Mar 5, 2026
Are you getting ready for the 2026 NASPA Annual Conference in Kansas City? Whether you’re a seasoned attendee or venturing out for the first time, this year’s event promises to be a transformative experience for student affairs professionals everywhere. The latest episode of the "Student Affairs Voices from the Field" podcast, hosted by Dr. Jill Creighton, dives into everything you need to know about the upcoming conference, offering behind-the-scenes insights and invaluable tips.
In this special episode, Dr. Jill Creighton is joined by Dr. Michael N. Christakis, NASPA Board Chair, and Dr. José-Luis Riera, Vice President for Student Life at the University of Delaware and the 2026 Annual Conference Chair. Together, they explore the vision and meticulous planning that goes into creating one of the most important gatherings for student affairs professionals.
Conference Focus Areas:
The conversation orbits around three core themes that will define this year’s conference:
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Elevating Student Affairs: Embracing Our Impact – Discover how the profession leverages data, technology, and AI to demonstrate tangible outcomes and meet the growing expectations of students, families, and employers.
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Focusing on People: The Heart of the Profession – After several tumultuous years in higher education, there’s a renewed emphasis on community, connection, and supporting the wellbeing of student affairs practitioners. From opening session changes to intentional networking lounges, the conference is designed with people in mind.
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Pathways to Student Success: Thriving in Higher Education – Despite shifting models, the heartbeat of student affairs remains centered on supporting student success. The conference will tackle who "owns" and contributes to this vital work as institutions continue to evolve.
Why Should You Listen?
If you’re attending the conference for the first time (along with 20% of attendees!), you’ll find actionable advice—from navigating the app to building meaningful connections, even if you’re an introvert. The episode also gives a shout-out to Kansas City’s vibrant culture, and how it will shape the conference experience, inside and outside the convention center.
Whether you want to get inspired, feel prepared, or just find the best spot for barbecue or vegetarian fare, this episode is bursting with valuable tips. Don’t miss out on hearing from the leaders who bring the conference to life and finding those nuggets of wisdom for your student affairs journey.
Tune in now and take your NASPA conference experience—from both the inside and outside—up a notch!
TRANSCRIPT
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:00:01]:
Welcome to Student Affairs Voices from the Field, the podcast where
we share your student affairs stories from fresh perspectives to
seasoned experts. Brought to you by NASPA, we curate free and
accessible professional development for higher education
professionals wherever you happen to be. This is Season 14,
continuing our conversation on the value of student affairs. I'm
Dr. Jill Creighton, she/her/hers, your SA Voices from the Field
host. Let's get ready for NASPA 2026's annual conference. Today I'm
joined by both our board chair as well as our conference chair to
tell us all about what to expect this year in Kansas City,
Missouri. If you're a first-time attendee, we also spend some time
talking about how to navigate this conference schedule that is
incredibly rich but can also be a little bit overwhelming.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:00:46]:
Our first guest is Dr. Mike Christakis, who is our NASPA board
chair, and he's also the vice president for student affairs and
enrollment at the University of Albany. We had Mike on last year
when he took the board chair seat, so if you'd like to learn more
about him and his background, I highly encourage you to go back and
listen to his episode. Our second guest is a first-timer on the
podcast, Dr. José Luis Riera, who's currently the Vice President
for Student Life at the University of Delaware and also our 2026
annual conference chair for NASPA. With over 20 years of experience
in student affairs and higher ed, José oversees a comprehensive
student affairs division whose fundamental work involves advancing
equity and inclusion, deepening student learning, and attending to
the student's holistic development. José's vision is rooted in
leading consequential student affairs work that leads to student
flourishing and student success for all students. Since arriving at
the University of Delaware in 2010, he served in several positions
within student life, including Associate Dean and Dean of
Students.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:01:38]:
He's a frequent presenter at national conferences, an active
contributor to the advancement of higher ed and student affairs,
and is a member of APLU, ACPA, and NASPA. He is currently our 2026
conference chair, and he's put a ton of work across the last 18
months to make this experience happen for us in Kansas City. He's
the author and co-creator of several articles and book reviews in
professional journals, and he's the author and co-author of
multiple book chapters focused on on the application of the social
change model. Jose began his career in higher education as a
student steeped in the liberal arts with a double major in music
and biology at Muhlenberg College. He then earned a master's degree
in student affairs and higher education from Colorado State
University and a PhD in college student personnel from the
University of Maryland, College Park. He lives in Newark, Delaware
with his wife Kate, a faculty member in human development and
family sciences at the University of Delaware, and they have 4
girls and 2 dogs. Welcome back to SA Voices, Mike.
Dr. Michael N. Christakis [00:02:30]:
Hey, it's great to be here, Jill.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:02:31]:
And Jose, first-time guest. Lovely to have you. Welcome.
Dr. José-Luis Riera [00:02:34]:
Thanks for having me. Excited to join in on this episode.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:02:37]:
We are recording just in advance of all of us descending on Kansas
City, Missouri for the annual conference. This year we are thrilled
to have Jose in the chair seat for the conference and Mike as one
of his last things to do as current NASPA board chair. So before we
get started with the preview of the conference, Mike, you've been
on the show before. Do you want to remind listeners how you got to
your current seat, both as NASPA Board Chair and at University of
Albany.
Dr. Michael N. Christakis [00:03:03]:
Sure. Thanks, Jill. Yeah, so I'm at the University at Albany in New
York State. I've been at UAlbany in my 26th year. Got to UAlbany,
as y'all might recall, as a graduate student, had a graduate
assistantship in student affairs, worked through residential life,
and then have been at the honor of serving as Vice President for
Student Affairs and Enrollment here for the last 11 years. Have
been involved with NASPA throughout most of my professional journey
here at UAlbany, serving both as Regional Director for Region 2,
co-chair of the Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Knowledge
Community. And have the pleasure now of serving as chair. And as
Jill noted, I will be concluding my chair service when the annual
conference concludes in Kansas City.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:03:38]:
Thank you. And Jose, first-time guest, your turn. How did you get
to your current seat, both at Delaware as well as in the conference
chairship?
Dr. José-Luis Riera [00:03:46]:
Yeah, so I'll take on Delaware first. I've been at the University
of Delaware since 2010, so just past 15 years here. And most of my
earlier career was in residence life and housing and in student
conduct work and spent 4 years at the University of Maryland
College Park prior to coming here at Delaware, but came as the
Associate Dean of Students, served as the Dean of Students here,
and was very fortunate to be able to compete for the Vice President
position. So I've been in that position formally since 2018. And
then NASPA has always been central to my professional development.
I would say most of my service has been in helping to contribute
around professional development programs, most recently working on
the faculty and then directing, co-directing the Institute for
folks who are aspiring to be vice presidents of student affairs,
which was a really fun opportunity for me. And then I was very
fortunate to have Mike call me. I think it's one of the privileges
of board chairs is to think through who they would like leading the
conference that ultimately, I think, expresses and culminates their
work at NASPA in the, in that board chair position.
Dr. José-Luis Riera [00:04:57]:
And so, yeah, it's just, it's, it's been a really, really fun ride
for 18+ months.
Dr. Michael N. Christakis [00:05:01]:
I will say, Jill, just to underscore Jose's point, it actually is
quite literally the first major decision you take on as
chair-elect. I mean, it really is like they call you to let you
know you were elected, super exciting, and less than 24 hours
later, they're like, and who's your conference chair? I'm very,
very grateful that Jose, who I'd had the opportunity to work
alongside in both NASPA and APLU circles, we're, we're both
involved with APLU, agreed to take on this.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:05:26]:
So Mike, you get elected, you say, Jose, please chair this
conference. Jose, had you been in the NASPA conference circles
before?
Dr. José-Luis Riera [00:05:34]:
So actually, yeah, I've, um, under a very different model.
Probably, I think, sometime around like 2009 or '10, I served on
the Program Selection Committee, which back then was meeting at
NASPA headquarters for a weekend with a lot of paper and going
through program reviews. So that was my foray into conference and
then volunteering along the way and doing those types of things.
But yeah.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:05:59]:
So what does the chair do? What is your job?
Dr. José-Luis Riera [00:06:02]:
Yeah, that's a great question. And I would say under Amelia's
leadership, one, that we've gotten to do two things, obviously plan
the conference, but also refine kind of the organizational monster
that is the conference. And the NASPA staff have been just
incredible partners in, in working through that. I think the chair,
and, and, and I think this is part and parcel to what drew me to
say yes, you get to really think about and set vision for with,
with the board chair around what's the conversation, that broader
conversation that you want to have during those 4 or 5 days when
you're on site. How do you build that conversation throughout the
year? How does it fit into the work that the board that year is
trying to push forward. So there are some specific things in that
way. And obviously being responsive to, I mean, the vision is to
create a really, really high quality, great professional
development experience, which I think we'll certainly get into as
we continue chatting. And so get to oversee what we call the CLC,
the Conference Leadership Committee.
Dr. José-Luis Riera [00:07:02]:
We have an incredible group of people that lead all the different
subcommittees like volunteers and engagement. We have our onsite
folks who are planning for our arrival at KC and and know all the
wonderful things about Kansas City. I don't know if this happens
for every conference and board chair and conference leadership
committee, but I mean, we've certainly fallen in love with Kansas
City. We've been there several times, likely not the most, maybe
the top conference city you think of. And yet, as we've had the
opportunity to be on the ground in the city, learn more about its
heritage, its history, it's just been awesome. So, but I think at
the, at the end of the day, it's really about what's the vision for
the conversation that we wanna hold in that place for those 4 or 5
days.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:07:44]:
I think as an as an attendee, especially if you're not volunteering
or engaging and you're maybe your first-time attendee, it's really
easy to think about the conference as something that just happens
rather than something that people spend a year working towards to
make this 4-day experience as intensive and learning-focused and
magical as it can be. So, Jose, do you want to shout out your
conference leadership team folks who have been putting in a lot of
energy outside of hours to try to make this experience meaningful?
Jose, it takes a village to create this conference experience, so
I'm wondering if you just want to give a quick shout out any of the
student affairs leaders that have been contributing their year to
planning this conference?
Dr. José-Luis Riera [00:08:22]:
Yes, absolutely. I would love to. Like I said, we have a number of
subcommittees, but we have Talia Drummer-Ferrell and Danielle
Nesselbush, and they're leading our volunteers and engagement
opportunities. Shannon Gary and Gail Cole-Event, who are leading
our extended learning sessions, which has been, I'm really excited
for. Scott Friedman and Darlene Esparza, who are leading our essay
series, which they've done a good deal of innovation there. Ryan
Gove and Molly C.S. Pearson, and they are our hosts in Kansas City
and leading a really, really exciting team who, who can't wait to
welcome you. Jeanette Smith and William Hudson, who are leading all
of our VPSA initiatives, and Mimi Benjamin, who has been working on
our faculty initiatives as well as our scholarly papers, our
posters, and other opportunities to engage in, in the literature
and the research of student affairs.
Dr. José-Luis Riera [00:09:14]:
So that's the mighty group. Right there.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:09:17]:
This year's conference has 3 focus areas. I'm wondering if you can
take us through each of those and how those focus areas played a
role in curating the programming we're about to experience.
Dr. José-Luis Riera [00:09:27]:
Yeah, absolutely. I think it's been really fun to sit down. You
start working on these focus areas about 18 months before the
conference. And so if you can think of what has shifted in 18
months, both in our country here in the United States, but even in
the world, there's been quite a bit. And so you try to forecast
what are the, the big things that are gonna resonate with folks. So
first up, We have Elevating Student Affairs: Embracing Our Impact.
And there we're really thinking about the transformative role of
data in the higher education and student affairs sector, thinking
about the return on investment that families, parents, students are
looking for, employers, other constituents we have, and how to
leverage technology and of course AI, which we can certainly talk
about because that, that's gonna certainly be a feature topic for
us at the conference. The second is focusing on people, the heart
of the student affairs profession, and I I would say this theme
elevated a bit as we went through our conference planning.
Dr. José-Luis Riera [00:10:25]:
There is an incredible connection for us as we got to know Kansas
City and really identify it as the heartland of the United States.
And you see that reflected in the logo, which has the heart. And
regardless of all the changes and issues that we're dealing with,
the fun reasons we come together to see one another at the
conference, but also the very passion-driven reasons around doing
our work better, it's been been a 5, 6, 7 heavy years for our
profession. And COVID certainly contributed to that. You know, you
think about the murder of George Floyd and what happened there. We
think about all the political turmoil in our country and, and our
people are stretched, they're hurting, our budgets are constrained.
I mean, it's clear higher education is going through a contraction
period and all that brings different pressures. But what that kept
coming back for us was how to elevate people.
Dr. José-Luis Riera [00:11:13]:
And this ties into some of the agenda too of Mike's work this year
in thinking about how we start focusing more clearly on that
engagement experience for our people and that support that we have
on our local campuses. So excited about that. And we can talk more
about how you'll see that reflected in the conference. And then the
last is the pathways to student success, thriving in higher
education. I think lots of things are changing and yet, you know,
the core of who we are and what we do is driven by student success.
It always has been from the, what is it like 1937 Personnel Point
of View that was written to now, you know, student success has
always been primary for student affairs. And so those models are
shifting. Are changing on campuses.
Dr. José-Luis Riera [00:11:53]:
I think on many campuses, they're in a discovery mode. Who owns
this? Who contributes to this? What are the coalitions that produce
those outcomes that we're looking for? But it's still driven by a
desire for our students to be successful. So those are the three
really large themes that you'll see, I think, reflected throughout
many, many of our programs.
Dr. Michael N. Christakis [00:12:12]:
And if I could just also add, as José noted, we started engaging in
conversations about these elements 18 months ago, and when I was
chair-elect, when José had just gotten into the seat, and when we
were in Kansas City with the CLC for the very first time. What is
so cool about where these three themes have sort of emerged and
taken us to this point is that they all also connect pretty
explicitly to the association's new strategic plan, which I know is
not the topic of this particular pod, but will be for a subsequent
pod. But I do really, really appreciate the CLC advocating and
championing what has emerged several months later now as the
association's sort of primary drivers, which do, I think, in a lot
of ways help drive elevating student affairs, focusing on people
and what our students' pathways to student success are. So I think
that is super cool, at least from sort of my lens in terms of the
alignment.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:13:03]:
Jose, can you talk a little bit about how these three focus areas
were used to inform any of the programs that were selected or any
of our keynotes that are gonna be featured?
Dr. José-Luis Riera [00:13:14]:
Absolutely. I think the first thing I'll mention is the design of
the opening is gonna look and feel a little different, and we're
experimenting experimenting with something, and we've spent a lot
of time vetting that and thinking that through with the board, with
the CLC, with membership in general, right? Talking to folks. So we
are actually gonna start on that Sunday in regional receptions. And
that is really, I would say, paying homage to the connection that
we have with one another. We have heard for many years, it's not
the easiest conference to be a first-time attendee, of which we
have over 1,000 coming. And so what does it look like to welcome
them into smaller communities with folks who are adjacent in the
sense of a region versus a national or a global connection. And,
and so our regions and our global division will have space to be
able to gather together and, and just literally meet one another,
reconnect with one another. And then that will spill into the
opening session, which will not have a keynote during the opening
session.
Dr. José-Luis Riera [00:14:14]:
We'll really have some speakers who will frame what the
conversation will be, but it's gonna again, really be what we're
calling the KC kickoff, um, a little bit of like a tailgating theme
to it. And it's gonna be about connecting with one another. So
we'll frame the time that we have in Kansas City together, and then
we're gonna spend a lot of time in community in a larger room.
Obviously food is gonna be really important. The arts are gonna be
really important. We're gonna be pulling in elements that are near
and dear to the culture of Kansas City. So you'll see more about
that. So a lot of that was fueled on this focus on people and how
do we from the beginning center ourselves as individuals and within
communities at the conference.
Dr. José-Luis Riera [00:14:54]:
So super excited about that. We have over 635 programs 228 of those
are around student success. So obviously that's coming in strong.
Lots of folks are coming, I think, in so many different ways to
talk about student success. So you're gonna see that. I'll get back
to our keynotes and our speakers, which I'm super excited about. We
are going to hear then on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, each of those
days we'll have a keynote. Kevin McClure, who is the author of a
newly published book, The Caring University.
Dr. José-Luis Riera [00:15:23]:
Again, and really coming back to thinking about the enterprise of
the people within our profession from a systems level. That's
really what the book is about. How do we shape systems that can
help our people thrive and specifically around our people? So
really excited about that. Super excited. So one of the things that
Kansas City, beyond culture and history, it's a really large sports
town, which is really, really cool. It's not always cool with me.
I'm a Philadelphia Eagles fan. So you'll, you'll know why that's
not always cool with me, but in general, it's very cool with
me.
Dr. José-Luis Riera [00:15:55]:
But one of the incredible highlights for us has been getting to
know the organization of the KC Current, which is the women's
professional soccer team, which has the only stadium built for
women's soccer in the world in Kansas City. And it's been really
cool to go tour that, get to know a little bit more about the
organization. But their president, Raven Jemison, is gonna be
speaking to us. And I think it's gonna be a really neat opportunity
to get an outside voice into our profession, but around issues that
have so much resonance with who we are as a profession. And then
we'll close with Amelia Parnell, We were really excited as a
conference leadership committee to think about after last year and
hearing Amelia speak, think about who better to send us off back
onto our campuses and thinking about how to bring the conference
together and bring these three themes back together. I won't go
through all of them, but Mike, you might wanna talk about this
panel we're doing with other higher ed associations, cuz I think it
hits really right at both the student success piece, but also the
elevating student affairs and embracing our impact.
Dr. Michael N. Christakis [00:16:55]:
Yeah, so as we were thinking about what our annual conference would
look like in Kansas City, one element that Amelia had actually
introduced when we were together in New Orleans, because she had
invited some leaders from other higher ed associations, was how
could we maybe further integrate in a real tangible way those
leaders in our program? And as Amelia, myself, and José were
thinking through this, one of the areas was really in the
enrollment management space, which is on everybody's mind for
obvious reasons in higher education, but which student affairs has
a hand in, in a lot ways. And we were trying to make that
connection a little bit more explicit. And so we've invited leaders
from NACAC, AIR, and ACRO on a panel that I'll be moderating. And
again, in my sort of daytime job on campus, I oversee both student
affairs and enrollment. So sort of uniquely positioned to have a
conversation with panelists from those three associations. And
fortunately for us, Amelia Parnell, our president, highly regarded
in the higher ed space, was able to make those connections with
colleagues she has long worked alongside. So we'll have a featured
session that'll really get at how enrollment management is a team
sport. In fact, that's the title of it, to try to get at how we as
student affairs professionals currently have a hand and how can we
have more of a hand in how our campuses work in both recruiting and
retaining students.
Dr. Michael N. Christakis [00:18:12]:
So I'm pretty stoked about that, that panel as well.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:18:15]:
Mike, would you mind demystifying those acronyms you just threw out
for this panel?
Dr. Michael N. Christakis [00:18:18]:
Yes, yes, of course. So we'll have leadership from the National
Association of College Admission Counseling, so NACAC. We'll have
the executive director of the American Association of Collegiate
Registrars and Admissions Officers, so that's AACRO. And then we'll
have leadership from the Association of Institutional Research. So
we're really covering the span of where admission and enrollment
begins to intersect on our campuses, and we're trying to elevate
that conversation sort of nationally. Again, given the work that
we're all doing in this space, but I think also demographic cliff,
stresses around resources, where our students are coming from, who
the students are we're servicing and the like. So again, really
excited to be able to have that conversation while we're together
in Kansas City.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:18:55]:
Jose, you mentioned that there are over 1,000 first-time attendees
coming this year, which is about 20-ish percent of our overall
attendees. And I agree with the statement that if this is your
first NASPA, it can be super, super overwhelming. I know we've got
an app that has all the things in it. Even the app is a little bit
overwhelming. So what is your best advice for how to approach this
conference experience? If you're approaching it for the very first
time, and particularly if you're an introvert approaching this for
the first time?
Dr. José-Luis Riera [00:19:22]:
I'm really thankful we've started having the regions on their own
stepping out and doing some connection points for first-time
attendees before they come, which is so cool. And I, I think next
year we'll see more of that across the regions, which is just such
a great opportunity. So the first thing I would say is breathe, and
I both want to encourage first-time attendees to be thoughtful and
purposeful around what your schedule is and how you balance that
schedule so it's true to who you are. But at the same time, there's
not a way to do the conference, right? There's not the one way to
do the conference. And what I've learned certainly in my many years
of going to NASPA is that what drives me to go to the conference
has changed over time. And I'm at a stage in my career, Mike and I
have talked about this a number of times, that one of the main
driving things is seeing my colleagues and talking to them about,
are you dealing with this? Am I dealing with it? And so just know
that that's going to shift over time. So I would encourage
definitely just some time before you leave for the conference,
getting familiar with the app, there are some great ways to parse
the programming. Either it could be where you are from an identity
perspective in terms of I'm entry-level, I'm mid-level, I'm senior
level.
Dr. José-Luis Riera [00:20:31]:
It could be a functional area. You're working in leadership
development or you're working in counseling and wellbeing, whatever
it might be. And so the app really gives some ways to break it
down. And I would suggest breaking it down is really helpful
because to your point, Jill, if you look at the app and you look at
all the programs, it gets really quickly overwhelming. I don't
think you have to feel like you have to do a program every session.
What I've generally done is said, these are two programs that are
priorities for me on this day, and then I build the rest of the
schedule around that. I would leave some time to connect with
colleagues, and there's lots of receptions and mixers. And what are
the spaces? And again, this is where you might want to pace
yourself, right, based on your capacity to do that.
Dr. José-Luis Riera [00:21:12]:
And that makes sense. And plan some alone time. I mean, I will say,
Jill, I'm an extrovert. I've certainly, I would say, come a bit
more to center post-college. I was a really off-the-charts
extrovert, but I plan alone time for the conference. You have to,
you have to plan some alone time. It might be a half hour by
yourself in your room before you go out to dinner with a group, or
it might be I'm just gonna take a walk, and that's fine. So those
are some of the keys.
Dr. José-Luis Riera [00:21:36]:
One of the unique elements of a conference like NASPA is you do get
to meet people. So do plan time in for being able to have space and
energy to do that. And the fruit of that is, at least for me, it's
been incredible over the years.
Dr. Michael N. Christakis [00:21:50]:
And I I think that just to underscore Jose's points, I mean, we've
got a really rich program offering for conference attendees. You
are still in a position, particularly as a first-time attendee, to
gain invaluable experience through those informal interactions that
are not always necessarily in sessions. And so just to sort of
double down on what Jose was saying, small bites of the apple.
You're not going to make every session. You're not going to make
every reception. Do what you're able to. We've tried to be very
intentional. The conference leadership committee in focusing on our
people and prioritizing their wellbeing and engagement while
they're there.
Dr. Michael N. Christakis [00:22:25]:
And so you will note from the onset of the conference, we will be
talking about you as an individual, you as a colleague, you as a
professional. That is key. So whatever works for you at your pace
is what we're hoping you get out of your time in Kansas City.
Dr. José-Luis Riera [00:22:39]:
Just so you know, Jill, we have a number of lounges that we host,
and many of them will be in one area together with some intention
that there's kind of some shoulder rub in there. So we do have a
first-time attendee lounge I'd really encourage you to use that as
kind of a home base to meet other first-time attendees, but
there'll be other lounges right in that area of folks that you can
also meet that you may be drawn to as well.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:23:01]:
I think my advice for first-time attendees would be to pick a mix
of sessions that, one, focus on the job you're doing now, two,
focus on the job that you might want to do in the future, and
three, sessions that just are interesting to you, even if they're
not necessarily directly applicable to your current position,
because you never know where you're going to go in this field or in
this career, and especially who you might meet at the conference.
And we're kind of in this weird era where a lot of people do
business cards, but a lot of people don't. So there are ways in the
app to connect with fellow colleagues to get contact information
exchanged that doesn't have to be physically exchanging a business
card. But the best advice I got years ago is that if you do
exchange a business card, immediately write on the back of that
card why you connected with that person. So when you get back to
your campus, you're not sitting there with a stack of cards going,
I don't remember why I talked to them.
Dr. Michael N. Christakis [00:23:47]:
As an example, because I think Jill, that That is excellent advice,
particularly in the area of if you're not comfortable or familiar
with a particular area, this is an opportunity to get into a
session that will begin to broaden your own personal and
professional horizon. Artificial intelligence is an area that we've
got a plethora of sessions being presented in, and we're super
excited that we've got Claire Brady also joining us for some more
featured sessions in that space. So if AI, as an example, is an
area that you're just like, I don't know, give it a shot, take a
listen, engage a bit, and see if you can go back to your campus
with a broader perspective.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:24:18]:
About that. Earlier in our conversation, José, you said that the
Conference Leadership Committee and yourself had the opportunity to
fall in love with Kansas City. I will be one of the first to admit
when I heard we're going to KC, I went, oh, and I would like to not
be that person. I would love to be more thrilled about physically
being in the space. Most of the time is going to be spent at the
conference venue anyway. But for those moments that we get to go
out to dinner or those moments where we might have an hour or two
free, help me fall in love with KC, please.
Dr. José-Luis Riera [00:24:44]:
So I already mentioned it's a sports town, so there's lots of
sporting. You collide with it all the time. Like, you can tell
they're very committed to sporting. The Big 12 Women's NCAA
Tournament will be happening while we're in town. And so that's
kind of fun. And I think they regularly host lots of different
sporting things. Incredible heritage and legacy. And we'll actually
be working with some of this at the conference around Indigenous
peoples.
Dr. José-Luis Riera [00:25:09]:
I mean, I think it's somewhere north of 80 to 90 tribes were at
some point considered Missouri and Kansas City home. And so one of
the things we're trying to do is some place-based engagement
sessions throughout the conference and thinking about reminding
folks of the land, the labor that's behind the place where we are,
but in a way that is a thread throughout the conference versus
just, let's say, in an opening session is often traditional at
conferences. Really, really long history of African American music
in particular and art. Jazz is a big one. Blues is a big one. And
there are some really cool museums that document that. There is a
new light rail system that runs right through where the conferences
and they'll take you kind of into the heart of downtown. Kansas
City is also known as the City of Fountains.
Dr. José-Luis Riera [00:25:59]:
I can't remember how many fountains. There's not a lot of fountains
right around the conference area. So if you're looking for
fountains, that's not where, but you can take that light rail,
which is a really simple drive right down into like the shopping
district. And to your point, Jill, I think many of us enjoy
cuisine. And so that's another tip for a first-time or returning
attendee is, is to do a little bit of maybe research there's
actually quite a diverse palette of cuisine available in Kansas
City. Barbecue is what it's very well known for.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:26:29]:
I'm a vegetarian.
Dr. Michael N. Christakis [00:26:31]:
Right.
Dr. José-Luis Riera [00:26:31]:
So maybe not. But nonetheless, they do lots of fun stuff. I'm
trying to think, Mike, didn't we have, like, fried pickles or
something like that? That's vegetarian.
Dr. Michael N. Christakis [00:26:38]:
Just to sort of really fall in love with Kansas City. There's
energy when you're there. It's got sort of the Midwestern charm,
but with the big city creativity, the art, the architecture,
certainly the jazz. We really enjoyed it while we've been
there.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:26:52]:
What's one thing you want our listeners to know about upcoming
conference that we haven't talked about yet?
Dr. Michael N. Christakis [00:26:57]:
I mean, we've been very intentional with the cadence of our
featured speakers. That's by design. We were intentional in
removing sort of the, what has maybe traditionally been viewed as
the opening keynote on Sunday in favor of a more high-energy KC
kickoff, more brief speakers, really highlighting members. And, you
know, I, I would say that we're also celebrating the anniversary of
our knowledge communities. Yes. 25 years of knowledge communities
for NASPA. Which really just was very coincidental that we're
celebrating KC's in KC. But as somebody who I think both of us,
both Jose and me and others, have spent a portion of our
professional experience in NASPA with knowledge communities.
Dr. Michael N. Christakis [00:27:35]:
I mean, for me, that was my first real foray into active
association work at the national level with the Assessment,
Evaluation, and Research KC. To be able to now celebrate 2 and a
half decades of when the idea of KC's came about while we're
together. And so we will, during that opening, during the KC
kickoff, in addition to elevating our regions and our international
global members who will be there, we're going to be celebrating our
knowledge communities. And they're not all 25 years old, but they
all have a really tremendous impact on our members' experience, on
our association, I think on our profession. So that's, that's the
one thing we didn't really touch on that I would just want to
underscore.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:28:10]:
And I'll give a shout out to Dr. Betty Simmons, who is receiving
the Distinguished Pillar of the Profession this year. We had her on
the podcast last year live in New Orleans, and She is, as she
fondly calls herself, the mother of knowledge communities.
Dr. José-Luis Riera [00:28:22]:
Yes, she is.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:28:23]:
So it's a good year for all of that. Well, with all of that in
mind, I'm looking forward to seeing you both next week in Kansas
City. I've got a long flight ahead of me, and I'll be using some of
that time to look through the app and pick out sessions that I'm
interested in doing. And I also just want to say thank you to the
conference committee for acknowledging that the global attendees
need a space that's a little bit different than some of the
US-based attendees. That's something that's been kind of evolving
over the years for a long time, but it's really lovely to to know
that those of us coming from across oceans are going to have a more
dedicated place to be seen at opening. So thank you for that, Jose.
I'm going to transition us into our theme-based questions for the
season. Mike, you answered these the last time you were on, so I'll
ask folks if they would like to hear your responses to go back to
that episode.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:29:07]:
Jose, we've got 3 questions on the value of student affairs, which
is something we've been asking all of our folks that we've
interviewed in this last calendar year. And our first question is,
when you think about the value of Student Affairs, what comes to
mind first and why?
Dr. José-Luis Riera [00:29:22]:
Yeah, so honestly, I think the first thing that came to mind for me
was just thinking this morning of that simple theory that so many
of us are exposed to of challenge and support. The opportunities
that there are for us to draw students in, engage students often
around a passion area, often it's an extension perhaps of their
academic inquiry, or it could be something that's highly personal
that they are exploring, provide them opportunities to do that
within community, learn more about it, be challenged about it. And
then the other side I always think of student affairs is, is that
support side, right? We're there when maybe that leads to an
emotional corrective experience, or you're thinking about something
that you've never thought about before because of the way sometimes
our, certainly our residential campuses might put you in a very
different environment than you were at home. That to me is the
first thing I think about. Everything we think about is the
co-curriculum and the power that that has to be so significant for
students in the, in their experience.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:30:22]:
Our second question, can you share a specific story or moment when
you saw the value of student affairs come to life?
Dr. José-Luis Riera [00:30:28]:
We went through some exercises, as many divisions do, some years
ago to think about our values and our mission and our vision. And
one of the things we identified is that one of our greatest tools
for the work we do is community. And so that's what I would point
to. You know, you see example over example over example, certainly
on my campus, and I hear about this from colleagues around the way
communities play a role. So I think about, we have a Dance
Marathon. A lot of campuses have a dance marathon, and that's fresh
in my mind because I met with the leaders recently as they're
continuing to kind of embed that into the culture and the spirit of
our campus. Uh, that started in 2012 with the fraternity and
sorority getting together and having an event. It's now its own
totally independent organization.
Dr. José-Luis Riera [00:31:13]:
I mean, we literally have thousands of students involved and
engaged over the year, not just on that one day. And then I think
about all the things that go wrong with something like that and how
the students learn about it, right? So incredible financial
management that's happening in that space. I could tell you stories
about how that's been great and also at times risky. The
leadership, I mean, there's just dozens of teams that operate
within that structure. So that to me, I think about how much
community drives what we do. And it's certainly one of those
contexts that I think it's transformative for folks.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:31:46]:
And our third question, what do you think student affairs needs to
do to be better understood and better seen in today's educational
environment?
Dr. José-Luis Riera [00:31:54]:
I know, again, we're wrestling with some of this on our our own
campus. I think it's a simple and yet it's, it's complex around how
we have to push ourselves to make connections with others on
campus. I think there's a very easy entry point with faculty in
many ways, which is those faculty who might be struggling in with a
student, but they, they themselves need support in supporting the
student. And we have a role there. And I think sometimes we assume
that people understand what we do, or we assume that people
understand the resources that are available to them. And when I say
people, I mean staff, other than student affairs staff or faculty,
other, you know, from the campus. And they don't, you know, we
have, I mean, earlier in the podcast, you asked Mike to break down
acronyms. We do have a vernacular, we have a language among
ourselves, and we tend to use that quite a bit.
Dr. José-Luis Riera [00:32:44]:
And that doesn't always make sense to other people. And it's no
blame, but we have so many things going on that we don't always
think about those deliberative ways to build bridges. So to me, For
me, I think we have to get out there. We have to make
relationships. We have to force ourselves. I mean, when I think of
faculty, like pulling them into different efforts we're doing
within student affairs, and some of our divisions are probably
positioned where they can do that. You know, if you have a career
center in your division, you can do a lot of that work. You know, I
think in a, in a place like, like UAlbany where Mike has enrollment
management, you have the ability to really, we have to think about
that strategy and push into it hard.
Dr. José-Luis Riera [00:33:21]:
'Cause I think it's, it's ultimately super important for our
students and their success. That's what it's about.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:33:25]:
It's time to take a quick break and toss it over to producer Chris
to learn what's going on in the NASPA world.
Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:33:31]:
Thanks, Jill. So excited to be back in the NASPA world, and there's
a ton of things happening in NASPA. In only about a week, we're
going to be in Kansas City for the NASPA Annual Conference. I've
mentioned this in past weeks, but I want to make sure that you know
that Jill and I will be at the conference and we will be collecting
voices. We'll be collecting your voices as a way to be able to get
your take on some of the big topics of the conference, but also big
topics in regards to the themes of the conference itself and
student affairs today. There are 3 questions that we're going to be
asking people at the conference, and we're also encouraging you to
submit your own recording. And if you are going to submit a
recording not at the conference, please have these recordings in by
no later than Monday, March 16th. The 3 questions that we're asking
people to submit submit are: first, if you could rebuild student
affairs from scratch, what's one change that you would make to
impact student success? Second, how can student affairs use data
and tech to better serve the profession? Third, what does a
successful flexible work environment look like in student affairs
today and in the future? We truly hope that you will consider
sending in a response.
Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:34:49]:
And if you see Jill or I at the conference, we are going to have
our, our recorders with us and we your voice. We want to include
your voice in answering these 3 questions. So we highly encourage
you to think about your answers before you go to the conference.
And if you see us, stop us, say hi, and make sure to have your
voice recorded so that you're a part of the history of what is SA
Voices from the Field. I want to be able to offer all of you the
opportunity to be able to to answer these questions so that your
voice can be a part of some upcoming episodes. There's a couple of
ways that you can send us your recording. The easiest way is to
record yourself answering those questions right on your phone, get
an audio file, and email us the audio file at savoices@naspba.org.
You could also record a file and upload it and email us the
link.
Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:35:48]:
That's another easy way to do it. A brand new follow-up brief was
recently released on Top Issues in Student Affairs in Health,
Safety, and Wellbeing. As you read through the top issues in
student affairs in the findings from the NASPA's 2025 Top Issues in
Student Affairs, they reaffirm that health, safety, that health,
safety, and wellbeing, particularly access to basic needs, remain
foundational to student success. Institutions continue to
prioritize ensuring that students have reliable equitable access to
essentials such as food, housing, transportation, and emergency
financial support, recognizing that unmet basic needs, recognizing
that unmet basic needs directly affect persistence, learning, and
completion. This follow-up brief focuses on top issues in the area
of health, safety, and wellbeing, and it highlights how colleges
and universities are responding to needs with coordinated holistic
approaches. If you have not yet read this addendum to this
follow-up brief, I highly encourage you to do so, and you can find
it on the NASPA website. All of you know that NASPA has a
bookstore, and they have a number of books that come out every
year. A book that came out a few years ago that is still very
timely is Small and Mighty: Student Affairs at Small Colleges and
Universities.
Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:37:11]:
This book explores critical opportunities and challenges at higher
education institutions with fewer than 5,000 students. The book was
written by a diverse group of seasoned campus leaders, and it is a
comprehensive text that offers a range of topics relevant to higher
education and student affairs while providing detailed insights and
actions to take for, in support of, while providing detailed
insights and actions to take for and in support of and alongside
students at small colleges and universities. Thriving in the small
college culture requires flexibility, collaboration, and the
ability to shift rapidly within the changing environment of higher
education. This book offers thoughtful strategies and insights to
help student affairs professionals identify innovative solutions to
some of the most pressing issues facing small colleges and
universities today. If you work at a small college, or if you are
thinking about working Working at a small college, I highly
encourage you to read this book. You can find this book in the
NASPA Bookstore, in the NASPA Bookstore located at naspa.org. Also
recently, a new issue of the Journal of Student Affairs Research
and Practice came out. This Journal of Student Affairs Research and
Practice is one of the many journals that is provided to you as a
member of NASPA.
Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:38:30]:
Inside of this specific journal, the journal is looking at
innovation in Research and Scholarship. It includes a few different
articles that particularly jumped out at me this year, one called
Leadership Forged in Struggle: Higher Education, Black Men, and
Race by Spencer Dorsey and Jesse Ford, as well as Individual and
Collective Learning Through Professional Learning Communities:
Institutionalizing Student Success by Leanne Hippolyte, Ronald
Hallett, Adriana Kazar, Zoe Horwin, and Mariama Nagabi. And
finally, and finally, The Push and Pull Paradox: How Rural Transfer
Students Experience Transition as Becoming by Sanja Ardwan, Tinsley
Gilchrist, and Ryan Miller. All of these articles and more are a
part of the journal issue, which is Volume 63, Issue 1. I highly
encourage you to log in to the NASPA portal on naspa.org and check
check out all of the journals that you have, that you have the
ability to access to learn and grow in your own professional
development. Every week, we're going to be sharing some amazing
things that are happening within the association. So we are going
to be able to try and keep you up to date on everything that's
happening and allow for you to be able to get involved in different
ways because the association is as strong its members. And for all
of us, we have to find our place within the association, whether it
be getting involved with the knowledge community, giving back
within one of the, the centers or the divisions of the
association.
Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:40:07]:
And as you're doing that, it's important to be able to identify for
yourself where do you fit, where do you want to give back. Each
week we're hoping that we will share some things that might
encourage you, might allow for you to be able to get some ideas
that will provide you with an opportunity to be able to say, hey, I
see myself in that knowledge community, I see myself doing
something like that, or encourage you in other ways that allow for
you to be able to think beyond what's available right now, to offer
other things to the association, to bring your gifts your talents
to the association and to all of the members within the
association, because through doing that, all of us are stronger and
the association is better. Tune in again next week as we find out
more about what is happening in NASPA.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:41:02]:
Chris, thank you so much as always for keeping us up to date on
what's going on in and around NASPA, especially as we come up to
conference time. We have reached our lightning round segment of the
show, and because Mike has been here before, he gets a separate set
of lightning round questions from Jose. So we're gonna go with
Mike. Mike, are you ready?
Dr. Michael N. Christakis [00:41:19]:
Let's go.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:41:19]:
All right. Question 1, last time you had the opportunity to tell us
what your entrance music would be, do you want to keep it or change
it?
Dr. Michael N. Christakis [00:41:26]:
I don't even remember what it was last time, but this time I will
say, because we do have entrance music for the annual conference,
it will be Mr. Brightside. The connection there is that that is the
Buffalo Bills sort of in-stadium theme song. And as some of you
might know, I'm a pretty big Bills fan.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:41:41]:
I'm a Seahawks fan, so it was a good year for me.
Dr. Michael N. Christakis [00:41:43]:
We're all Seahawks fans this year.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:41:45]:
Fair play. Valid. Number 2, what is your undergraduate degree in,
and do How do you use it in your work now?
Dr. Michael N. Christakis [00:41:51]:
I was a double major undergrad, history and political science.
Political science, definitely, definitely. And I, I would actually
say history as well. I think they've both sort of informed how I
lead and interact with people.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:42:02]:
Number 3, your guilty pleasure TV show binge.
Dr. Michael N. Christakis [00:42:05]:
I was thinking that the other day with my, we have 3 daughters and
I basically am binging whatever they're binging at the time. And
right now it's not so much a binge, but my kids are all into The
Rookie on ABC.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:42:14]:
All right. Number 4, if anyone ever visits Albany, where's the one
place they must eat?
Dr. Michael N. Christakis [00:42:19]:
Oh, definitely in the Campus Center. Halal Shack is my favorite in
the Campus Center.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:42:22]:
Number 5, your favorite work-related podcast?
Dr. Michael N. Christakis [00:42:25]:
I really have gotten into, I don't know what the title of it is,
but Brené Brown's podcast.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:42:29]:
And number 6, your favorite not work-related podcasts?
Dr. Michael N. Christakis [00:42:32]:
One Bill's Live.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:42:33]:
Number 7, finally, any shoutouts you'd like to give, personal or
professional?
Dr. Michael N. Christakis [00:42:37]:
A shoutout to this guy, José Riera, who's been just a terrific
partner as we've been pulling the, the conference together.
Definitely did me a solid when he agreed to take this on. And to
Dr. Millie Parnell, who has been just an exceptional colleague and
leader for for our association.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:42:49]:
All right, Jose, it's your turn. Are you ready?
Dr. José-Luis Riera [00:42:52]:
I am ready.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:42:53]:
All right, question 1: If you were a conference keynote speaker,
what would your entrance music be?
Dr. José-Luis Riera [00:42:57]:
Well, my entrance music at the conference will be a Bad Bunny song.
I mean, like, how could you not do that? So maybe a little
stereotypical, but—
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:43:05]:
Number 2: When you were 5 years old, what did you want to be when
you grew up?
Dr. José-Luis Riera [00:43:09]:
I think either a doctor or like a priest. I think I messed with
both of those when I was 5.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:43:15]:
Number 3: Who's your most influential professional mentor?
Dr. José-Luis Riera [00:43:18]:
I have a lot, so I'm really fortunate. Mary Beckwith I'm going to
go with, she just retired from UMass Dartmouth, and she is the
reason I'm in the field. She helped me see that this was a
professional thing I could do, gave me a list of grad schools, and
stayed in touch with me as I launched.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:43:33]:
Number 4, your essential student affairs read.
Dr. José-Luis Riera [00:43:36]:
So Radical Candor is a book that has totally changed the way I
think about things. So I would, I would go with that. If you're
going to be in management in student affairs, you should read
that.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:43:45]:
I'm using that one to teach supervision right now. Number 5, the
best TV show you've been binging lately.
Dr. José-Luis Riera [00:43:50]:
So it's funny, I am by proxy I'm currently binging Rookie because
it's always on with my 13-year-old daughter. So that's very
affirming to hear, Mike. High Potential is a Hulu series that we've
been watching, and I just restarted, you know, Scrubs was
relaunched and we have really good memories of watching it. And so
far it's good.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:44:08]:
Number 6, the podcast you spent the most hours listening to in the
last year.
Dr. José-Luis Riera [00:44:11]:
It's probably Adam Grant's podcast around rethinking.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:44:16]:
And finally, number 7, any shoutouts you'd like to give, personal
or professional?
Dr. José-Luis Riera [00:44:20]:
I think Mike would say this too. Our families are huge enabling
factor here when you do this, this work, particularly above and
beyond your campus. Certainly my colleagues, I want to shout out my
team here at Delaware. They have filled in a lot during this year
when I've been, my mind's been elsewhere. And then I would echo
right back, you know, I think the conference leadership committee,
I think Mike's leadership, Amelia's partnership, all just critical.
It's been really great.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:44:46]:
If anyone would like to reach you after the show, either digitally
or at the conference, how can they find you?
Dr. José-Luis Riera [00:44:51]:
LinkedIn is definitely the best way for me, and I would invite you
to connect with me and or stop me Somewhere around the conference,
would love to chat.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:44:58]:
Mike, how about you?
Dr. Michael N. Christakis [00:44:59]:
Same. LinkedIn is, is always safe. Instagram, VPSA, Mike Vostakis,
uh, or just at the conference. Would love to interact with you
while we're together in Kansas City if you're there.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:45:07]:
Thank you both so much for all of your work leading up to this
experience and for so much for sharing your voices with us
today.
Dr. José-Luis Riera [00:45:12]:
Thank you, Jill. Appreciate it.
Dr. Michael N. Christakis [00:45:14]:
Thanks, Jill. Appreciate it.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:45:20]:
This has been an episode of SA Voices. This is From the Field,
brought to you by NASPA. This show is made possible because of you,
the listeners. We continue to be so grateful that you choose to
spend your time with us. If you'd like to reach the show, you can
email us at savoices@naspa.org or find me on LinkedIn by searching
for Dr. Jill L. Creighton. We welcome your feedback and your topic
and guest suggestions always.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:45:42]:
We'd love it if you take a moment to tell a colleague about the
show and leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts, Podcasts,
Spotify, or wherever you're listening now. It really does help
other student affairs professionals find the show and helps us to
become more visible in the larger podcasting community. This
episode was produced and hosted by Dr. Jill Creighton. That's me.
Produced and audio engineered by Dr. Chris Lewis. Special thanks to
the University of Michigan Flint for your support as we create this
project.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:46:08]:
Catch you next time.