Donna A. Lee
2016-2017
seventy-seventh ACPA President
Donna A. Lee served as the seventy-seventh president (2016-2017) of ACPA-College Student Educators International. Her presidency was characterized by an immense transformation to the values that ACPA centers today, including the implementation of racial justice and decolonization initiatives in daily practices, and the re-energization of the association as a resource for professionals around the world. Donna’s presidency marks a clear point in ACPA’s initiatives that are still used today, making her presidency a key factor in the advancement and success the association has experienced.
With several years of experience in a variety of student affairs positions and functional areas, and a graduate from both the University of Tampa (B.A) and Boston University (M.Ed), Donna brings a wide array of expertise regarding diversity, leadership, organizational development, and community engagement to the association and centers these values in the work that she does. Working with associations like the National Conference for Community Justice, the Anti-Defamation League, and the Human Rights Council allowed her to utilize best practices in her role as seventy-seventh president.
Donna started her involvement with pre-convention workshops, fostering meaningful connections with seasoned association professionals. During these pre-conventions, she was asked to co-coordinate the Next Gen Convention in Baltimore, Maryland, alongside Peter Magolda. This experience served as a catalyst for her future involvement, where professionals saw her as an invaluable resource and trusted person to give advice and pave the way for association advancement, including in a role on the ACPA Governing Board as Director of External Relations. Tapped specifically for this position, Donna was exposed to the background of association leadership and the brilliant thinkers that make the association function.
However, Donna never had the opportunity to fulfill her position, as her potential was quickly realized, and she was encouraged to run for President. Getting this call, Donna felt a huge sense of leadership and responsibility, thinking of the experience as an honor. After dedicating time to understanding leadership structures, listening to entities, and gathering feedback from others, she knew that she wanted to center connectedness and value in each of her interactions and engagements throughout her time as President. At the time, there was a lack of shared understanding for who ACPA was, what role it played in student affairs practitioners’ lives, and how leaders were understood in organizational structure.
After a full immersion during a retreat with the current Governing Board, Donna shifted her focus to racial justice, eventually evolving into decolonization recognition and initiatives. As President, she faced tough conversations regarding the importance of the topic and emphasized the need to have both formal and informal conversations throughout her time as President. Through these conversations, ACPA moved towards the shared goal it operates under today. During her presidency, ACPA saw a rise in Leaders of Color, a re-energization of focuses on the association, and a rise in younger professionals stepping into leadership roles.
Reflecting on her presidency, Donna states that the roles she played in senior student affairs positions prepared her for the skills and resilience it would take to be ACPA President. Having a level of knowledge surrounding organizational management and structure, she was able to refocus ACPA by managing groups and keeping them inspired and motivated. Donna was committed to keeping groups engaged, even in times between major ACPA-associated events. Through her presidency, connection and engagement flourished and members felt more appreciated in their interactions with each other.
When asked to think about what ACPA means to her, Donna emphasizes the immense transformation and community that occurred. Each of her interactions were based in love – love for the work she was doing, love for the students in a student affairs practitioners’ world, and love for the advancement of the association holistically. Because of Donna’s leadership, love is a driving factor in the work that the association does and the mission, vision, and values that ACPA utilizes today are based on the leadership that Donna demonstrated during ACPA’s seventy-seventh president.