Vernon A. Wall
2020-2021

eighty-first ACPA President

Vernon Wall served as the eighty-first president (2020-2021) of ACPA-College Student Educators International. His goals during his presidency were centered around collaboration among student affairs practitioners, creating and maintaining energy, and caring during unprecedented times.

With over thirty years of student affairs experience in functional areas like Greek Life, new student orientation, university housing, student activities, and leadership development, Vernon Wall can speak firsthand on the impact that student affairs functional areas and associations like ACPA have on scholar-practitioners in the field. A graduate of North Carolina State University and Indiana University, Vernon focuses on areas of social justice and leadership, serving as the Chief of Staff at LeaderShape, Inc, and President and Founder of One Better World, LLC – a consulting firm specializing in engaging others in courageous social justice and equity conversations.

Vernon’s involvement with ACPA began when he was a graduate student at Indiana University where he attended his first ACPA convention. Quickly after, he became a Directorate member of the Commission for Faculty & Graduate Programs (Commission XII at the time) and a member of the National Careers in Student Affairs Week Executive Committee. As he rose quickly through other ACPA positions, including the Executive Committee for the Sexuality & Gender Identities Coalition and Commission for Student Involvement, Vernon had a strong impact on those around him and had considered pursuing the ACPA President position for a while.

Vernon assumed the role of ACPA president during the peak of the COVID-19 Pandemic in 2020. He is proud of his ability to take on this role during a time of immense change and challenges, and had several initiatives he wanted to accomplish during this time. He stated that “During this time, student affairs professionals needed time to grieve and be away from their campuses.” Amidst mass transitions to virtual spaces, Vernon’s goal as president was to connect and unite ACPA members and provide a space for members to stay connected while being away. He states that because of his presidency, alongside the leadership of the International Office and Governing Board, “ACPA offered a reprieve and a home for people during the COVID-19 Pandemic.” He looks back fondly on the energy he and his convention chair, Bernie Liang, were able to create during the 2021 convention – ACPA’s first ever virtual convention – utilizing online meeting spaces like chat rooms to share concerns, make new connections, and keep attendees in touch and viewing the association as impactful.

Acknowledging the need for the association to remain accessible for all individuals, Vernon constantly centered the impact on association members and accessibility to them in all conversations regarding new policies or statements. He strove to reject accessibility becoming a passive idea, and fought for it to be at the forefront of all conversations as they were first discussed.

Reflecting on his presidency, Vernon states that the role made him who he is today. He learned the importance of leading in times of struggle, and how to remain focused on the goals and aspirations of the association even during unprecedented and challenging times. The most important thing he learned, however, that he takes with him in his future roles, is the importance of collaboration. Vernon states that during his presidency and during times of immense struggle, he could not have done it alone. Leaning heavily on association members and the leadership team, he views his presidency in a positive light because of the collaboration and empathy he gained for student affairs roles across the world.

When asked to describe the impact that ACPA has had on him in one word, Vernon states, “It’s Home.” Getting involved in ACPA during his graduate school experience and through his journey in other associations, Vernon found immense belonging and community in ACPA. In his roles today, he utilizes the skills and connections that ACPA gave to him and uses his presidency as a catalyst for the leadership development and collaboration skills in his interactions with others.