Plenary Presenter
Kevin Kruger, PhD
President, National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA)
An accomplished speaker, leader, and educator, Kevin Kruger has been associate executive director of NASPA since 1995, and became its first executive-level president March 15, 2012. In his capacity as a national advocate for students and the primary spokesperson for student affairs administrators and practitioners, he draws on more than 30 years of experience in higher education.
Closing Plenary Presenter
Rochelle Smith, MS
Vice President of the Division for Diversity and Innovative Community Engagement, Saint Louis University
Rochelle D. Smith, M.S., (she/her) is the second vice president of DICE. She is an accomplished diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practitioner and senior-level administrator in higher education, with more than 24 years of experience. Smith earned her Master of Science degree in health behavior research from Washington University School of Medicine, a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Chicago State University, and certification in executive leadership from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.
Presenters
Callista Isabelle
Director, Religious, Spiritual & Ethical Life, Student Affairs
Reverend Callista Isabelle, Director for Religious, Spiritual and Ethical Life, leads interfaith programming and provides spiritual support to the WashU community. Callista earned her Master of Divinity degree from Yale Divinity School and is an ordained pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Previously, Callista served as College Chaplain at Muhlenberg College and Associate University Chaplain at Yale University. She loves hiking with her puppies, and is committed to learning how to pause.
Aaron Keen
Head Football Coach, Athletics and Recreation, Divison of Student Affairs
Aaron Keen was announced as the Washington University in St. Louis football head coach on Jan. 6, 2020. Keen is a 1994 WashU graduate and former assistant coach.
Keen is the 31st football coach in program history. He replaces Larry Kindbom, who retired after 31 seasons.
Keen arrives on the Danforth Campus after the spending the past six seasons at Eastern Michigan University. He served as the team’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach the last three seasons. Prior to taking over the offense, he was the Eagles special teams coordinator and tight ends coach for three years.
Renaldo Luna Gacad
Associate Director, Student Transitions & Family Programs, Student Affairs
Renaldo serves as the associate director of Student Transitions & Family Programs
supporting student transitions and focusing primarily on the development of student
leadership initiatives and programming. Renaldo oversees the student employee
programs in Student Transitions & Family Programs including the student executive
board, Washington University Student Associates (WUSAs), Transfer & Exchange
Student Mentors (TXSMs), and Second-Year Student Associates (2SAs).
Julia Macias, PhD
Associate Dean, Office of Scholar Programs, Division of Student Affairs
Dr. Julia Macias serves as Associate Dean of the Office of Scholar Programs, home of the university’s signature merit scholars programs: the Danforth Scholars Program, the Ervin Scholars Program and directing the Rodriguez Program. Her area of focus within Student Affairs is diversity, inclusion, equity and student support. Julia served as the Vice Chair for the Chancellor’s Commission on Diversity and Inclusion, leading to several large-scale changes including the creation of the Center for Race, Ethnicity, and Equity, and the Academy for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
Brittany McDaniel, PhD
Associate Director, Residential Education, Residential Life, Division of Student Affairs
Saint Rice Jr., EdD
Assistant Dean for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion & Director of Faculty, Staff, and Community Engagement Olin School of Business
Dr. Rice is a thought leader who intuitively incorporates servant and transformational leadership styles in his day-to-day activities. His experiential proficiencies include change management, training and development, program assessment, and intercultural pedagogy. Dr. Rice is a high-performing, collaborative, mid-level executive with over twenty (20) years of administrative management experience successfully driving regulatory and standards compliance and directing instructional programs to meet students’ and organizational needs.
Monica Black Robinson, MA
Career Development Specialist, Office of Human Resources
In her current role in Human Resources as a Career Development Professional at Washington University. She conducts training to faculty and staff and provides resources and tools to facilitate career growth. She also models the behavior to promote a warm, welcoming and respectful environment that supports multicultural understanding, commitment and engagement across academic institutions and the community-at-large.