManna has established herself and made a long-lasting impression through her involvement on the Residence Hall Coordinator Recruitment and Selection Committee, with the Pride Caucus, and with the World Scholars Living and Learning Community. Additionally, LaManna demonstrated her ability to contribute to the overall program during a staffing shortage when she was tasked with supervising an additional residential community, graduate student, and two residential communities that totaled more than 850 students. She handled this transition seamlessly, met meeting deadlines, and demonstrated true maturity and growth when she asked for help from her supervisor and sought support from those around her.
Beyond the University of Delaware, LaManna has been involved in MACUHO, chairing the recognition committee, recruiting professional and student staff, helping shape the annual conference, and presenting sessions.
Before becoming the assistant director of residence life at George Mason University, Demarcus Merritt, Sr. held positions at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Virginia Commonwealth University, and the University of Virginia. All along the way, he has worked to support students and staff, leading diversity efforts and creating new programs that supported food-insecure individuals, transfer students, and more. Most recently, at George Mason, he has redefined engagement and inclusion through his leadership of the CAARE Collaborative, expanding its reach from a one-time training series into a year-round professional development and engagement framework for staff. He also co-founded Mason Minds Matter, a two-day campus mental health initiative that united CAPS (psychological servces), university police, and Patriots Thriving Together, engaging more than 200 participants in its first semester. Its follow-up event, Love Life x Mason Minds Matter, brought 300+ students and staff together for education, reflection, and community care.
Beyond his campus, Merritt has contributed in a variety of ways, always displaying authenticity and integrity. He is currently the chair-elect for ACUHO-I’s Mid-Level Leadership Institute after spending three years as a consultant-in-residence. He has presented at the ACUHO-I One Institute and at Campus Home. LIVE!, written for the SEAHO Report and ACUHO-I Talking Stick, and serves on the Higher Education Consortium’s Inclusion, Equity, and Engagement Committee.
Wimer Alberto has dedicated his career to supporting campus housing programs and the students who count on them. That began by holding positions within the housing departments at Utica College, Binghamton University, and Arizona State University. In 2017, though, his career path took him to a position with GradGuard where he is now vice president for industry relations and, as he describes it, “protects students and families from these unexpected events that can derail their education.”
Whether on campus or as an industry partner, Alberto has been a long-standing supporter of the ACUHO-I Foundation, offering his time, talent, and treasure. His professional contributions have earned him the respect of colleagues and admission to the ACUHO-I Foundation of Excellence.
Through the years, few individuals have better epitomized the value of partnerships between housing departments and their corporate partners than Diane Cline. Since 1988, Cline worked with colleges and universities providing laundry equipment for residence halls and apartments, eventually retiring as a regional manager for CSC Service Works. During that time, she focused on far more than sales, proudly supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts and embodying that spirit with her words and actions.
Additionally, Cline was a long-term member of the ACUHO-I Foundation, where she served on several committees, including those focused on the silent auction, corporate relations, and major gifts. She was also a generous contributor to multiple campaigns along with being a two-time Individual Major Donor. Of her work, her admirers noted that her “enthusiasm and ability to engage the youngest and most senior housing professional resulted in joyful givers.” These traits led to her being named the recipient of the Outstanding Corporate Friend Award in 2015.