5 Fridays // 14, 21, 28 June, 2024, 12, 19 July 2024
3:00-5:00pm ET

Approximately 30% of ACPA members currently identify as entry-level professionals with 1-3 years of experience in student affairs work. ACPA created the Phyllis L. Mable Emerging Leaders Institute (previously the New Professionals Institute) to support the development of emerging leaders as they collectively serve thousands of students on a daily basis. This Institute includes several mentoring opportunities and one-on-one interactions with several of today’s leaders in higher education and student affairs as resident faculty and small group facilitators.

This institute is named in honor of Ms. Mable, a highly respected educator and leader in student affairs for the past four decades. She served as Vice President for Student Affairs at Longwood University (Virginia), and Executive Director of the Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education. Phyllis Mable served as ACPA President from 1979-80.

Join ACPA for this virtual learning event on 5 Fridays, 14, 21, 28 June, 2024, 12, 19 July 2024 from 3:00 – 5:00pm ET (12:00pm – 2:00pm PT)

FEATURES

• Curriculum focused on identifying & addressing the complexities facing emerging leaders in higher education and student affairs
• Highly interactive learning environment including presentations, case studies, discussions, and small group activities

Sessions dedicated to personal and professional development in the following areas:

schedule

• Session 1 Embracing Your Journey as an Emerging Leader 
• Session 2: Understanding Campus Culture & Community: Challenges for Emerging Leaders
• Session 3: Building Coalitions & Cultivating a Network 
• Session 4: Strategic Leadership and Sustainable Changemaking for Emerging Leaders 
• Session 5: Action Planning for Ongoing Leadership Development

FACULTY

Dan Cantiller

he, him, his // Decision Support Analyst, Toronto Metropolitan University

Dan has worked in Canadian post-secondary student affairs for 14 years at universities in Ontario and British Columbia. For the past 10+ years, Dan has been working at Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University). With previous experience in Housing & Residence Life, academic learning and transition support, and academic advising, Dan currently works as a Decision Support Analyst for the Office of the Dean at the Ted Rogers School of Management at TMU. 

Dan completed his Master of Education in Post-Secondary Studies from Memorial University of Newfoundland, an Hon.BSc in Ecology and Psychology from the University of Toronto, and an associate diploma (ARCT) in Piano Performance from the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. He holds certificates in Indigenous Knowledges & Experiences from the Chang School of Continuing Education (TMU), Culturally Inclusive Education from Humber College, and Student Affairs and Services from Seneca College.

Dan serves as the Vice-President & Director of Production with Forte – Toronto Gay Men’s Chorus, and was recently a Director-at-Large with the Canadian Association of College and University Student Services (CACUSS), co-chairing the Knowledge Sharing and Resource Development Committee. At TMU, Dan is co-chair of the Positive Space Faculty & Staff Network, and supports the steering committee of the Asian Faculty & Staff Network. He can be found on Medium, Instagram and Twitter @DanCanThinks.

Josh Kinchen

he, ze // Director, LGBTQ+ Resources Center, George Mason University

Josh Kinchen (he/ze) currently serves as the Director of the LGBTQ+ Resources Center at George Mason University. He has also worked at Florida State University and the University of North Carolina Wilmington. 

Josh has been an active member of ACPA since 2012! He is currently the Practitioner-in-Residence for the Coalition of Sexuality and Gender Identities (CSGI) and previously held a role on the Directorate of the Mid-Level Community of Practice (MLCOP). Josh has also proudly served on the Phyllis C. Mable Emerging Leaders Insititute team since 2021.

Josh is a United States Marine Corps veteran, who served as an Intelligence Specialist during the early 2000s. Informed by this experience, he completed a Master’s thesis focused on the experiences of LGBTQ+ student veterans, subsequently published in the Journal of Veterans Studies. Since 2020, Josh has served as principal investigator and practitioner-scholar on a research team focused on LGBTQ+ student veterans and cadets. Look for this research published in a familiar academic journal! 

Josh originally hails from Slidell, Louisiana (just north of New Orleans on I-10). As a first-generation, contemporary, and lower-income student, born into a working-class/poor family, he held several full-time roles after the Marines and prior to his career in student affairs (several held concurrently while a full-time undergraduate student). These industries included restaurant/hospitality management, telecommunications, direct sales, catering, and event coordination. Josh earned an M.Ed. in Higher Education, a B.A. in Communication Studies from the University of North Carolina Wilmington, and an A.A. from Cape Fear Community College. Josh also completed the Certified Student Affairs Educator (CSAEd) credential. He is an avid comic book collector/reader (for the past 30 years!), loves a good Kindle/Audible Whisper-Sync read/listen, and enjoys traveling to visit his bestie networks in Baltimore and Philly! Josh and his partner Denise, along with their feline furbabies Dingy and Monkey call Northern Virginia home.

Danielle Morgan Acosta

she, her, hers // Associate Dean of Students, Clark University

Danielle is an active leader in ACPA, her professional home for almost 20 years, iin which she served as President in 2021-2022. Originally from California, she is passionate about leadership, equity, the student experience, cooking, coffee, the ocean, exploring new places, eating local, and taking her dog on walks around Worcester.

nicole whitner

she, her, hers // Assistant Vice President and Dean of Students, University of San Diego

Dr. Nicole Whitner (she/her) serves as the Assistant Vice President and Dean of Students at the University of San Diego and is happy to call ACPA her professional home. Having served as an entity leader and on the ACPA Governing Board, Nicole is excited to join the ELI faculty as part of her next chapter in ACPA engagement and leadership. 

In addition to her work with ACPA, Nicole has experience in academic advising, admissions, conduct, crisis management, diversity, equity & inclusion, housing & residential life, leadership development, retention, title ix, and more. She is passionate about advocating for and developing more sustainable approaches to our work as practitioners. 

Nicole earned her Doctor of Education in Organizational Change and Leadership from the University of Southern California, where she studied how the work of staff outside of student affairs impacts underrepresented student retention. She earned a Master of Science in Higher Education Leadership from Capella University and a Bachelor in Architecture from the University of California, Berkeley.

Registration Rates

Registrations can be paid by check, VISA, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express. All fees must be prepaid. Purchase orders are not accepted. Checks should be received 7 days prior to the event. Refunds will be given for cancellations, received in writing at ACPA by 10 May 2024. After 10 May 2024, there are no refunds.  A processing fee of US $50 per registration will be charged for credit cards declined or to change payment methods after the initial payment is processed. The conference may be canceled or postponed due to insufficient enrollment or other unforeseen circumstances. In this case, the fees will be fully refunded; however, ACPA will not be responsible for other additional costs, charges or expenses, including cancellation/change charges assessed by airlines and/or travel agencies.