INSTITUTE FEATURES

• Dynamic curriculum focused on identifying the complexities facing higher education and the student affairs profession and providing the resources to effect positive change.
• A highly interactive and engaging learning environment including individual and group activities, panels, presentations, case studies and small and large group discussions.
• A cohort model supports personal and professional transformation and connections with colleagues after the Institute.
• In depth discussions and reflections facilitated through mentor groups.
• Each year a reception is hosted at the ACPA Annual Convention for all past participants

INSTITUTE FACULTY

Monique C. Atherley

Senior Program Analyst and Policy Specialist, Center for Racial and Social Justice
The National Education Association

Monique C. Atherley, Ed.D. (She/They) is an accomplished administrator, educational activist, and equity trainer with almost 20 years of building pipelines and creating access across P-20 education and their partners. They have served the community through education via K-12, Community Based Organizations, Higher Education entities. She has had a dynamic and indelible on the ground career amplifying the important intersection of community in bridging the gap for student success. 

Raised and trained by the World’s Borough (Queens, NY) – they are a child of immigrants who is committed to the protection & joy of Black & Brown bodies and to work that supports the liberation of marginalized communities. She positions herself in spaces supporting these groups thriving, not just surviving. She has worked in three major public educational systems in New York State as staff, trainer, and faculty (in the areas of human relations – a humanistic view of human resources and personnel operations, organizational development, and generational engagement from the lens of aging and adulthood). She has chaired and executed numerous scholarship, recognition, and affinity efforts locally and nationally. She has also been a part of the Urban League movement since 2011 as a Young Professional, affiliate staff member of the New York Urban League (NYUL), and a National Urban League (NUL) Emerging Leader. Acknowledging educational equity as the Justice issue it is – Monique believes that the quality of experience participants partake in is paramount; and focuses her praxis & pedagogy on empowering, informing, exposing, & preparing folx for realities and opportunities that will help revolutionize their existence. They are a staunch advocate for the wellness and well being of professionals and faculty in education. Dr. Atherley is an emerging scholar, whose research interests include Equity and Racial Justice in Education, Student and Professional Transitions, Caribbeans in Higher Education, connecting across the African Diaspora, Employee Engagement and Sense of Belonging of educational professional staff, The Multigenerational Workplace, and Support for Caregivers in the Workplace. Her dissertation research focused on the visibility and belonging of marginalized groups in the workplace, specifically Black Women Mid-Level Professionals in HESA. 

Professionally, they serve educators across the country through their work at the National Education Association (NEA), in their Center for Racial and Social Justice (CRSJ) as a Senior Program Analyst and Policy Specialist in the Human and Civil Rights (HCR) department.

Joan Collier

Assistant Vice President for Learning & Engagement
Rutgers University

Joan Collier, PhD (she/her) is the assistant vice president for learning and engagement at Rutgers University. Her work equips leaders to cultivate inclusive climates, provides creative ways for students, staff, and faculty to build their capacity to engage productively across differences, and leverages institutional data to develop and maintain metrics of accountability toward inclusion. Dr. Collier is an Affiliate member of the Ph.D. in Higher Education program faculty in the Graduate School of Education at Rutgers-New Brunswick. She is an alumna of Georgia State University (BBA) and the University of Georgia (M.Ed., Ph.D.).

Craig Elliott

Acting Dean of Faculty, The Center for Leadership Development

Registration Information

Registrants are encouraged, but not required, to register for both the Master’s Student Conference and the Grad Connections Program.

Membership Rate Agreement
In order to qualify for member rates for the Donna M. Bourassa Mid-level Management Institute, membership with ACPA must be valid through 31 January 2026. You must have your own individual membership. ACPA Members who purchase a Donna M. Bourassa Mid-level Management Institute Registration understand their membership needs to be active through 31 January 2026. If it is not active prior to the start of the Donna M. Bourassa Mid-level Management Institute you will not be provided with your Donna M. Bourassa Mid-level Management Institute Event credential unless you renew your membership or pay the difference between the non-member and member registration cost.

Payment and Cancellation Policy
Registrations can be paid by check, VISA, MasterCard, Discover or American Express. All fees must be prepaid. Purchase orders are not accepted. Refunds will be given for cancellations received by 5 December 2025. Cancellations must be sent to info@acpa.nche.edu. After 5 December 2025, there are no refunds. ACPA reserves the right to charge a service fee of US $50 for returned checks. Registrations are non-transferable. The institute may be canceled or postponed due to insufficient enrollment or other unforeseen circumstances. In these cases the fees will be fully refunded; however ACPA will not be responsible for other additional costs or expense, including cancelation/change charges assessed by airline and/or travel agencies.