2025 Assessment Institute Featured Speakers
Plenary Keynote and Panel
Plenary Keynote Speaker
-
Dwaun J. Warmack, President, Claflin University
Plenary Moderator
- Stephen P. Hundley, Professor of Organizational Leadership; Founding Executive Director, Center for Leading Improvements in Higher Education; Chair, Assessment Institute in Indianapolis; Executive Editor, Assessment Update; and Host, Leading Improvements in Higher Education, Indiana University Indianapolis
Panelists
- Catherine Chan, Assistant Vice Provost for High Impact Practices, University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Renée Delgado-Riley, President, Student Affairs Assessment Leaders (SAAL); and Director, Assessment and Research, Division of Student Life, University of Oregon
- Kate Drezek McConnell, Vice President for Curricular and Pedagogical Innovation and Executive Director of VALUE, American Association of Colleges & Universities (AAC&U)
- David J. Russomanno, Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, University of Memphis
- Dwaun J. Warmack, President, Claflin University
Thematic Keynote Sessions
In addition to the plenary keynote and panel, the Assessment Institute in Indianapolis will offer 10 hour-long thematic keynote sessions—5 on Monday and 5 on Tuesday—addressing contemporary higher education issues related to:
- Engaged Learning
- Inclusive Environments
- Innovative Instruction
- Strategic Directions
- Student Success
Below are the speakers for these thematic keynotes. More information about each session will be provided in program materials shared closer to the Institute dates.
Engaged Learning
Monday, October 27, 2025
This session organized by HIPs in the States:
- Alaa Alsarhan, Director of Academic Assessment and Analytics, Utah Valley University
- Amy Cicchino, Associate Director, Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
- Jocelyn Evans, Professor of Political Science and the Director of the Kugelman Honors Program, University of West Florida
- Sara Evans, Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice, Kennesaw State University
- Kevin Gannon, Director, Center for the Advancement of Faculty Excellence, Queens University of Charlotte
- Amy Johnson, Assistant Vice President for Academic Success, Old Dominion University
Tuesday, October 28, 2025
This session organized by HIPs in the States:
Inclusive Environments
Monday, October 27, 2025
This session organized by Grand Challenge in Assessment Project:
- Chadia Abras, Senior Director of Institutional Assessment and Associate Professor of Education, Johns Hopkins University
- Becky Croxton, Assessment & Research Analyst, Colorado State University Libraries
- Beth Janetski, Assistant Dean for Assessment and Academic Planning, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Pharmacy
- Christine Robinson, Assistant Provost for Institutional Effectiveness and Analytics, University of North Carolina at Charlotte
- Karen Singer-Freeman, Associate Dean of Teaching and Learning Excellence, George Washington University
- Jessica Taylor, Assistant Professor, Applied Learning & Leadership Programs, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
Tuesday, October 28, 2025
This session organized by HBCU Collaborative for Excellence in Educational Quality Assurance (HBCU‑CEEQA):
- Mark Howse, Associate Vice President of Institutional Effectiveness, Morehouse School of Medicine; and Chair, HBCU-CEEQA
- Franz Reneau, Assistant Provost for Academic Effectiveness & Senior Academic Professional, Georgia Institute of Technology; and Co-Chair, HBCU-CEEQA
Innovative Instruction
Monday, October 27, 2025
This session organized by American Association of Colleges & Universities (AAC&U):
- Kate Drezek McConnell, Vice President for Curricular and Pedagogical Innovation and Executive Director of VALUE, American Association of Colleges & Universities (AAC&U)
- Caleb J. Keith, Director of Research Strategy & Initiatives, Indiana University Indianapolis
- C. Edward Watson, Vice President for Digital Innovation, American Association of Colleges & Universities (AAC&U)
Tuesday, October 28, 2025
This session organized by Center for Assessment and Research Studies (CARS) at James Madison University:
- Sara Finney, Professor and Associate Director, Center for Assessment and Research Studies, James Madison University
- Riley Herr, Assessment Consultant and Ph.D. student, Center for Assessment and Research Studies, James Madison University
Strategic Directions
Monday, October 27, 2025
This session organized by HBCU Collaborative for Excellence in Educational Quality Assurance (HBCU‑CEEQA):
- Bridget Dewees, Assistant Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness, Claflin University
Tuesday, October 28, 2025
This session organized by contributors to Maximizing the Impact of Assessment in Higher Education: Closing the Loop with Change Management (Routledge):
- Cindy Cogswell, Director of Data Strategy, New York University
- Gavin Henning, Professor of Higher Education, Director of Doctor of Education and Master of Science in Higher Education Administration Programs, and Director of the Center for Innovation in Teaching, Learning, and Scholarship, New England College
Student Success
Monday, October 27, 2025
This session organized by editors of Research & Practice in Assessment:
- Robin Anderson, Professor of Graduate Psychology, James Madison University
- Nicholas A. Curtis, Assessment Director, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Tuesday, October 28, 2025
This session organized by Consortium of Organizations for Student Affairs Assessment (COSAA):
- Shaun Boren, Director of Assessment and Research in the Division of Student Life, University of Florida (representing NASPA’s Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Knowledge Community)
- Renée Delgado-Riley, Director of Student Life Assessment and Research in the Division of Student Life, University of Oregon (representing Student Affairs Assessment Leaders)
- Kimberly Kruchen, Associate Director of Strategic Initiatives in the Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor and Chief Operating Officer, University of Colorado Boulder (representing NASPA’s Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Knowledge Community)
- Joseph D. Levy, Associate Vice Provost of Accreditation and Quality Improvement, Excelsior University (representing Student Affairs Assessment Leaders)
- Tori Rehr, Senior Program Review and Strategic Planning Analyst in the Center for the Study of Student Life, The Ohio State University (representing ACPA’s Commission for Assessment and Evaluation)
- Heather Strine-Patterson, Director of Student Affairs Assessment, Evaluation, and Data Strategy, Virginia Tech (representing Journal of Student Affairs Inquiry, Improvement, and Impact)