NASPA 2025 Program Book_Updated 3.13.25_Spreads

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

XXXXXXX KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

MONDAY KEYNOTE SESSION: PRESIDENTS’ PANEL Monday, March 17, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Join Akirah Bradley-Armstrong, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Success, University of California, Santa Cruz and the 2025 NASPA Annual Conference Chair, for a conversation about the current challenges of leading an institution while ensuring that student success remains central to the institutional mission.

SPONSORED BY

MODERATOR: Akirah Bradley-Armstrong, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Success, University of California, Santa Cruz

LORI S. WHITE President, DePauw University

DWAUN J. WARMACK President, Clafin University

Lori S. White is the 21st President of DePauw University. She is the first female and the first person of color to serve as the President of DePauw. Dr. White has spent over 40 years working in higher education. Prior to her arrival at Washington University she served as the vice president for student affairs and clinical professor of education at Southern Methodist University, and has also worked at the University of Southern California, Stanford, Georgetown and San Diego State Universities, and University of California, Irvine. She earned an undergraduate degree in psychology and English from the University of California, Berkeley and a Ph.D. from Stanford University in education administration and policy analysis with emphasis in higher education. She also participated in Harvard University’s Management and Leadership in Education Program. Dr. White is active nationally in several higher education organizations and has served on the Board of Directors for the Association for Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) and for the NASPA Foundation. In 2009 she was named a Pillar of the Profession by NASPA, and served as the chair of the NASPA Board of Directors in 2016-2017.

Dr. Dwaun J. Warmack began his tenure as the ninth president of Claflin University on August 1, 2019, joining the pantheon of distinguished leaders of the first historically black college or university in South Carolina. Prior to his current appointment, Dr. Warmack served as president of Harris-Stowe State University for five years, and has more than 20 years of progressive administrative experience in higher education at five distinct institutions. Dr. Warmack is a scholar-practitioner and possesses a wealth of experience in program design, faculty, student development, assessment and accreditation. Dr. Warmack was appointed as Chairman of the Missouri Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Statewide Commission in 2015 and served as Chairman for four years. He previously served on the boards of the Cortex Innovation Community, the Saint Louis Science Center, the St. Louis Regional Chamber, St. Louis Muny, the Greater St. Louis Area Council Boy Scouts of America and Millennium Leadership Initiative Executive Steering Committee. Other past board memberships include the United Way of Greater St. Louis, Southern Association for College Student Affairs (SACSA) Foundation, and the Alumni Board of Directors for Delta State University. Dr. Warmack earned a bachelor’s degree in education and master’s degree in sociology from Delta State University. He earned his doctorate in educational leadership with a specialization in higher education from Union University in Jackson, Tennessee, and his post-doctoral studies in educational leadership at Harvard University School of Education.

LEAH BARRETT President, Northeast Community College

RICHARD WALKER President, University of Houston-Clear Lake Richard Walker joined University of Houston-Clear Lake as its sixth president on May 20, 2022, bringing over 40 years of leadership experience in higher education at both public and private institutions. Recognized as a 2016 Pillar of the Profession by the NASPA, Walker's dedication to higher education is evident in his administrative achievements and active involvement in various professional and honor societies. Prior to his current role, Walker served as vice chancellor for student affairs and enrollment services for the University of Houston System and vice president for student affairs and enrollment services at the University of Houston. Walker received his Ed.D. in Higher Education Leadership from the University of Miami. He earned a Specialist in Education in Education Administration and Supervision from Middle Tennessee State University, a Master of Education in Education Administration and Supervision from Memphis State University, and a Bachelor of Science in History from Middle Tennessee State University. He is also a graduate of the Harvard Institute for Higher Education Management Development Program.

Since January 2020, Wyoming native Dr. Leah A. Barrett has served as the president of Northeast Community College. Barrett is very active in her state serving as the President of Nebraska Statewide Workforce and Education Reporting System, as a commissioner on the Nebraska Information Technology Commission, and on the board for the Nebraska Diplomats. Outside of the state she is on the board of directors for the Rural Community College Association and the NASPA Foundation Board. Prior to leading Northeast, she served as the vice president for student affairs at the Northern Wyoming Community College District. Barrett also served as the associate vice president for enrollment management and student affairs at SUNY Brockport and in college union and student affairs leadership at Boise State University. Her formative years in higher education included time at Valparaiso University, Arizona State University, and the University of Wyoming. Barrett holds a Doctor of Education in executive leadership from St. John Fisher College in Rochester, NY and earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business administration from the University of Wyoming.

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2025 NASPA Annual Conference

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