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Schedule-at-a-Glance 

Concurrent Sessions E

CS20: Washington Update | Magic Kingdom 3
Eligible for 1.5 Specialized Knowledge CPE Credits

As we approach the 2024 presidential election, it's crucial for business officers to stay informed about potential tax-related challenges and legislative developments. We invite you to join a one-hour session with Ashley N. Jackson, the Director of Government Affairs at NACUBO, who will offer valuable insights into the current political landscape and key legislative and regulatory updates.

In this session, Ashley will discuss the most pressing legislative issues, recent regulatory final rules, and what we can expect as Congress gears up for election day. This is a unique opportunity to understand the implications of these developments for your business office.

Learning Objectives

  • Identify and describe key legislative issues and recent regulatory changes relevant to business operations during the 2024 election year. 
  • Assess potential effects of new regulatory rules being implemented in July 2024 and list impacts of rules on practicies and strategies. 
  • Create strategic responses addressing anticipated legislative and regulatory changes.
Ashley N. Jackson is a seasoned professional in government affairs and policy, holding a Master’s in Business Administration and a Bachelor of Science in Legal Studies from the University of Maryland Global Campus. As the Director of Government Affairs at the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO), she leads advocacy efforts on Capitol Hill, focused on shaping policies affecting business officers including higher education reauthorization and tax policy. Her expertise includes extensive work with the National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA), where she played a crucial role in securing funding for significant research projects and managed critical legislative initiatives. Recognized as a 2020 Association Leading Lobbyist, Jackson's career is marked by her ability to analyze complex regulatory environments, strategize effectively, and cultivate strong partnerships. Her commitment to advocacy and program management has led to meaningful policy advancements and organizational successes in her field.

 

CS21: Positive Vibes: Inspiring Healthy Team Culture While Promoting Employee Retention Through Organizational Socialization and Onboarding | Magic Kingdom 2
Eligible for 1.5 Personnel/Human Resources CPE Credits

Employee socialization and effective onboarding are vital components of success in institutions of higher education. This session will equip attendees with the knowledge and tools needed to excel in these areas, ultimately enhancing the overall retention, employee satisfaction, performance, and resilience of their team.

Learning Objectives

  • Create an onboarding toolkit tailored to promote socialization and accelerate employee integration and engagement. 
  • Discover strategies and best practices to create and maintain positive team culture. 
  • Identify techniques to promote personal and professional growth.

Bonnie Taylor is the Director of Finance and Administration for Online, Distance and Continuing Education (ODCE) at the University of Arizona. She is responsible for leading the financial and administrative operations of the division. Bonnie has been working with the University of Arizona since 2010 and has played a vital role in the growth and development of Arizona Online. She is an alumnus of the University of Arizona, receiving her BA in Anthropology in 2006. Bonnie also holds a MS in Liberal Studies from the University of Oklahoma and a Master of Public Administration from Northern Arizona University. She is great at building and strengthening relationships, problem-solving, and mobilizing resources. Bonnie believes in the spirit of community and coming together through shared values. Since 2020, Bonnie has organized and led two community events, the Murph Challenge and Remember the Arizona, aimed at supporting veteran and military-connected students on campus and connecting them with the greater Tucson community. In her free time, Bonnie loves to travel, camp, and spend time with her lively family.
Autumn Cleveland provides administrative support for Online, Distance, and Continuing Education (ODCE) at the University of Arizona. During the first 7 years of her career, she provided innovative and community-focused programming to the two largest school districts in southern Arizona through Community Extension Programs. In 2012, Autumn began her journey in higher education at the University of Arizona. For her first ten years, she built strong relationships with over 300 university departments in Facilities Management before transitioning to Online, Distance, and Continuing Education. She manages the daily activities of ODCE’s senior leadership and provides mentorship to the administrative operations team. She also leads the team with events management. Autumn loves helping people achieve their goals and is forever the department cheerleader. In her spare time, Autumn and her family love to explore and enjoy all forms of art in our community.

 

CS22: Lean Six Sigma, How Doers Get Things Done | Magic Kingdom 1
Eligible for 1.5 Business Management & Organization CPE Credits

This session will cover how utilizing Lean Six Sigma can improve operations leading to organizational cost and FTE savings. When implemented with change management strategies, adoption of this approach will allow your organization to think more innovatively and strategically.

Learning Objectives

  • Apply concepts of Lean Six Sigma in a Higher Education setting. 
  • Apply skills in problem identification and analysis within organizations.
  • Identify and define skills to apply in Root Cause Analysis (RCA).
  • Implement change within an organization utilizing Six Sigma principles. 

Jeffrey Ratje is the Sr. Associate Vice President for the division of Agriculture, Life and Veterinary Sciences, and Cooperative Extension at the University of Arizona in Tucson. His responsibilities include the financial and operational oversight of the College of Agriculture, Life and Environmental Sciences, Cooperative Extension, and Arizona Experiment Station, HR functions for 1,500 employees, legal and real estate affairs, and the strategic integration of the land grant mission, which has a physical presence in each county.

Prior to the division, Jeff held positions with UArizona's Sponsored Projects Services, Budget Office, and Rogers College of Law. He is a Flinn-Brown Civic Leadership Fellow, NACUBO Rising Star recipient, and a past gubernatorial appointee to the state's 529 college savings plan. Jeff holds an MPA in Public Finance and a BS in Business Administration from the Eller College at UArizona. He is a proud community college graduate from Eastern Arizona College.

Taylor Grogg is the Manager for the Rates and Review team for the Division of Agriculture, Life and Veterinary Sciences, and Cooperative Extension at the University of Arizona in Tucson. Her responsibilities include overseeing division-wide process improvement initiatives and working with individual business officers to streamline operations.

Prior to working in Higher Ed, Taylor held positions in the Non-profit and health sector, focusing on quality improvement, continuous process improvement, and program evaluation. She holds an MPH in Health Administration and a BS in Public Health and is a certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt.

 

CS23: Continuous Academic Program Improvement Utilizing Program Prioritization Principles | Magic Kingdom 4
Eligible for 1.5 Specialized Knowledge CPE Credits

In Fall 2022, the College of Western Idaho deployed its inaugural Program Prioritization process, developed using the framework by Robert C. Dickeson. As part of this work, the College of Western Idaho developed a data model designed to assess academic program performance against the college's Program Prioritization evaluation criteria and metrics. The presentation will discuss the development of the data model, how it is being utilized for program analysis and improvement, and how it will be utilized in the future for continuous improvement and academic program portfolio management.

Learning Objectives

  • Define relevant metrics to track academic program performance
  • Describe how these metrics can be used as a way to measure continuous improvement
  • Apply principles learned to manage the academic program portfolio at their institution

Ken Kline is Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, at the College of Western Idaho where he provides leadership in the areas of Finance, Information Technology, and Institutional Effectiveness. Ken previously served as VP and CFO at Clarkson University, AVP for Budget and Planning at Boise State University, Budget Director at Northern Kentucky University, and Business Systems and Financial Planning Manager at Cornell University. Prior to serving in higher education, Ken worked for an HCM software company and in city government. Currently residing in Boise with his wife and high schooler, Ken is proud to see his two other children pursuing higher education at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the University of Utah. Ken holds an M.B.A. from Cornell University, an M.A. in Economics from The Ohio State University, and a B.A. in Economics from Xavier University. Ken is currently focused on helping CWI deliver a B.A.S. in Business Administration for $20,000.
Alexis Malepeai-Rhodes is the Executive Director of Institutional Effectiveness at the College of Western Idaho. 

 

BP 10: Leveraging your Warehouse Footprint on Campus | Monorail
Eligible for 1.5 Specialized Knowledge CPE Credits

This workshop aims to provide attendees with a strong understanding of the different options available in leveraging their Warehouse footprint on campus.  We will discuss new warehouse equipment that will modernize your warehouse, allowing you to maximize the space available within the footprint.  We will review how this new equipment improves efficiency, accountability, and safety within the day-to-day operations of the Warehouse.  We will address the benefits of establishing relationships with vendors to allow for Just In Time ordering. The workshop will give attendees a pathway on how to reduce their physical footprint while at the same time improving efficiency and safety in the warehouse operations.

Learning Objectives

  • How to better maximize the institution's physical footprint.
  • How to improve efficiency within Inventory management.
  • How to improve safety and security within the Warehouse operations

Erik Reinold, University of Arizona, Director of Business Services, Finance Strategy & Solutions, Erik Reinold has served four years as the Director of Business Services for the Business Affairs Finance, Strategy & Solutions Department at the University of Arizona. He provides financial support to the Facilities Management department with oversight of the Procurement and Warehouse operations.Erik received his bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Scranton and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Arizona.Prior to his time at the University of Arizona he spent a 20-year career working in the Social Services Industry for a national youth organization. He spent 10 years in the field working directly with the clients he served and 10 years in administration eventually serving as the Chief Financial Officer.

Pat Fitzpatrick, McMurray Stern, Vice President of Sales & Marketing, Pat Fitzpatrick is the Vice President of Sales and Marketing for McMurray Stern based in Santa Fe Springs, CA. He has a bachelor’s degree in economics and English from Albion College in Albion, MI. He also earned an MBA in Finance and Marketing from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, CA.Pat has worked in executive positions with Dematic Corp., FANUC Robotics and Rockwell Automation. As a seasoned professional in the field of factory and warehouse automation, Pat has spent over 35 years working with organizations to unlock their full potential by incorporating new technologies into their current operations. Pat Fitzpatrick currently leads the McMurray Stern storage team and MSI-Automate automation team based in Santa Fe Springs, CA. McMurray Stern/MSI-Automate creates static and automated storage solutions that help clients achieve higher storage density by better utilizing the customer’s vertical space.

BP 11: Accommodating Student Needs and Elevating Student Satisfaction | Castle
Eligible for 1.5 Specialized Knowledge CPE Credits

Nikki Hamzaeff shares student-centric insights collected from over 70,000 responses from 18-24-year-olds currently enrolled in a college or university. Student preferences, access to global influences, the need to support mental health, and building community are all topics that students provided compelling responses to. Additionally, she’ll share a recent meal plan study on plan styles, price trends, and preferences, as well as insights into our future customers and what that means for how higher education dining must adapt in the future. These insights offer a highly relevant peek into this generation of students’ wants, needs, and valued experiences and how we can leverage that to drive revenue and financial success. learning objectives:

  1. Understand preferences and needs of today’s students
  2. Apply the knowledge learned to better accommodate students on campus
  3. Receive an Insights Report to leverage campus plans and programs

Nikki Hamzaeff serves as the Division Marketing Director for Chartwells Higher Education, which provides dining and student-focused service to over 300 campuses across the US.

In this role, Nikki focuses on supporting Chartwells’ West Division, specifically around marketing strategy, innovative solutions, revenue generation, brand and communications, an elevated student engagement approach, and more. She joined Chartwells in 2018, and has been part of Chartwells' Central Support Team which focuses on providing expertise and guidance to the field based on insights, data, and student trends and preferences.

Nikki studied Business Administration and Marketing at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo and has worked in marketing in the food and beverage industry for higher education for 15 years.

  

 

BP 12: Inspiring Action and Instilling Ownership: The Practice of Leading and Managing Others | Adventure
Eligible for 1.5 Business Management & Organization CPE Credits

Managers manage tasks. Leaders lead people. Managers have subordinates. Leaders have followers. Moving projects, initiatives, policy changes, and technology enhancements forward demands a combination of skills and sensibilities. On the one side - inspiring others to own the changes as if it’s their own and on the other, sharing and delegating the work to those who can orchestrate the change. We need both of these skills to truly be seen as effective in our roles. In this session you will learn how to bring emotional intelligence to your leadership style along with tactical skills to manage your team with decisive and clear direction. Gone are the days of being the singular leader on the hill with all the answers and ideas. In these days, it’s about giving up control and elevating others success.

  • Utilize strategies to bring humility and the power declarations to move initiatives forward 
  • Give up control and delegate with greater ease to bring greater effectiveness to our roles.
  • Build a culture where people feel valued in their contribution while holding them accountable to bringing their best selves to work.

Howard Teibel leads Teibel Education Consulting, focused building strong communities and empowering higher education leaders to step up and create new models that serve an emerging generation of students. Through team building, strategic planning, and their Online Leadership Programs, Teibel partners with boards, administrators, and academics to reimagine the value of a 21st-century education – the transformation of outdated practices and to authentic dialogue and a shared commitment to action. Teibel’s client roster includes the University of Colorado, the University of California, California State University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Harvard University, the University of New Mexico and many others. Howard’s podcast, Navigating Change, brings together thought leaders to explore how their innovations accelerate and positively contribute to innovation practices. Teibel consulted on the cluster-based transformation at Plymouth State University and contributed to the book Redesigning Higher Education: Systemic Integration and Cluster Based Learning with President Don Birx.

  

Guadalupe Valencia is Senior Associate Vice President for Business Affairs and Deputy Chief Financial Officer. She is responsible for many elements of conducting business at the University and works closely with leadership to manage complex projects to ensure fiscal resources properly align with the institution’s mission and vision.

Before joining UTEP, Guadalupe spent several decades serving in accounting executive leadership positions at university campuses throughout the United States including the Texas Tech Health Sciences Center at El Paso (TTUHSCEP), the University of Washington (UW), the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) and the University of Arizona (U of A). In those roles, her duties included effort reporting, fixed asset/property accounting, services centers, F&A cost rates including corresponding negotiations, human capital management, facilities/physical plant operations and resources management, police operations, budget, student business services, capital asset management, financial reporting, financial system implementations, rate studies, procurement, and payroll operations. Furthermore, as Executive Director and Associate Controller for UW, she served as the primary liaison between the University and UW’s federal cognizant agency (Cost Allocation Services). At UAA, she served a dual appointment as Chief Financial and Administrative Officer (CFAO) at the Business Enterprise Institute and the University’s Financial Services Department. In this role, she served as CFAO for the Alaska Small Business Development Center and the Alaska Center for Economic Development. Most recently she served as Chief Financial and Administrative Officer (CFAO) at the Texas Tech Health Sciences Center at El Paso (TTUHSCEP).

Guadalupe is currently President of the Western Association of College and University Business Officers (WACUBO) and serves on the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) board. She is also on the board of the local El Paso Chapter of the Association of Government Accountants. She holds a BBA and MBA in Accounting from The University of Texas at El Paso and is a Certified Government Financial Manager.

  

 

Schedule-at-a-Glance