Current Leadership Team

Dr. Vasti Torres, Editor
Indiana University

Dr. Vasti Torres is excited to return to working on the Journal of College Student Development editorial team, as she was Associate Editor of the publication from 2008-2015. Vasti is also an ACPA Past President (2007-2008) and was the first Latina to be elected to the role of president in any national student affairs association. She is a prior recipient of the ACPA Contribution to Knowledge Award, ACPA Foundation Diamond Honoree, and a previous Senior Scholar in the Association.

Dr. Torres serves as a faculty member in the School of Education at Indiana University and is the Vice President for the Postsecondary Division (Division J) of the American Educational Research Association. As a scholar, her research focuses broadly on the success of underrepresented students in higher education and she is known for her work on how the identity development of Latinx students can influence their college experience.

Dr. Jay Garvey, Executive Associate Editor and Research in Brief
University of Vermont

Dr. Jason C. Garvey is the Friedman-Hipps Green and Gold Professor of Education and Program Coordinator for the Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration Program at the University of Vermont. Jay identifies as a quantitative queer, navigating the borders of postpositivistic survey design, quantitative methods and critical/poststructural queerness. Jay’s research examines student affairs and college classroom contexts primarily using quantitative methods, with particular attention to uplifting queer and trans collegians. His approach to scholarship and professional practice is rooted in positive affect and love, recognizing the grounding and uplifting role of emotions and relationships in higher education.

Dr. Ebelia Hernandez, Associate Editor for International Public Scholarship
Rutgers University

Ebelia Hernández is an Associate Professor in the Educational Psychology department at Rutgers University. Her areas of research include examining the interconnections between Latinx student engagement and development, and the use of critical theories in research. Dr. Hernández has published in the areas of student development, history of Latinx student activism, student engagement, and the use of Critical Race Theory in research design and theory development. She earned her Ph.D. in Higher Education and Student Affairs at Indiana University.

Dr. Sherry K. Watt, Associate Editor for Book Reviews
University of Iowa

Sherry K. Watt is a Professor in the Higher Education and Student Affairs program at the University of Iowa in the Department of Educational Policy and Leadership Studies. Dr. Watt has been at the University of Iowa since 2000 and previously she worked as an assistant professor in Student Affairs at Radford University. Dr. Watt is the author and editor of Designing Transformative Multicultural Initiatives: Theoretical Foundations, Practical Applications and Facilitator Considerations (2015). This book includes a rearticulation of the 2007 Privileged Identity Exploration (PIE) Model. This area of research explores various reactions people have to difficult dialogues related to social issues.  Dr. Watt has over 25 years of experience in designing and leading educational experiences that involve strategies to engage participants in dialogue that is meaningful, passionate, and self-awakening.

Larry Locke, Publication Coordinator
Indiana University

Larry Locke will begin his first-year in the Higher Education Ph.D. program at Indiana University this fall. For the past nine years, Larry has been a full-time generalist practitioner working in or supervising nine functional areas at a variety of institution types. Most recently he served as Interim Assistant Director of the Prevention, Outreach, and Education Department at Michigan State University.