Mid-Level Community of Practice Leadership

Nikki Laird

Past Chair

Assistant Vice President for Henderson Housing, Community Standards, and Division Strategy
Henderson University
lairdn@hsu.edu

Dr. Nikki Laird is the Assistant Vice President for Henderson Housing, Community Standards, and Division Strategy at Henderson State University. She oversees all aspects of student housing and student behavior on campus. She also works with other departments in the Division of Student Affairs and Student Success on assessment and special projects. Nikki has worked in college housing from coast to coast and earned her B.A. in English at Duke University, her M.Ed. in Higher Education Administration at the University of Texas at Austin, and her Ph.D. in College Student Affairs Administration at the University of Georgia.  In her "free" time, she enjoys knitting, watching sports, and eating tacos with friends.

Lisa M. Lockman

Chair

Assistant Director of Student Staff Selection
University of Kentucky
lisa.lockman@uky.edu

Lisa Lockman (she/her/hers) grew up as an Army brat (she moved 8 times before graduating high school) which served as a solid foundation for a career in Student Affairs.  Serving in various residence life positions for the past 24 years, she has been an Assistant Director with the Office of Residence Life at the University of Kentucky since 2004.  She has a B.A. from Hope College in German and a M.S. in College Student Personnel from Miami University.  In her current position she coordinates the selection processes for various staff positions in her department, teaches UK 101 and serves on the University of Kentucky Staff Senate. In her spare time she likes to read, walking, Genealogy, spending time with her family and driving her daugther to ballet 4 times a week.

Alex Matiash

Chair Elect

Resident Services Manager
University of Oregon
amatiash@uoregon.edu

Alex Matiash currently serves as Chair-Elect of the Mid-Level Community of Practice after serving three years on the Graduate Students and New Professionals Community of Practice Directorate board for three years. He currently serves as the Resident Services Manager at the University of Oregon where he focuses on service centers, conferences, summer housing, break transitions, relocations and more.  His professional interests include generation z in the workplace and staff recruitment and selection.  

Josh Kinchen

Directorate Member

Associate Director for LGBTQ Resources
George Mason University
jkinchen@gmu.edu

Josh Kinchen is currently the Associate Director for LGBTQ Resources at George Mason University. He previously worked at Florida State University as a Student Program Coordinator, working directly with the Allies & Safe Zones program and the Pride Student Union. He graduated twice from the University of North Carolina Wilmington with a M.Ed. in Higher Education and B.A. in Communication Studies. A proud first-generation college graduate, he also holds an Associate’s degree from Cape Fear Community College. Prior to his career in higher education, Josh served in the United States Marine Corps.

Dale O'Neill

Directorate Member

Director, Student Life and Ministry
Loyola University New Orleans
dmoneill@loyno.edu

Dale O'Neill, PhD currently serves as the Director of Student Life and Ministry at Loyola University New Orleans. O’Neill oversees all areas of student life including: leadership development, Greek Life, university programming, social justice initiatives, immersion and volunteer programs, campus recreation, new student programs, commuter services and 110+ student organizations. She also facilities management of the Danna Student Center and various campus partnerships, such as university vending, bookstore, and ATMs. This past year, Student Affairs went through a re-organization process, placing Student Ministry under O’Neill’s purview under the Department of Student Life. Dale received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Master of Arts degree in Higher Education Administration from Saint Louis University. She completed her doctoral degree in Educational Administration at the University of New Orleans. She holds leadership positions in various professional organizations, including past Chair of ACPA’s Coalition on (Dis)ability, Past President of the Louisiana College and University Personnel Administrators, Past Coordinator of the National Association of Campus Activities' Huge Leadership Weekend.

Jose Marroquin

Directorate Member

Director for Student Affairs for the School of Nursing
Loyola University Chicago
jmarroquin@luc.edu

Jose Marroquin is currently the Director of Student Affairs for School of Nursing at Loyola University Chicago, He previously worked at Roosevelt University Chicago as the Director of Student Involvement, working directly with the RU Student Government Association and the University Programming Board. Jose graduated from with an M.A. in Student Affairs in Higher Education from Ball State University. Moreover, he obtained his B.S. from Western Illinois University. He has been a proud member ACPA for nearly a decade and has been involved in the ACPA Latinx Network , Commission for Student Involvement, and the Commission for Commuter Students & Adult Learners.

Angie Montelongo

Directorate Member

Director Orientation and New Student Programs
University of Houston-Clear Lake
Montelongo@UHCL.edu

Angie Montelongo currently serves as the Director of Orientation and New Student Programs at the University of Houston - Clear Lake.  She has been in the field of higher education and student affairs for over 20 years and worked at various institutions in positions of residence life, student activities and orientation.  She is excited to serve on the directorate for the Mid-Level Community of Practice and looks forward to connecting with other mid-level practitioners.    

Abby Priehs

Directorate Member

Director of Residential Life
Housing & Residential Life
Cornell University 
ap725@cornell.edu

Abby Priehs worked at 5 different institutions across the country before she took her current position as  Director of Residential Life at Cornell University in May 2021. She is currently finishing her Ph.D in Higher Education Administration at Bowling Green State University. Most of her years working in higher education have been spent in housing and residence life, and she continues to love focusing on the growth and development of students and staff, as they engage in on-campus living. Abby has been a proud member of ACPA for almost 20 years and is excited to serve on the Mid-Level Community of Practice. 

Cordelia Bristol

Directorate Member

Assistant Director of Assessment for Housing and Residential Life
George Mason University 
cbristo@gmu.edu

Cordelia is the Assistant Director of Assessment in the Housing and Residential Life unit at George Mason University. Her work centers student data, experiences, and narratives in administrative decision making and continuous improvement.  She has worked in Student Affairs roles within various universities for seven years. Cordelia holds a bachelor's degree in Journalism from Arkansas State University and a master's in College Student Personnel Administration from Illinois State University.

She is a Ph.D. Student in International Education at George Mason University. Her research interests fall at the intersection of health care access and educational attainment of transgender and gender-nonconforming folks in international higher education contexts. She hopes to take her program evaluation and assessment experience combined with the research methodology education provided in her doctoral program to engage in the policy creation and evaluation space, improving transgender and gender-expansive folks' lived experience.

Rach Pozerski

Directorate Member

Assistant Director Residential Life
Northeastern University
r.pozerski@northeastern.edu 

Mx. Rach Pozerski (they/them/theirs) recently joined the MLCOP directorate board. Prior to joining, they have been involved in facilitating caucus spaces for racial justice and decolonization both at ACPA and at several of their previous institutions. Rach has been in the field of student affairs for 8 years and has worked within several functional areas including: Residential Life and housing, Student Conduct, LGBTQIA+ and multicultural affairs, Fraternity/Sorority/Independent Living Groups, Alcohol & Other Drug prevention & intervention, and sexual misconduct prevention. Rach currently serves as an Assistant Director for Residential Life at Northeastern University and primarily oversees the 1^st year student populations on campus, residential student conduct, assessment initiatives, and EDI/AR initiatives. Rach received their Masters of Science in College Student Development and Counseling from Northeastern University and their Bachelors of Science in Business Administration from Bryant University. In their spare time, they enjoy hanging out with their partner and two cats.

Kendall Peete

Directorate Member

Higher Education Program and Research Assistant
Virginia Tech University 
kkpete@vt.edu

Kendall K. Pete (he/him/his) is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Higher Education Program at Virginia Tech where. His dissertation research focuses on the career journeys of Black mid-level student affairs administrators. He recently joined the MLCOP directorate board. Prior to joining, he has been involved in convention planning as a co-caucusing coordinator (ACPA20) and advocacy coordinator (ACPA21). In his limited spare time, Kendall enjoys cooking, music, and good conversation.

Pete has more than thirteen years of progressive experience as a student affairs professional, having served as the Interim Director for the Center for Diversity and Inclusion at Radford University, Assistant Director for Residence Life at Virginia Tech, and prior to that, Associate Director for Residence Life and Academic Initiatives at Norfolk State University. Kendall is excited to serve on the directorate for the Mid-Level Community of Practice and looks forward to connecting with other mid-level practitioners.