Mamta Accapadi

Vice Provost for University Life
University of Pennsylvania
She, Her, Hers

Mamta Accapadi is a partner and a mother first. She is grateful to be in a head and heart space where her daughter challenges and affirms her sense of purpose every day.  

In her professional role, Mamta serves as the Vice President of Student Affairs at Rollins College.  She finds inspiration in working at a liberal arts college where student affairs is central to the facilitation of a liberal education for its students.  Prior to Rollins College, Mamta  worked at Oregon State University as the Dean of Student Life, and as facilitator of the College Student Services Administration program, where she also served as faculty.  In prior roles, Mamta worked in Multicultural Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin, and has held faculty appointments in Ethnic Studies, Education, and Women’s Studies.  

Mamta received her Ph.D. in higher education administration from the University of Texas at Austin, and she served as a postdoctoral fellow in Women’s Studies at the University of Houston. She also holds a M.Ed. in higher education administration and B.A. in microbiology, both from the University of Texas at Austin.

Mamta is deeply grateful for the opportunities she has been offered to champion social justice education efforts, and commit to mentorship of under-represented communities.  She has served as a consultant, written curriculum, and worked with universities and companies on inclusion of different constituency groups. She is thankful to the faculty of the Social Justice Training Institution (SJTI) for inviting her to serve as a guest faculty of the institute.  She has worked to advance Asian American/Pacific Islander/Desi American inclusion through the API knowledge community at NASPA, the API Caucus at NCORE, and the Gates Foundation as a long-time reader for the GMS scholarship read.  This past year, she also served as faculty of the Dungy Leadership Institute for the NASPA Undergraduate Fellows Program, and is the current chair of the NUFP Board.  She is the recent recipient of the Zenobia Hikes Memorial Award from the NASPA Center for Women, and the Doris Michiko Ching “Shattering the Glass Ceiling” Award from the NASPA API Knowledge Community.  

Craig Elliott

Assistant Vice President of Enrollment and Student Services and Assistant Professor
Samuel Merritt University
He, Him, His

Dr. Craig Elliott has worked in student affairs for over 25 years, and currently serves as the Assistant Vice President of Enrollment and Student Services and Assistant Professor at Samuel Merritt University in Oakland, CA. He helps lead the student engagement and success efforts at the University
 
Craig is currently serving as President of ACPA-College Student Educators International and leading the organization in its efforts to boldly transform higher education. He previously served as President of the California College Personnel Association from 1999-2001, chaired the Inclusion Task Force for ACPA in 2002, served on the national convention planning teams (2002 and 2013), and served on the Foundation Board. He has also served in a variety of leadership capacities in NASPA, NCORE and WACUHO. Craig is also a Social Justice Training Institute alumnus, serves on the faculty with Student SJTI, is a Co-Lead Facilitator for the LeaderShape Institute, and is on the board of World Trust.
 
Craig is also a trainer, consultant, and speaker on diversity, leadership, and social justice with over fifteen years of experience.  Craig’s research interests explore white caucus work, feminism and masculinity, the intersection of Transformative Learning and Social Justice work, inclusion and equity, institutional change, and dismantling white supremacy.  Craig is part of the editorial collective for Rad Dad, a zine on feminist and social justice parenting, which has published three anthologies. He has also contributed chapters on feminism, fathering, co-authored an article on the transformative nature of medical missions, and an article on institutional barriers to inclusion and equity.
 
Craig recently co-wrote a book with Robert Brown and Shruti Desai entitled Identity-Conscious Supervision in Student Affairs: Building Relationships and Transforming Systems. It is published by Routledge.
 
Craig also serves in his local community in scouting, soccer. He is married to Nicole (over 22 years) and is father to Jackson and Thomas, and loves soccer, music, time with his family, and really good, strong coffee.

Anat LevtovAnat Levtov

Director of Global Experiences and Academic Advisor
University of Iowa
She, Her, Hers

Anat Levtov currently serves as the Director of Global Experiences and Academic Advisor in the College of Engineering at the University of Iowa.  Anat grew up as a “Third Culture Kid”, living around the world in Panama, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Israel, and Italy.  She first came to the United States as an international student to attend Dartmouth College, where she studied anthropology and psychology as an undergraduate.  Her fascination with cultures and learning led her to a career in higher education, including professional experiences in the U.S. and abroad in residence life, admissions, and international student services.  In all of her positions, she has focused on collaborating with faculty and staff across campus to create an environment that supports learning inside and outside the classroom.

Anat has a master’s degree in Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration from the University of Vermont, as well as a master’s degree in Higher Education with a focus on Research, Evaluation, and Assessment from the University of Michigan.  As a graduate student at Michigan, she was part of the qualitative research team for the Wabash National Study of Liberal Arts Education (WNSLAE), conducting hundreds of student interviews on campuses across the country.  She has presented at various regional and national conferences on appreciative supervision, assessment, academic partnerships, and transitions for new professionals.  Lately, she has been intrigued by the concept of growth mindset, and she has provided trainings on this concept to peer advisors, tutors, and professionals on her campus. 

Anat currently lives in Iowa City with her partner, a faculty member at the University of Iowa’s College of Education, and her two dogs.

Rosie Perez headshotRosemary (Rosie) Perez

Associate Professor, Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education
University of Michigan
She, Her, Hers

Dr. Rosemary (Rosie) Perez is an Associate Professor in the Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education at the University of Michigan. Before joining the faculty at Michigan, she was an Assistant Professor and Division Head of Higher Education in the School of Education at Iowa State University (ISU). 

Rosie’s teaching, research, and praxis have strongly been shaped by her experiences as second generation, middle class, Filipina American who was raised and educated in predominantly White environments in the east side suburbs of Cleveland, OH. Her work has also been influenced by her prior educational and work experiences. Rosie earned her B.S. in Biological Sciences with an additional major in Psychology at the Carnegie Mellon University and her M.Ed. in Higher Education and Student Affairs at The University of Vermont. She worked in housing and residence life at the University of San Francisco and American University before earning her Ph.D. in Higher Education from the University of Michigan.  

Collectively, these experiences have informed Rosie’s multidisciplinary approach to studying college student learning and development. Across her program of research, Rosie explores the dynamic interactions between people and their environments, the tensions between structure and agency, and how power, privilege, and oppression affect individuals and groups within higher education. Her work has been published in venues such as the Journal of College Student Development, Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, Journal of Higher Education, and The Review of Higher Education. Rosie contributions to her communities of practice have recognized both locally and nationally. She received the 2016 ISU Multicultural Student Affairs Faculty/Staff Change Agent Award and the 2019 ISU College of Human Sciences Early Achievement in Teaching Award. She was also recognized as the 2014-2016 CWI Emerging Scholar in Residence, was a member of the 2017-2019 ACPA Emerging Scholars Cohort and was a 2020 ACPA Diamond Honoree. 

Rosie also takes great pride in being a mother scholar and wife. She loves exercising, drinking coffee, listening to music, watching all the baking shows on Netflix, and watching sports.

Angela D. Simmons

Vice Chancellor for Student Development 
University of South Carolina Beaufort
She, Her, Hers

Angela Simmons serves as Vice Chancellor for Student Development at the University of South Carolina Beaufort. She began in this role in December 2019 and is responsible for co-curricular and student success initiatives, programs, and support at the university. As a first-generation college student, Angela feels lucky to work in student affairs because it provides an opportunity to support students as they learn about self and others. It is her belief that the true goal of an education is to teach students to think critically, care deeply, and work with others to meet societal needs.
 
Prior to joining USCB as the Vice Chancellor for Student Development, Angela has served in a number of leadership roles including Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs at Virginia Tech, Director of Student Conduct at Virginia Tech, Director of the Center for Student Involvement and Leadership at Millersville University in Pennsylvania, Assistant Dean and Director of Greek Life at Florida State University, and Assistant Director of Student Activities at the University of West Georgia.
 
Angela has a bachelor’s degree in educational psychology and a master’s degree in counselor education with a concentration in student affairs, both from Mississippi State University. She has a doctor of education degree in higher education from Florida State University. In her spare time, Angela can be found reading a book, sitting on a beach, or Googling to support her curiosity habit.