ACPA LEADERSHIP COUNCIL

boldly transforming higher education

The ACPA Leadership Council is charged with managing the property, business and affairs of the Association in accordance with the Bylaws and the purposes of the Association. The Leadership Council formulates and approves policies as are necessary to conduct the affairs of the Association, reviews, formulates, and promotes the mission, vision, core values, and strategic plans of the Association, and engages in advocacy and otherwise seeks to advance the interests of the Association.

Over time, the governance structure of ACPA has been called various names, most recently as the Executive Council, Governing Board (2007-2024), and is today known as the ACPA Leadership Council (2024-?). The intentions of the Leadership Council structure was put in place to:

  • Expand leadership opportunities, while also strengthening clarity of roles and responsibilities for each position
  • Reduce time commitments required of various leadership positions
  • Redistribute and align workload among volunteer leader positions to support efficiencies, job responsibilities, role satisfaction, and opportunities for collaboration
  • Increase flexibility in positioning leaders according to their roles and skill sets
  • Intentionally focus roles on key association activities such as strategic initiatives, volunteer leadership, equity & inclusion, membership, racial justice, decolonization, and universal design
  • Work toward further decolonizing association structures
  • Align decision-making bodies in ways that support transparency, honor role-specific expertise, and clarify scope of work.

Meeting minutes of Leadership Council meetings/decisions are made publicly available to members on this webpage by clicking the button below.

Past Leadership Council Meeting Minutes

Meet the Leadership Council

Jonathan McElderry

Jonathan McElderry

President

he/him

Kelvin Rutledge

Kelvin Rutledge

President-Elect

he/him

Stephen John Quaye

Stephen John Quaye

Past President

he/him

Justin Schwendeman-Curtis
Justin Schwendeman-Curtis

Leadership Council Administrator

he/him

Shetina M. Jones

Shetina M. Jones

Vice President, Equity & Inclusion

she/her

Gudrun Nyunt

Gudrun Nyunt

Vice President, Membership

she/her
RJ Cottrell

RJ Cottrell

Vice President-Elect, Membership

he/him

Alan Acosta

Alan Acosta

Vice President, Strategic Initiatives

he/him

Amanda Mollet

Amanda Mollet

Vice President, Volunteer Leadership

she/her
Becki Elkins

Becki Elkins

Vice President-Elect, Volunteer Leadership

she/her

Aja Holmes

Aja Holmes

ACPA26 Convention Chair

she/her

Jasmyne Channel

Jasmyne Channel

Chair, Awards & Recognition

she/her
Kellie M. Dixon

Kellie M. Dixon

Chair, Assessment & Innovation

she/her

George McClellan

George McClellan

Chair, Decolonization Strategies

he/him
Nicholas Lamar Wright

Nicholas Lamar Wright

Chair, Racial Justice Strategies

he/him

Da'Shaun Scott

Da'Shaun Scott

Chair, Member Recruitment

he/him

Bernie Liang

Bernie Liang

Chair, Member Retention

he/him
Karol Martinez

Karol Martinez

Chair, Professional Development

they/them

Nicole Whitner

Nicole Whitner

Chair, Nominations & Elections

she/her

Ray Plaza

Ray Plaza

Chair, Public Policy & Governmental Affairs

he/him
Zak Foste

Zak Foste

Chair, Research & Scholarship

he/him

Mike Kutnak

Mike Kutnak

Chair, Universal Design Strategies

he/him

Leonard Taylor Jr.

Leonard Taylor Jr.

Chair, Publications

he/him

Christopher Ambrose

Christopher Ambrose

Coordinator, Chapters & Divisions

he/him

Olajiwon McCadney

Olajiwon McCadney

Coordinator, Coalitions & Networks

he/they

Yuan Zhou

Yuan Zhou

Coordinator, Commissions

she/her
Gabby Dixon

Gabby Dixon

Coordinator-Elect, Commissions

she/her

Tye Wesley

Tye Wesley

Coordinator, Communities of Practice

she/her

Mattea Carveiro

Mattea Carveiro

Member-at-Large

she/her
Keresha Larmond

Keresha Larmond

Member-at-Large

she/her

Marc A. Lo

Marc A. Lo

Member-at-Large

he/him
Eugene Parker III

Eugene Parker III

Member-at-Large

he/him

Anika Patel

Anika Patel

Member-at-Large

she/her

Rosemary J. Perez

Rosemary J. Perez

Member-at-Large

she/her

Kendall K. Pete

Kendall K. Pete

Member-at-Large

he/him
Shaina Philpot

Shaina Philpot

Member-at-Large

she/her

Working Councils

Administrative Council

Jonathan McElderry–Chair
Alan Acosta
RJ Cottrell
Becki Elkins
Tricia Fechter Gates
Shetina Jones
Amanda Mollet
Chris Moody
Gudrun Nyunt
Kelvin Rutledge
Justin Schwendeman-Curtis
Stephen John Quaye

Awards & Recognition Council

Jasmyne Channel – Chair
Fred Dillard
Becki Elkins
Brian Hercliff-Proffer
Bernie Liang
Marc Lo
Lisa Lockman
Amanda Mollet
Eugene Parker III

Bylaws & Policy Council

Kelvin Rutledge – Chair
Anika Patel
Rosemary Perez
Tricia Fechter Gates

Equity & Inclusion Council

Shetina Jones – Chair
Summer Bledsoe
Elsin Haskollar
Brian Hercliff-Proffer
Adriel Hiton
Bill Huff
Mike Kutnak
Bernie Liang
Karol Martinez
George McClellan
Kendall Pete
Shaina Philpot
Nicholas Lamar Wright

 

Nominations & Elections Council

Nicole Whitner-Chair
Alan Acosta
Mattea Carveiro
RJ Cottrell
Becki Elkins
Shetina Jones
Keresha Larmond
Amanda Mollet
Gudrun Nyunt
Chris Moody
Stephen John Quaye

Strategic Initiatives Council

Alan Acosta–Chair
Tim Arth
RJ Cottrell
Kellie Dixon
Nick Fahnders
Zak Foste
Aaron George
Aja Holmes
Mike Kutnak
Bernie Liang
Hilary Lichterman
Sam Lim
Karol Martinez
George McClellan
Gudrun Nyunt
Raymond Plaza
Da’Shaun Scott
Leonard Taylor Jr.
Nicholas Lamar Wright

Training & Development Council

Amanda Mollet – Chair
Christopher Ambrose
Gabby Dixon
Sarah Garner
Karol Martinez
Olajiwon McCadney
Lynne Miller
Dale O’Neill
Darius Robinson
Gary Santos Mendoza
Justin Schwendeman-Curtis
Da’Shaun Scott
Julie Townley
Yasas Vithanage
Tye Wesley
Yuan Zhou

A brief summary of the ACPA Leadership Council

Understanding the Position Structure

To begin understanding the various positions, it is likely helpful to consider the roles by types:

President/President-Elect

The President is the senior elected officer of the Association and is responsible for guiding the Leadership Council and the Administrative Council in the stewardship of the Association. The President assumes the role after being elected by the ACPA membership and serving a term as President-Elect, both of which are voting members of the Leadership Council and the Administrative Council.

Vice Presidents

There are four Vice Presidents who are voting members of the Leadership Council, Administrative Council, and various other governance working councils. The Vice Presidents provide strategic leadership and support for assigned functional areas of the Association (Equity & Inclusion, Membership, Strategic Initiatives, or Volunteer Leadership).

Leadership Council Administrator

The Leadership Council Administrator is an ex-officio, non-voting member of the Leadership Council and the Administrative Council who shall oversee a process for keeping the minutes of all meetings of the Leadership Council, the Administrative Council, and the Annual Business Meeting including all votes and resolutions adopted and shall maintain appropriate records. The Leadership Council Administrator shall oversee the process for issuing notices of all meetings, filing of all reports required by governmental authorities, and performing such other administrative functions and duties as the Leadership Council may from time to time prescribe.

Chairs

Chair positions provide functional oversight of critical and strategic areas of association interest and opportunity and will populate many of the working councils. At full implementation of the new Leadership Council, the specific functional Chair roles will be: the Annual Convention Chair, Assessment & Innovation Chair, Awards & Recognition Chair, Decolonization Strategies Chair, Member Recruitment Chair, Member Retention Chair, Nominations & Elections Chair, Professional Development Chair, Public Policy & Government Affairs Chair, Publications Chair, Racial Justice Strategies Chair, Research & Scholarship Chair, and University Design Strategies Chair.

Coordinators

The Coordinator(s) is a member of the ACPA Leadership Council in providing leadership and guidance to the 1) ACPA Coalitions and Networks, 2) Commissions, 3) Communities of Practice, and 4) Chapters and Divisions. Each Coordinator represents one of these entities of the Association and each of these entity types will have one Coordinator on the Leadership Council.

Members-at-Large

The Member(s)-at-Large is an elected member of the ACPA Leadership Council intended to represent a perspective of a particular audience among the ACPA membership (i.e. Entry Level, Mid-Level, Senior Level, Faculty, and International/Non-US). For Phase 1 implementation of the new Leadership Council, there will be six Members-at-Large. After full implementation of the new Leadership Council, there will be eight Members-at-Large.
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Click here for all position descriptions, including term lengths & eligibility requirements
Generally, the new Leadership Council model accounts for varying abilities to serve in a volunteer role across several years:
1-year positions:

  • Leadership Council Administrator (appointed)
  • Past President (appointed)

2-year positions:

  • President/President-Elect (elected)
  • Chairs (appointed; do not have an “elect” year before beginning role)
  • Member-at-Large (elected; do not have an “elect” year before beginning role)
3-year positions:

  • Vice-Presidents (elected; first year is an “elect” year, and last 2 years are in role)
  • Coordinators (3 are elected, 1 is appointed; first year is an “elect” year, and last 2 years are in role)

Visual Representation

draft of the new leadership councilA graphic representation (draft) of the new Leadership Council model is available by clicking the image.

In this new model and graphic, the inner circle reflects all positions available on the Leadership Council, clustered by similarity of functions, areas of focus, and expertise, and the outer ring indicates the various working councils that will support and advance the authorities and work of the Association on behalf of the full Leadership Council. Leadership Council officers largely populate the various Working Councils, but some are open to general ACPA members seeking to be involved in these specific ways to support the work of the Association.

The various volunteer roles on the Leadership Council have different position responsibilities, term lengths, eligibility requirements, and selection processes and timelines. Not all Leadership Council positions will be available in each selection cycle to provide for continuity of leadership across years of service.

 

getting to know the structure in more detail

Why did the ACPA governance model change in 2023/2024?
Throughout our nearly 100 year history, ACPA College Student Educators International has constantly evolved its structure to meet the needs of our membership. Our previous governance model served us well for over a decade. While this recent change is substantial, as recently as 2019, we have added additional voting seats to the ACPA Governing Board. In light of recent changes in association involvement patterns after the pandemic, ACPA leadership charged a task force to address new needs and provide more sustainable opportunities for involvement. In addition, our new governance model more closely aligns with our desire to decolonize our structure.
How is the Leadership Council different from the previous Governing Board?
The Governing Board model included 17 voting positions and 1 non-voting, ex-officio position. The new Leadership Council model will include 33 voting positions and 3 non-voting, ex-officio positions. All position descriptions have been written or re-written to provide enhanced clarity of roles and responsibilities.

Previous Governing Board Model Current Leadership Council Model
President President and President-Elect
Vice President (President-Elect) 4 Vice Presidents: Equity & Inclusion, Membership, Strategic Initiatives, and Volunteer Leadership
Past President Past President
5 Assembly Coordinators: Coalitions & Networks, Commissions, Communities of Practice, International Divisions & Members, State & Regional Chapters 4 Coordinators: Coordinator of Chapters & Divisions, Coordinator of Coalitions & Networks, Coordinator of Commissions, Coordinator of Communities of Practice
5 Directors: Equity & Inclusion, External Relations, Membership Development, Professional Development, Research & Scholarship 13 Chairs: Annual Convention Chair, Assessment & Innovation Chair, Awards & Recognition Chair, Decolonization Strategies Chair, Member Recruitment Chair, Member Retention Chair, Nominations & Elections Chair, Professional Development Chair, Public Policy & Government Relations Chair, Publications Chair, Racial Justice Strategies Chair, Research & Scholarship Chair, Universal Design Strategies Chair
4 Members-at-Large: Entry Level, Mid-Level, Senior Level, Faculty 8 Members-at-Large, including at least one in each category: International, Entry-Level, Mid-Level, Senior-Level, and Faculty
Executive Director (non-voting; ex-officio) Leadership Council Administrator (non-voting; ex-officio)
Executive Director and Deputy Executive Director (non-voting; ex-officio)
17 total voting officers 33 total voting officers
How does the Leadership Council model redistribute and align workload among volunteer leader positions?
The Leadership Council model creates an Administrative Council in place of the previous Presidential Trio to expand the number of positions making financial, personnel, and legal decisions beyond the three Presidents to include the 4 new Vice President roles. None of the 4 Vice President roles become the President, only the President-Elect does. The new model also creates a new non-voting position, the Leadership Council Administrator, to increase communication about decision-making amongst leaders and structures.

The new Leadership Council model increases the number of voting positions previously on the Governing Board from 17 to 33 voting positions. It also introduces 6 new Working Councils in place of 11 Governing Board Committees. Thus, the new model reduces the number of individual assignments by creating more leadership roles participating in a smaller number of Working Councils.

The new model reduces the overall number of meetings for Leadership Council members by reducing the frequency of most meetings from occurring every month to occurring every two months.

Councils Members Meeting Frequency
Administrative Council
Centralize fiduciary authorities previously held by the Governing Board; Consolidate prior Governing Board committees, Audit & Finance, and Personnel Committees; Address the management, financial and legal needs of ACPA		 President, President-Elect, 4 Vice Presidents, Past President, Leadership Council Administrator (non-voting), Executive Director (non-voting), Deputy Executive Director (non-voting) Monthly
Leadership Council
Oversee Association mission, values, and vision; Annual budget approval; Bylaws oversight; Standard Operating Procedures and Leadership Manual Changes; Leadership nominations and elections processes; Appointments to vacancies		 Administrative Council + 4 Coordinators, 13 Chairs, 8 Members-at-Large, Next Annual Convention Chair (non-voting) Every 2 months

 

Working Councils Working Council Lead Meeting Frequency
Awards & Recognition Council Awards & Recognition Chair Every 2 months
Bylaws & Policies Council President-Elect
Equity & Inclusion Council VP Equity & Inclusion
Nominations & Elections Council Nominations & Elections Chair
Strategic Initiatives Council VP Strategic Initiatives
Training & Development Council VP Volunteer Leadership
How does the new Leadership Council model work toward further decolonizing association structures?
The Leadership Council model introduces three new Chair positions to guide the Association’s work and transformation: Chairs of Decolonization Strategies, Racial Justice Strategies, and Universal Design Strategies. The new model also articulates and distributes decision-making and other authorities across various sub-councils, emphasizes interdependence and collaboration, and invites a Past President of the President’s choosing to serve as a guide and mentor.
Where can I learn more about this model and Leadership Council involvement opportunities?
There are several ways to learn more about Leadership Council Involvement and interact with current leaders:

Latest News & UpdatES

Resources & Information

Meeting Minutes
Bylaws
ACPa Annual Reports
Naming Guidelines
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